To The People Who Drive Very Fast:

[In_Correct]

I must explain my driving habits which clash with usual driving habits:

I use cruise control. I do not know exactly how cruise control works but I don't think it guarantees the exact speed the entire time. Especially in older cars (perhaps with an older version of Cruise Control) that do not like hills, the cruise control results in slower speeds uphill and faster speeds downhill. I can not guarantee going the speed limit. If I am one or two MPH below, just deal with it.

The fastest I will go is the speed limit. I do not care if you think it is a speed suggestion. It is a limit. I fear being pulled over. I can not explain how everybody speeds and nobody is pulled over. I have been on Toll Roads that say "No Tolerance". or "Strictly Enforced". and I am still surprised.

Also, every time I do go the speed limit, the next thing I see on the side of the road is a bunch of tread separation tires, and / or skid marks. I immediately slow down.

I do not go too slow. I see the minimum speed sign which from my understanding is a legal speed. I usually do not drive the minimum speed.

There are times that I must drive slowly. This includes Rainy weather or even worse: Icy weather. or Foggy weather. I sometimes drive a little slower at night because it is easy to get lost at night.

I do not use cell phones or even dedicated GPS device. If I did, I would get even more lost.

Also, I like to look at the road and occasional glance at the dashboard. I do not like to look at cell phones.

I do not drink and drive.

I do not even smoke and drive either.

However, I do eat and drink (water or cranberry juice or something but not alcohol) while driving. I be sure to have one hand on the steering wheel and I still watch the road, not my food.

I almost always stay in the right lane. I almost never pass people. I have on occasion been in a hurry (and this resulted in me speeding 83 MPH to be able to pass vehicles.) otherwise I plan ahead so I don't be late. The only other time I am not in the farthest right lane is when there is more than one lane. Sometimes there are exits on the LEFT side of the road (or in a 5 lane Avenue road I have to go to the passing lane before arriving in the left turn lane) but there are some left hand exits (Purcell, Oklahoma for example seems to have only one exit on the south side of town. The north side of town is U.S. 77 splitting from Interstate 35 which is an unusual interchange that requires an exit from the left while going southbound. And another time is any Interchange where an Interstate splits from another Interstate. I MUST go to whichever lane required to go to The Interstate. Those are examples of needing to go to a different lane. Another time that I am not in the farthest right lane is when the highway is 3 or more lanes (in the same direction) I am in the second farthest right lane. This is because of traffic merging from the ramps.

If one lane is closed, (such as the passing lane) that requires a merge then I immediately get in the open lane if I am not already in it. Fortunately they give people plenty of time in advanced warning so I do not know why some other people wait until the last minute.

During construction they will post a slower speed limit. I will obey that speed limit.

At night, I slow down especially during construction areas. Some places might be confusing. It would be nice for the Ferranti Packards to have a message "Bridge Out." or "Bridge Out. Go To The Other Carriage Way." Traffic cones are the SAME colour which is confusing, especially if they are supposed to lead to the other carriage way. Other times they do Lane Shifts. Lane Shifts are also confusing. (and I really don't know how they can close HALF or part of a bridge while keeping the rest of it open?!) But in Texas (which has tons of Lane Shifts, bridge related or otherwise) they have reflectors of different colours, indicating where the lanes are. They are supposed to be different colours because each side of the road is striped differently. Those are easy to follow. But I don't think Orange construction cones are good enough when a bridge is out and you have to go to the other carriage way. Oklahoma currently is replacing bridges.

The Ramps have different signs that give a speed. I assume it is the required speed to safely enter the ramp. I obey these signs. Honking at me for obeying these signs, and then tailgating me, ... only shows what an oversized impatient child you are.

Any other times people honk, I suspect that they were not paying attention, were not expecting to slow down, and then honked. Or perhaps they have a temper tantrum for having to pass me.

You are free to pass me. That is what the other lane is for. I have been tailgated even though there is nobody else in the passing lane. Just pass me and get far away from me. I have absolutely no problem if you pass me. So why should you have any problem passing me?

I do accelerate if there are other cars in the passing lane. I will go to the speed limit.

Also, when the passing lane is clear and when the large vehicle passes me, I will slow down again so they can easily pass me.

