Quote:
Originally Posted by NomoTesla
I follow the law, not the masses. If you want to drive 90 MPH, that's fine, but don't judge those who choose not to break the law. The speed limit is not a suggestion. It is a MAXIMUM. I've been known to go 5 over, but to suggest it's okay to go 90 MPH in a 70 MPH zone (20 MPH over) is suggesting that we all participate in felony speeding. I'm not in such a hurry that I'm going to risk doing that to myself or risk the lives of others. Never.
I enjoy reduced tire wear, reduced thermal stress to my vehicle, reduced battery degradation, and reduced stress to myself having to speed, handle potentially dangerous situations, and having to change lanes all the time (which is the #1 source of accidents).
I go out for a joy ride every once in a while, but a road trip is not a time for that. Especially with a spouse and two beloved dogs in the car. I would never risk their lives. EVER.
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The main issue with speed limits is that they are arbitrarily set in many cases and many were not revised as cars got better over time. Given that ticketing people for going faster than these limits is a decent source of revenue for cities/police departments, they have a vested interest in keeping them lower than they should be.
There are areas where going 90mph is safe. When you drive in the desert, with very straight flat roads, perfect visibility, well maintained roads, nothing but sand and dirt on the side of the road, as long as you have a car equipped to go that fast (i.e. good brakes, tires, etc) there is nothing unreasonably dangerous about going that speed in those conditions.
What makes it more dangerous is people forcing the faster traffic to go around them by hogging the passing lane. If you are actually passing slower traffic, most speeders will not ride your bumper and just let you pass the even slower cars, but they expect you to move over when you're done. When people don't get out of their way, they'll start by riding your bumper, which is risky, or make a pass on the right to avoid you, which can also be risky as other traffic may not be expecting that move. If proper lane discipline was respected, the fast moving traffic would be happier and less aggressive and there would be less accidents overall.