Congress is searching for ways to address rising gas prices, and one Bay Area lawmaker thinks she's found one: Lower the speed limit on highways.

Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, in her first bill as a member of Congress, is proposing a national speed limit of 60 mph for freeways in urban areas and 65 mph in less populated areas.

It's a throwback to the 1970s, when Congress and President Richard Nixon imposed a 55 mph national speed limit in response to the Arab oil embargo. While supporters say the law saved lives and fuel, it was unpopular with many drivers and some states balked at enforcing it. Congress repealed it in 1995.

But with the average price of gas at $4.10 per gallon nationwide and $4.60 in San Francisco, Speier said, reducing driving speeds could save families hundreds of dollars a year.
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