Sometimes I feel exhausted, especially on a very long trip. I will drive slower while looking for a safe area to pull over to rest. And if necessary, to sleep. 


I am also concerned about MPG. Using Cruise Control, and driving slower, both improve MPG a little bit. And I will take any improvement. However, I usually do not drive slowly for this reason. I will go to the speed limit, but I still use cruise control whenever possible.

I also believe that speeding will cause wear and tear. I try to avoid speeding for this reason.

Trucks, Big Rigs, Semis, Tractor Trailers, 18 Wheelers, I might as well call them Lorries or Freight Vehicles ... are actually not the scariest thing tailgating me. Sometimes Freight Vehicles are Governed and most of the time they are very professional drivers ... unlikely to be on the Mobile Device browsing whatever Social Engineering website that The Thought Police made. ... and unlikely to be drunk. What is scarier than a Lorry is an RV. Especially a flat nosed motor home. As a result, These types of RVs appear to be much larger than a Lorry. And they are not necessarily a commercial driver that is driving them. RVs are extremely scary things when they are behind me.

I also do not understand tailgating, passing me, honking while passing, and then they exit at the next exit?!

And I be sure to keep plenty of distance between me and vehicles in front of me.

So this is an explanation of why I often drive below the speed limit and of why I hate to drive above the speed limit.



Drivers who want to tailgate are not interested in my reasons. But are there any "I drive slower than you. Pass me as soon as possible. Unless we are on a curved ramp or construction zone." Bumper Stickers? If there are any then I will get them. I never had so much appreciation for bumper stickers. And now I can't wait to get them.

[hotdogPi]

The standard speed limit is 65, but it has been reduced to 45 for construction. There is no construction going on; it is the wrong time of day. What speed do you go?

[sbeaver44]

The standard speed limit is 65, but it has been reduced to 45 for construction. There is no construction going on; it is the wrong time of day. What speed do you go?

I wish PennDOT would take the WV approach and make it only active work zone speed when flashing.  I go about 52 in this case because I fully expect there to be enforcement somewhere.  Usually, I'm at or slightly above the general flow of traffic in a non-work zone, but in this case I usually am getting blown out of the water.

Nexus 6P

[jakeroot]

Drive below the speed limit if you want. Just stick in the right lane (applause for doing so already). But, keep this in mind: The safest speed to drive is the prevailing speed of traffic around you. There's no data that suggests going the speed limit is the safest thing to do.

Speed limits reflect the flow of traffic, not the other way around....you see traffic that doesn't follow the limit, I see a limit that doesn't keep up with traffic.

The Ramps have different signs that give a speed. I assume it is the required speed to safely enter the ramp. I obey these signs. Honking at me for obeying these signs, and then tailgating me, ... only shows what an oversized impatient child you are.

Being predictable pretty much guarantees a degree of safety. If there's a curve with an advisory limit of 50, but everyone takes it at 60, you're going to confuse everyone behind you by taking it at 50, even if the sign advises you to do so (yellow signs are not required speeds, by the way). You might even get rear-ended by a driver who didn't expect you to slow for the curve.

Another thing: these advisory limits reflect the cornering abilities of 1950s Americana -- modern day cars can take curves much faster than older cars, yet just as safely. Have you ever taken a corner above the advised limit of the yellow sign? It's really not that bad. It might be why everyone is honking at you.

All things considered, after reading your post...you sound very timid. How long have you been driving?

[jeffandnicole]

I almost always stay in the right lane...The only other time I am not in the farthest right lane is when there is more than one lane.

Huh?

Anyway, if you want to drive the speed limit, that's fine.  Unlike what others may think, many people drive the speed limit. 

Of course, that's not the only law.  I'll see people fly thru a stop sign then go the limit, and you can tell they get irritated when others are tailgating them.  Maybe if they had actually stopped at the stop sign, they wouldn't immediately be tailgated.

As hinted about, I see many drive the speed limit, but are in the center or left lanes.  The law in many states is to keep right except when passing.

If you get to the left for a left handed exit, as long as you're being reasonable about it, that's fine.  If you get in the left lane 5 miles prior to the exit, that's not being reasonable.

[intelati49]

I'm a hurry up and wait kind of guy. If I could have a teleportation device I would only use that.

99.9% of the time, I give myself 5 MPH, AKA speed limit of 60, I'll set my cruise on 65. However, my car has is off a few mph, so it looks like 68.

