Pace of life slows a bit, even in the fast lane

Slowing down and taking it easy is a good idea almost any time.

Maybe now it's a good idea whose time has come.

Statistics are difficult to come by, but there are indications that many folks around here are easing off. They're cruising down the highways of life at a more leisurely pace, or staying home altogether.

And here's the kicker: The catalyst for this potentially life-enriching - or even lifesaving - development is high gasoline prices.

Troopers at both the Lima and Wapakoneta posts of the Ohio Highway Patrol believe speeds are declining both on Interstate 75 and on two-lane highways around the region. The change might not be dramatic, but it is perceptible.

Easing off on the accelerator - that's the one we call the gas pedal, after all - would not only improve gas mileage for drivers. It would also lower the risk of accidents and the likelihood of serious injuries or deaths on the highways.

Declining speeds might also suggest something else that I've long suspected but could never prove: that people in west central Ohio have better sense than their fellow Americans in many other parts of our vast and diverse country.

That observation is based on an informal survey conducted by the Governors Highway Safety Association. Results of the survey, released this week, suggest that while slowing down could result in significantly lower expenditures on gasoline, the public by and large has not yet gotten the message.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, aggressive driving - speeding, rapid acceleration and abrupt braking - can reduce gas mileage by 5 percent in city driving and up to one-third at highway speed. As a rule of thumb, each 5 mph over 60 is like paying an extra 20 cents per gallon for gas.

But the survey of state highway safety agencies, conducted last week, found a noticeable trend toward reduced speeds in only one state, Wisconsin. Elsewhere, drivers seemed to be whizzing along just as if gasoline were still $3.45 a gallon.

Locally, I found just the opposite. My inquiry, conducted Thursday afternoon, was just as scientific as the national survey. I contacted people who'd be likely to notice these things and asked them.

"Actually the other day we were talking about that, and we kind of think maybe people are slowing down a little bit," said Trooper Bill Bowers at the Lima post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. "It would be difficult to prove it, but I've heard people say that they've slowed down in the last couple weeks, maybe a month or so. It just seems like it's been kind of slow."

Commercial truckers are setting a good example, often staying under the speed limit.

At the Wapakoneta post, Lt. Scott Carricow had the same impression.

"No. 1, we're not getting the flow of traffic that we've experienced in the past. People are staying home, not traveling as far or as much," he said. "As far as speed, you just don't have the flagrant speeds that you usually have."

Bowers and Carricow said citations for speeding seem to be down at both posts.

"We don't have any formal numbers, but from what I'm seeing personally, it appears that way to me," Carricow said. "The guys are not issuing as many citations. It's not that they're not working as hard, they're just telling me that the citations aren't out there, the higher speeds aren't out there like they have been.

"I think that's a result of the high gas prices. People are just being more conscious."

Promoters of highway safety used to urge motorists to slow down and live.

Now, in the face of exploding gas prices, there's another piece of good advice we can take: Slow down and save.