When it comes to finding relief from rising gasoline costs, we can't imagine a more appropriate problem-solving approach than simply

driving slower.

That seems to be what local trucker Lucky Duke had in mind in his protest of the high cost of fuel. Duke's idea barely registers as a blip on the political radar, but it does bring attention to a little spoken of solution to the nation's fuel woes that seems much simpler than a proposed national gas-tax holiday.

Duke, a long-haul trucker who lives in Hertford, is urging other truckers to drive the minimum speed limit for 30 days starting Thursday. He says doing so will conserve fuel and show a united call for action on the nation's out-of-control fuel costs. He's right in both regards.

Plenty of politicians are making an issue of the rising fuel costs, and are quite aware of the public's frustration. That's why we're not advocating a truckers' protest to call attention to the problem. What we do support, though, is a call for all motorists — not just truckers — to slow down to help conserve fuel.

Duke isn't the only trucker to realize the benefits of driving at a reduced speed.

In March, trucking company Con-way Freight announced it had dialed down the speed governors on the engines of each of its roughly 8,400 trucks. The governors were adjusted to allow truckers to drive at a maximum of 62 mph, down 3 mph from the previous setting, the company said in a news release. Con-way Freight officials said the move was expected to decrease the company's consumption of diesel fuel by 3.2 million gallons a year.

For many of us old enough to remember, driving slower to conserve fuel should be a familiar concept.

In 1974 Congress enacted a 55 mph national maximum speed limit in response to the 1973 Arab oil embargo. The speed limit was not well received by motorists and was popularized in rocker Sammy Hagar's early 1980s hit song "I Can't Drive 55."

Regardless, the national speed limit was effective because it did two things: it helped motorists conserve fuel and lowered the cost of fuel by driving down demand. It also decreased the nation's dependence on foreign oil. Over the years, though, as the price of gas continued to fall, Congress eased back on its 55 mph mandate and in 1995 altogether rescinded the law. Today 32 states — including North Carolina — have maximum speed limits of 70 mph or higher, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Looking back, a 55-mph speed limit may not have been a bad idea. But it's not one that's getting much attention today.

Instead, the more appealing and widely talked about solution is a proposed national gas-tax holiday, supported by both Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and the presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain. The holiday would suspend the 18.4-cents federal gas tax and 24.4-cents diesel tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

But given the less-than-warm reception the gas-tax holiday has received so far in Washington, it's unlikely Congress will act in the next two weeks to approve it. We also realize it's equally unlikely that Congress will reinstate a national maximum speed limit, at least not any time soon.

That's why encouraging motorists to just slow down is such a simple solution. It's a measure everyone can put into action now and not wait months or years for

legislation to pass.

Consider this bit of information before heading out on the highway again. The Web site www.fueleconomy.gov, which is maintained by the U.S. Department of Energy, says that a vehicle's gas mileage decreases much faster at rates above 60 mph. And as a general rule, every 5 mph over 60 mph is comparable to paying an extra 20 cents a gallon at the pump.

So, with extra emphasis on an old expression, slow down and conserve fuel. We can't think of a simpler solution.