That being said, I have two closing thoughts.

1. I slow up more cautiously than most other drivers. If there's driving rain, I'll slow down to 60 mph and cars fly by me still

2. 80 mph (true, so 83 in my truck) is my personal limit. Any faster than that, I start scaring myself.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

 U

Speed limits reflect the flow of traffic, not the other way around....you see traffic that doesn't follow the limit, I see a limit that doesn't keep up with traffic.

I feel this kind of thinking is dangerous simply because it says "we don't agree with this limit, so we'll set our own and if you don't keep up you are the dangerous driver, not me." At the same time I've eased up a bit from when I started driving and I might drive +5-7 on the freeway but not on surface streets where there are more potential hazards.

[SP Cook]

Thank you for sharing. 

As stated, the safest speed is the prevailing speed of those around you.   On many interstates, driving even at, let alone below, the SL even in the right lane can be dangerous.   It some instances it will place you in the bottom 5 %ile of traffic. 

Crawling up an ACCELERATION ramp and then bursting in front of someone, and worse yet forcing multiple people behind you to do the same, is VERY dangerous.   You might make it, others behind you may not.  You should hit the main highway AT the speed you intend to drive, you should NOT use the highway to accelerate, you should already be AT speed.   (Likewise, in most circumstances, the "off" ramp is a DECELERATION ramp, it is dangerous, in most circumstances, to use the highway for decelaration.

Obviously, there are weather circumstances, including rain, that require judgement.  But a standard well maintained car can drive very acceptably in a light to medium rain storm.

Every SL increase has been followed by a decrease in traffic mortality and morbidity.  Every one.  I understand if you do not want random taxed.  One of the evil things about the evil and illigitimate system of traffic enforcement is that it harms the poor in a different way than others.  I get that.  But do not confuse traffic laws with safety.  They have nothing to do with one another.

[AsphaltPlanet]

Every SL increase has been followed by a decrease in traffic mortality and morbidity.  Every one.  I understand if you do not want random taxed.  One of the evil things about the evil and illigitimate system of traffic enforcement is that it harms the poor in a different way than others.  I get that.  But do not confuse traffic laws with safety.  They have nothing to do with one another.

Not correct.  While I generally favour speed limits more in line with actual design speeds of roads, to say that every speed limit increase in history has made the road more safe is a gross overstatement of the truth.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-speed-limits-1.3657259

[jakeroot]

Speed limits reflect the flow of traffic, not the other way around....you see traffic that doesn't follow the limit, I see a limit that doesn't keep up with traffic.

I feel this kind of thinking is dangerous simply because it says "we don't agree with this limit, so we'll set our own and if you don't keep up you are the dangerous driver, not me." At the same time I've eased up a bit from when I started driving and I might drive +5-7 on the freeway but not on surface streets where there are more potential hazards.

There are two types of drivers: (1) those that drive the limit, and (2) those that drive the speed they feel is safest. A road that is underposted will have some drivers sticking to the limit, and others ignoring it, creating a large speed differential, which is factually very dangerous. Raising a limit achieves two things. One, it permits those who steadfastly observe limits to travel closer to the speed that other drivers were already doing. And two, it reduces the speed differential between all cars, which reduces the chance of a collision.

Every SL increase has been followed by a decrease in traffic mortality and morbidity.  Every one.  I understand if you do not want random taxed.  One of the evil things about the evil and illigitimate system of traffic enforcement is that it harms the poor in a different way than others.  I get that.  But do not confuse traffic laws with safety.  They have nothing to do with one another.

Not correct.  While I generally favour speed limits more in line with actual design speeds of roads, to say that every speed limit increase in history has made the road more safe is a gross overstatement of the truth.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-speed-limits-1.3657259

Right. There's no way that every limit increase will result in a decrease in collisions and fatalities (statistically, it's basically impossible). But, most prove beneficial.

[wxfree]

I'm with you.  I believe we have a societal obligation to obey the laws, and I drive in accordance with that belief.  It's worked well for me as I have a completely clean record after more than 20 years of driving.  (As a disclaimer, I live in Texas, where rural speed limits, and urban freeway limits, are generally reasonable and easy to comply with.)

