In DWT’s inaugural post, Graham talks about his introduction to Texan culture, especially on the roadways, and how it spawned DWT. Coming from California, he was amazed at the disparity with California’s “oppressive traffic enforcement”. Well, I’m a born and raised Texan, so it comes as no surprise to me that people were defiant towards a decrease in the speed limit. Heck, people ignore the speed limit when its 65/70 (in one week all the men in my family got speeding tickets; coincidentally, none of them were our fault). All too often I’ve been driving down the highway going the “speed limit” only to be passed like I’m standing still. And not by a Ferrari but by a soccer mom in an Escalade.

But what happens when you pit a Texan’s love for driving whatever speed we want, against our pocketbook?

Recently, Senator John Warner suggested studying the feasibility of a return to a federally mandated speed limit to allow for a decrease in nationwide fuel consumption. I thought of the repercussions here in Texas. Let’s assume that we returned to the a federally mandated speed limit of 55 mph, as it was in 1974, would Texans respond given the high gas prices?

The Houston Chronicle conducted a recent survey (not entirely robust, but it works) by driving 60 mph on the major freeways in Houston to determine the average rate of travel of fellow drivers. The ratio on one day of being passed to passing others was 478:0.

Texans won’t slow down, even in the current climate of exorbitant gas prices. So it would seem, Lyle Lovett could easily have written “Don’t Touch My Speed Limit” instead of “Don’t Touch My Hat.”

Now let’s get to some sciencing. Most fuel efficiency sites I read online cite this number, and there is even a graph on a Department of Energy website () which shows that indeed fuel efficiency is maximum at 55 mph. I found this exact same graph in their annual Fuel Economy report since 2003. Is it me, or should this graph deviate slightly from year-to-year?

The scientist in me wants to know: when the study was commissioned, how many vehicles were studied, and the types of vehicles. None of which were given. As you would imagine, fuel efficiency, and the relationship with efficiency in speed is highly dependent upon the car. You have drag, weight and engine issues to consider.

I can’t help but think that automobile engineers have the specs dialed in for each car to achieve the highest efficiency at common highway speeds (i.e. ~70 mph). This is indicated by any ECU changes that can easily be made to most cars to increase horsepower and torque, but only at the detriment of gas mileage. My Volvo s60R has a slightly higher tuned engine than the average car and I achieve the same MPGs at 85 that I do at 70, 65, and 60. This makes me think that instituting a (lower) federal speed limit would only serve to increase the amount of money local governments get due to speeding tickets.

I think an emerging trend I would like to see would be to have MPG vs. Speed curve for every car, much like most performance automobiles have horsepower and torque curves. That way you let the individual decide which is the optimum speed to drive for their car. Everybody wants better gas mileage, so put that decision in their hands.

I moved to Houston, Texas in the summer of 2002. This was shortly after the city had lowered the speed limit around Houston from 65 mph to 55 mph in order to improve air quality. Coming from California, known for its oppressive traffic enforcement, I was amazed to see a near universal disregard for the new law. The attitude seemed to be, “I don’t like the new law, so I’m not going to obey it.” It was an outright revolt, and in response, the city raised the speed limit a few months later.

It was during those first few months that I started using the phrase “Driving While Texan”, or DWT for short, to refer to the Texan attitude towards driving that uniquely Texan combination of brashness, independence, creativity, and guts. Let me emphasize that DWT is not intended to disparage Texans. Most of the time, I use it in admiration for a maneuver that my overly regulated Californian mind would never have thought possible (or legal!).

This blog is intended to be a tribute to all the fun, hilarious, and beautiful aspects of driving in Texas. I hope that it’ll have a good mix of stories and photos, rants and raves, art cars and super cars (and trucks!). I have invited a few of my friends in Houston to make their own contributions. We want the entire state to be represented, however, so we encourage submissions from everywhere.