In the 1970s, New Zealand reduced the speed limit from 100 kilometers per hour to 80 kilometers per hour to reduce gasoline use during an oil crisis. Since the 100 km per hour speed limit was resurrected it has gone unchanged - until now that is. Government officials are discussing the possibility of once again reducing the speed limit - this time to 90 kilometers per hour - as a method of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. They are also considering the introduction of a fee to those driving in urban areas.

The decision about whether to enforce a new speed limit won't be made until next month, but it is already facing opposition from New Zealand's Automobile Association.

"We don't think you need this and we think that would be an over-reaction," AA spokesman Mike Noon said. "It's an over-reaction against the car, which would be extremely unpopular and certainly not going to be supported and practised by motorists."

A report initiated by the government two years ago indicated that reducing the speed limit by 10 km per hour would reduce aggregate oil demand by 1.4 per cent and be 11 per cent more fuel efficient than a vehicle driving at the current speed limit.

At first it doesn't seem like 11 per cent fuel efficiency is such a great feat, but if you multiply that by all of the vehicles on the road it certainly provides a bigger picture of that the speed limit reduction would accomplish. Mike Noon and the rest of New Zealand's drivers may not support the change, but claiming it won't be practiced is a bit bold. If it's the law, motorists aren't really going to have much of a choice - unless New Zealand is a magical place where money grows on trees and hefty fines for speeding aren't a concern.

» Stuff.co.nz