The sign at an exit ramp is an advisory speed that applies to the end of the ramp, not the beginning.  You should not slow down on the freeway lane except in unusual circumstances.  I've seen advisory speeds of 25 on short ramps with sharp curves at the end because it joins a two-way frontage road.  The highway department later built deceleration lanes to keep traffic from slowing down on the through lane.  Freeways built to modern standards don't have this problem.

Always remember that the first rule is safety.  An example I use is I-20 in Fort Worth.  It had a speed limit of 60 for a long time, but people went about 70.  Most of the time I could go 60 in the right lane and it wasn't a problem.  Sometimes, though, it would result in frequent passing maneuvers in dense traffic, which is unsafe.  I'd disregard the speed limit and go fast enough to prevent that.  Now, fortunately, the speed limit is 70, which is how fast most traffic moves, so I never speed there now.

[intelati49]

Just in general, how speed limits are set up are in kind of a logical feedback cycle. You set it at the 85th percentile. Okay, once you do that, do you move the 85th percentile more? I dunno, I haven't researched that topic before.

Although school speed limits are another thing. I actually agree with the principal (Just don't go from 40mph to 20mph or something like that as a speed trap)

[hotdogPi]

Just in general, how speed limits are set up are in kind of a logical feedback cycle. You set it at the 85th percentile. Okay, once you do that, do you move the 85th percentile more? I dunno, I haven't researched that topic before.

The 85th percentile moves up 2-3 mph for each 10 mph increase, so there is no infinite cycle.

[sparker]

One thing about driving solely in the right lane on a limited-access facility is that one is constantly changing speeds due to vehicles entering and exiting and the need to accommodate those actions.  On a 4-lane (2+2) facility that would be considered intrinsic or "par for the course" -- but 4-lane freeways mostly tend to be more suburban or rural, with widely spaced interchanges -- so the disruption to consistent speed may be relatively minimal.  However, on a facility of 6 lanes or more, one of the center lanes might be more optimal for maintenance of a constant speed -- but if one is adamant about adherence to the speed limit as an a priori standard, then the center lane may be problematic, since in my experience, it usually "floats" about 5-7 mph above the posted limit. 

While strict adherence to those limits may be admirable -- at least to those folks who value deference -- IMO it's more valuable as a guideline than an obsession.  The act of driving is applied methodology -- elevating that methodology into an ideology based on external standards might not be the way to promote safe practices.  Sorry to say, the term "road boulder" might be applicable here -- and those folks are rarely the subject of widespread admiration or even emulation!  Best of luck to In_Correct -- they'll need it!   

[In_Correct]

Drive below the speed limit if you want. Just stick in the right lane (applause for doing so already). But, keep this in mind: The safest speed to drive is the prevailing speed of traffic around you. There's no data that suggests going the speed limit is the safest thing to do.

Speed limits reflect the flow of traffic, not the other way around....you see traffic that doesn't follow the limit, I see a limit that doesn't keep up with traffic.

The Ramps have different signs that give a speed. I assume it is the required speed to safely enter the ramp. I obey these signs. Honking at me for obeying these signs, and then tailgating me, ... only shows what an oversized impatient child you are.

Being predictable pretty much guarantees a degree of safety. If there's a curve with an advisory limit of 50, but everyone takes it at 60, you're going to confuse everyone behind you by taking it at 50, even if the sign advises you to do so (yellow signs are not required speeds, by the way). You might even get rear-ended by a driver who didn't expect you to slow for the curve.

Another thing: these advisory limits reflect the cornering abilities of 1950s Americana -- modern day cars can take curves much faster than older cars, yet just as safely. Have you ever taken a corner above the advised limit of the yellow sign? It's really not that bad. It might be why everyone is honking at you.

All things considered, after reading your post...you sound very timid. How long have you been driving?

The ramp with the yellow sign was a curved exit ramp from the left lane of a highway to the left lane of the other highway. I was going 10 above the yellow sign but a car still honked and tailgated me. Once I arrived on the other highway I moved out of the left lane.

[Brandon]

I must explain my driving habits which clash with usual driving habits:

I use cruise control. I do not know exactly how cruise control works but I don't think it guarantees the exact speed the entire time. Especially in older cars (perhaps with an older version of Cruise Control) that do not like hills, the cruise control results in slower speeds uphill and faster speeds downhill. I can not guarantee going the speed limit. If I am one or two MPH below, just deal with it.

