Asbury Park Press carried a particularly amusing letter-to-the-editor today — the story of one woman who was brave enough to obey the freshly lowered 55-mph speed limit on the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey.

The Parkway speed limit is 65-mph starting from the border at New York, but proceeding farther south, the limit drops to 55-mph.  Recently, the 55-mph limit was extended farther north.  As anyone whose ever driven on the Garden State Parkway can attest, 75-mph-plus speeds are routine if not “too slow” to some of the more aggressive drivers.

NJ.com blogger Paul Mulshine recently posted an interesting review of dubious claims that a 55-mph speed limit improves overall fuel efficiency.  Mulshine provides a link to a variety of official sources, both domestic and international, that debase the myth of a single fuel efficient speed limit, especially one set at 55-mph.  “Every car I own gets better mileage at 70 mph than the typical SUV gets at 55,” remarked Mulshine. And while that may be true, it’s also worth noting that most modern passenger cars (and even SUVs) have evolved beyond the old carburated engines of yesteryear, and can achieve their highest fuel efficiencies at speeds above 55-mph anyway.

Drivers New Jersey are used to being the butt of innumerable jokes on topics ranging from their often colorful hand gestures to their overcrowded, nightmarishly confusing Turnpike. New Jersey drivers recently lowered the bar once again by demonstrating an incredibly schizophrenic view of vehicle & traffic law enforcement.  According to the Press of Atlantic City, a AAA-sponsored poll revealed “[New Jersey drivers] support a new state law making it a primary offense to use cell phones while driving, even though they don’t believe it will make it safer to drive on New Jersey roads.” There are also some views on traffic cameras and snow/ice removal that were captured in the AAA study.

In the six years since New Jersey enacted legislation imposing more restrictions on young drivers, including a graduated licensing system, to address its leading cause of death of teenagers and young adults, the number of accidents involving 17- to 20-year-old drivers has declined. Still, 44 young drivers were killed last year in New Jersey crashes, according to the highway traffic safety division. And vehicle accidents remain the No. 1 killer of young people across the country, claiming thousands of lives each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

New Jersey Governor Appointed Group to Study Issues of Teenage Driving

Hoboken is planning to use clandestine cameras to catch people running red lights and stop signs.

Smile, Hoboken: You’ll be on traffic light camera