Unfortunately, things didn’t quite work out that way. Sure, speed limits were dropped to 55 mph, but the public wasn’t exactly crazy about the change, and few drivers stuck to the new rules. Even worse, law enforcement didn’t crack down on speeders, and offending drivers were likely to get off with a lesser charge. As a result, fuel consumption in the U.S. fell by a mere 1 percent, and the law was repealed after 21 years on the books. Now the states are responsible for setting their own speed limits.

As cars get ever safer and more fuel efficient, multiple states have been eying raising the speed limits on highways instead of lowering them. Virginia’s legislators recently agreed to change the statewide speed limit from 65 mph to 70 mph where reasonably safe, even though research has repeatedly shown that fuel consumption and emissions increase significantly over 65 mph.

Would the average American driver be willing to slow down to 50 mph in order to help save the planet? We seriously doubt it. The Dutch researchers base their 30 percent reduction in emissions on the fact that since longer trips would take so much more time to complete, drivers would forgo personal transportation for quality public options. The only problem is that here in the U.S., there aren’t too many good public transportation options. With effectively no light passenger rail infrastructure, travelers are stuck with either the automobile or commercial airlines. Until fuel prices climb once again, that’s not likely to change, and American drivers will probably continue to cruise along well above 50 mph.