The fastest I will go is the speed limit. I do not care if you think it is a speed suggestion. It is a limit. I fear being pulled over. I can not explain how everybody speeds and nobody is pulled over. I have been on Toll Roads that say "No Tolerance". or "Strictly Enforced". and I am still surprised.

Then stay in the right lane, please.  I find most "No Tolerance" signage to be joke.

Also, every time I do go the speed limit, the next thing I see on the side of the road is a bunch of tread separation tires, and / or skid marks. I immediately slow down.

That has little to do with speed and more to do with the driver not paying attention/following too closely.  As for tread separation, that happens on trucks from time-to-time.  It has noting to do with speed, rather, it has to do with the quality of the tires or the quality of the tread repair.

I do not go too slow. I see the minimum speed sign which from my understanding is a legal speed. I usually do not drive the minimum speed.

There are times that I must drive slowly. This includes Rainy weather or even worse: Icy weather. or Foggy weather. I sometimes drive a little slower at night because it is easy to get lost at night.

Again, then stay in the right lane.  I'm sick of people who cannot handle snow, ice, or rain clogging up the left lane.  As for the night, replace your headlights.  As for fog, maintain speed.  People get rear ended because they go far too slowly in fog on freeways.

I do not use cell phones or even dedicated GPS device. If I did, I would get even more lost.

Also, I like to look at the road and occasional glance at the dashboard. I do not like to look at cell phones.

I do not drink and drive.

I do not even smoke and drive either.

However, I do eat and drink (water or cranberry juice or something but not alcohol) while driving. I be sure to have one hand on the steering wheel and I still watch the road, not my food.

Food and drink can be just as much as a distraction as a phone.

I almost always stay in the right lane. I almost never pass people. I have on occasion been in a hurry (and this resulted in me speeding 83 MPH to be able to pass vehicles.) otherwise I plan ahead so I don't be late. The only other time I am not in the farthest right lane is when there is more than one lane. Sometimes there are exits on the LEFT side of the road (or in a 5 lane Avenue road I have to go to the passing lane before arriving in the left turn lane) but there are some left hand exits (Purcell, Oklahoma for example seems to have only one exit on the south side of town. The north side of town is U.S. 77 splitting from Interstate 35 which is an unusual interchange that requires an exit from the left while going southbound. And another time is any Interchange where an Interstate splits from another Interstate. I MUST go to whichever lane required to go to The Interstate. Those are examples of needing to go to a different lane. Another time that I am not in the farthest right lane is when the highway is 3 or more lanes (in the same direction) I am in the second farthest right lane. This is because of traffic merging from the ramps.

If one lane is closed, (such as the passing lane) that requires a merge then I immediately get in the open lane if I am not already in it. Fortunately they give people plenty of time in advanced warning so I do not know why some other people wait until the last minute.

During construction they will post a slower speed limit. I will obey that speed limit.

At night, I slow down especially during construction areas. Some places might be confusing. It would be nice for the Ferranti Packards to have a message "Bridge Out." or "Bridge Out. Go To The Other Carriage Way." Traffic cones are the SAME colour which is confusing, especially if they are supposed to lead to the other carriage way. Other times they do Lane Shifts. Lane Shifts are also confusing. (and I really don't know how they can close HALF or part of a bridge while keeping the rest of it open?!) But in Texas (which has tons of Lane Shifts, bridge related or otherwise) they have reflectors of different colours, indicating where the lanes are. They are supposed to be different colours because each side of the road is striped differently. Those are easy to follow. But I don't think Orange construction cones are good enough when a bridge is out and you have to go to the other carriage way. Oklahoma currently is replacing bridges.

The Ramps have different signs that give a speed. I assume it is the required speed to safely enter the ramp. I obey these signs. Honking at me for obeying these signs, and then tailgating me, ... only shows what an oversized impatient child you are.

The ramp speed is a suggested speed if you are driving a truck in inclement weather.  Get your ass up to speed and learn how to handle a curve, buddy.  In Illinois, they're usually posted 20-30 mph below what the ramp can be taken safely at.

Any other times people honk, I suspect that they were not paying attention, were not expecting to slow down, and then honked. Or perhaps they have a temper tantrum for having to pass me.

