Originally posted by: rasczak
try driving speed limit. then you don't have to worry about getting pulled over. unless they are profiling because of the car you drive or your ethnicity. then you're just screwed altogether.
well that's boring. I buy a car I'm going to use what it is capable of when conditions permit.
High traffic, weather, narrow/twisty road, visibility, etc... are all things that slow me down. In my Dakota I like to drive fast, but can only go so fast before I feel like I'm doing something wrong to my vehicle.
A good driver knows when and when not to push the vehicle. There is no significant loss of control or reaction capability with a good driver on high ways at the speeds common vehicles are capable of. If the conditions do not warrant an increase in speed, that means the conditions create far more risk at high speeds. High traffic and speeding in an open lane is a terrible idea. Speeding when it's foggy is bad, and more so when roads are slick, especially in snow (you southern folk just don't understand snow, and I fear being around you when it snows my truck is bad enough when I have as much control as I can). Curvy roads, night time, large bends in otherwise more straight roads... warrant a decrease in top speed.
If it's an open road, dry, high visibility, low traffic, and a more open/straight roadway.... a high rate of speed is perfectly okay as long as the driver knows limits for control purposes and has appropriate reaction speed.
Speed limits on the road have always been based on fuel economy and lowest possible risk, which is directly related to drivers with low driving ability. Many people should stick to the speed limit or lower based on their driving skill. I've avoided many accidents because I can predict occasions where bad drivers would royally fuck me up. If those opportunities don't exist, I tend to push the throttle, at least in comparison to the posted speed limit. Only on high ways am I actually ever approaching 85+mph. 20mph tends to be my natural limit to any road, except for true residential roads where I keep it to posted limits. I had times where I almost got hit by cars as a kid, so I fully expect little children at every moment.