The 55-mph speed limit signed into law recently by Gov. Scott Matheson – has a new lease on life now with a firmer status than in the past. The new law, which takes effect July 25, puts pressure on the public for a stronger voluntary effort, and on law officers to enforce a measure not precisely adhered to by most of the driving public. “With most laws, it’s assumed that at least 85 percent of the peo ple obey them and enforcement takes care of the remaining 15 percent,” a spokesman for the Utah Highway Patrol noted. “But with the 55-mph speed limit, the situation is just the opposite, with up to 85 percent of the drivers exceeding the limit.” The spokesman declared the patrol recognizes the value of the speed limit from standpoints of both safety and fuel saving. “We call on the public to comply. The goal is that through education and voluntary cooperation, at least 85 per cent will adhering to the 55mph speed by 1982.” The current limit was imposed several years ago across the nation – largely to save fuel. A sizable decrease in fatal accidents due to the slower speed has been a welcome byproduct. Some have argued the speed limit is invalid, having been established by govemor’s proclamation in the period of the Arab oil embargo. They contend that the limit of 55 miles per hour expired when the embargo was lifted. But the Utah Supreme Court ruled the speed to be legal in a case last March and the measure received added shoring up by the Legislature at its regular and special sessions this year. Statistics show that fewer accidents happen at 55 mph than at higher speeds, said the highway patrol spokesman, and that survival is much more likely at the lower speed, “In fact,” he said, ”35 percent more people involved in accidents are killed at 70 mph than at 55,” Speed intensifies the results of impct. What will be the patrol’s policy in future enforcement? At first, at least, wide-scale violations and limited manpower situations being what they are, not much change may be noticeable. Few actual arrest citations will be issued at speeds of 55 to 62 mph under normal conditions, but this won’t necessarily be so for the motorist who drives at that speed or weaves in and out of traffic when road conditions require a slower flow of traffic, Rather, persons stopped for driving up to 62 mph may receive waming tickets, at the discretion of the officer, After 62 mph the highway patrol policy generally will be to issue arrest citations. Many factors come into play in considering speeding cases, according to the spokesman. The law recognizes road conditions as a factor. Speedometers may not be accurate in some cases. It was noted that in Provo, the city judges discourage handling of cases in their courts unless the speed cited is five miles over the actual limit. What about the remote stretches of highway where some motorists tend to “stretch out” the speed? Patrolmen will deal with these cases to the extent of their manpower but probably will concentrate on the faster speeders, with little attention to the 60-mile driver. Recognizing that the average highway speed in Utah exceeds that norm, we support the highway patrol’s appeal for voluntary restraint to achieve general compliance – first because it’s the law; also because it’s the safer and more economical way to go. So They Say “Bigotry and religious intolerance, though repeatedly deprived of legal and normative support by church and state alike, are nevertheless alive and well in the United States of America of 1978,” – Professor Gillian Lindt of Columbia University, speaking at a Rhode- Island symposium on religion.