You are free to pass me. That is what the other lane is for. I have been tailgated even though there is nobody else in the passing lane. Just pass me and get far away from me. I have absolutely no problem if you pass me. So why should you have any problem passing me?

I do accelerate if there are other cars in the passing lane. I will go to the speed limit.

Also, when the passing lane is clear and when the large vehicle passes me, I will slow down again so they can easily pass me.

Sometimes I feel exhausted, especially on a very long trip. I will drive slower while looking for a safe area to pull over to rest. And if necessary, to sleep. 


I am also concerned about MPG. Using Cruise Control, and driving slower, both improve MPG a little bit. And I will take any improvement. However, I usually do not drive slowly for this reason. I will go to the speed limit, but I still use cruise control whenever possible.

I also believe that speeding will cause wear and tear. I try to avoid speeding for this reason.

It doesn't.  Stop and go traffic is what causes major wear and tear.

Trucks, Big Rigs, Semis, Tractor Trailers, 18 Wheelers, I might as well call them Lorries or Freight Vehicles ... are actually not the scariest thing tailgating me. Sometimes Freight Vehicles are Governed and most of the time they are very professional drivers ... unlikely to be on the Mobile Device browsing whatever Social Engineering website that The Thought Police made. ... and unlikely to be drunk. What is scarier than a Lorry is an RV. Especially a flat nosed motor home. As a result, These types of RVs appear to be much larger than a Lorry. And they are not necessarily a commercial driver that is driving them. RVs are extremely scary things when they are behind me.

I also do not understand tailgating, passing me, honking while passing, and then they exit at the next exit?!

And I be sure to keep plenty of distance between me and vehicles in front of me.

A wise idea regardless of speed.

So this is an explanation of why I often drive below the speed limit and of why I hate to drive above the speed limit.



Drivers who want to tailgate are not interested in my reasons. But are there any "I drive slower than you. Pass me as soon as possible. Unless we are on a curved ramp or construction zone." Bumper Stickers? If there are any then I will get them. I never had so much appreciation for bumper stickers. And now I can't wait to get them.

By the way, an acceleration ramp is just that, an acceleration ramp.  Get up to speed as best you can by the end of the ramp to merge in smoothly with traffic.

[Max Rockatansky]

I generally stick to 5 MPH over on 2-lane roads or 7 over on a freeway.  I've typically found poor driving ability to be the primary culprit of accidents and traffic jams rather than someone speeding.  I much rather encounter someone who drives fast but maintains good reactionary distances and knows how to merge back into the proper lanes.

[SP Cook]

Not correct.

Quite correct.  In the first year of the evil NMSL, traffic mortality in the USA per VMT was a whopping 3.53.  Finally some rural interstates were permited to raise the SL in 1987,  and by 1992, despite the idiotic spew from the insurance, courthouse gang and police lobbies, it had declined to 1.75.    Finally inn 1995, the idiotic NMSL died.  Again the special interests spewed idiocy.  And the rate was 1.73.  By 2003 it stood at 1.48.  The most recent year measured was 1.12.   

1.12 with SLs as high as 85.  3.35 with a uniform idiotic SL of 55.  Pure science.

And, of course, these are figures from ALL types of highways.  The safest form of highway to drive upon, of course, are rural interstates.  The ones with the highest average speeds and highest SLs.

The idea that SLs set too low save lives is just wrong.  And, since we have not yet seen an uptick in the figures, despite higher and higher limits, we know that the SLs are still way too low.

[US 41]

Whenever I am in rural areas or on city streets I strictly follow the speed limit. Whenever I'm in a big city (Chicago, Houston, Toronto, etc) and I'm on the interstate (or similar in the Toronto case) I drive way over the speed limit (aka with the flow of traffic). I know in Houston I drove about 75 mph all the way through in the far 2 left lanes. I think the speed limit was 55 or 60. They might as well not even post speed limits in those places.

School speed limits I sometimes follow, but more than not I don't. If the normal speed limit is 40 and the school speed limit is 20, I'll usually go about 30 (halfway in the middle) whenever school is in session just to show that I somewhat respect that there is a school speed limit. The only way I actually follow them is if a) there are children actually present by the road or b) if it posts times as to when you have to go the school speed limit.

[SP Cook]

I'm with you.  I believe we have a societal obligation to obey the laws...

Without going full Godwin's Law on you, no we don't.  Did Rosa Parks have a "societal obligation" to sit in the back of the bus?   How about Mildred and Richard Loving?  Yick Wo? 

The all violated an illigitmate and rediculious law. 

Now, is the SL as important a topic?  No.  (Although DWB is a real thing, and having ANY law that esentually no one obeys empowes the police to selective enforcement.)  We, all of us, violated the NMSL and it went away.  It was an unjust law.  By ridiculing it, we delegitimized it and destroyed it.  And saved a lot of lives.

[ET21]

No matter where I am, I will always follow the flow of traffic because it's just safer to keep up with the pack. Now of course you'll get the maniacs who drive insanely fast but on average most people will follow a similar speed. My routine for streets:

Local roads: 5 over limit (people still do 15 over which is dangerous)
Interstates or divided highways in city: between 70 and 75
Interstates or divided highways in rural: 75-80

What I've found when I follow these, I've kept up with traffic and prevented any slowdowns caused by me. It's just safer to keep up with flow.

[triplemultiplex]

Quite correct.  In the first year of the evil NMSL, traffic mortality in the USA per VMT was a whopping 3.53.  Finally some rural interstates were permited to raise the SL in 1987,  and by 1992, despite the idiotic spew from the insurance, courthouse gang and police lobbies, it had declined to 1.75.    Finally inn 1995, the idiotic NMSL died.  Again the special interests spewed idiocy.  And the rate was 1.73.  By 2003 it stood at 1.48.  The most recent year measured was 1.12.   

1.12 with SLs as high as 85.  3.35 with a uniform idiotic SL of 55.  Pure science.

And, of course, these are figures from ALL types of highways.  The safest form of highway to drive upon, of course, are rural interstates.  The ones with the highest average speeds and highest SLs.

The idea that SLs set too low save lives is just wrong.  And, since we have not yet seen an uptick in the figures, despite higher and higher limits, we know that the SLs are still way too low.

One shouldn't assume causation simply because there is correlation.
Deaths in car wrecks trending downward since the 70's has everything to do with advances in automobile safety.  The relationship to speed limit is spurious.  To suggest otherwise is bad science since it does not control for other, more influential factors.

A specific example; the end of a national speed limit coincides with the mandate to include airbags for driver and front passenger.  Airbags were becoming standard features in the same time period.

The most we can definitively say is speed limit has far less of an impact on highway fatalities than the safety of the automobiles themselves.

[PHLBOS]

I am also concerned about MPG. Using Cruise Control, and driving slower, both improve MPG a little bit. And I will take any improvement.

It's worth noting that overdrive & multiple-speed transmissions have bumped the so-called MPG sweetspot to higher speeds.  The Double-Nickel NSL was first implemented as a knee-jerk (IMHO) response to rising gas prices (& related gas lines) that took place circa 1973-74 and when 3-speed automatics & manual transmissions (both non-overdrive) were still the order of the day.  GM had just phased out its 2-speed Powerglide automatic a year or two earlier.

Case & point: both of my vehicles (a 2007 Mustang w/5-speed auto & a 2011 Crown Vic w/4-speed auto) get their optimum average fuel economy between 67-72 mph.  Heck, my Crown Vic has averaged 27-28 mpg (all highway driving) at those average speeds; which is higher than its posted EPA highway estimate (which are typically measured at 45-50 mph).

[UCFKnights]

Just in general, how speed limits are set up are in kind of a logical feedback cycle. You set it at the 85th percentile. Okay, once you do that, do you move the 85th percentile more? I dunno, I haven't researched that topic before.

One important thing to realize is that associated increase isn't because the cars that were speeding before were going any faster.. just that the cars that were strictly following the speed limit are now going a closer speed to the cars that were going faster.

Those who speed (especially on the high end of the spectrum) typically do not notice the speed limit increased... they're not following it anyways.

[epzik8]

I'm sort of guilty of exceeding speed limits by about 5-10 miles per hour. But I absolutely hate people who completely disregard speed limits and just want to go as fast as they possibly can. Again, I may be a bit of a hypocrite saying that, but I do notice speed limit signs and try my best to either maintain that limit or not go too far above it.