Why do Americans go over the speed limit?

The fines are too high and the risk of hitting someone or something is too high. Why do Americans drive like 10+ MPH above the speed limit on interstates? Because each police officer can effectively only pull over one person at a time.

Why do people drive faster than the speed limit on the highway?

The simple answer is that because everyone else is doing it. It ends up being safer to be going at similar speeds as everyone else. If everyone is driving 75 mph when the speed limit is 55 mph, one person going almost 30\% difference in speed than everyone else is dangerous.

Do people actually follow speed limits?

The study found that people will, not surprisingly, obey the speed limit if they feel there is a risk they’d get caught breaking it. But they’ll also speed up if they think there’s little risk of getting busted.

What is the highest speed limit in the US?

85 mph
Portions of the Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming road networks have 80 mph (129 km/h) posted limits. The highest posted speed limit in the country is 85 mph (137 km/h) and can be found only on Texas State Highway 130.

Why are interstate speed limits so low?

Oh, and to re-address the 55 speed limit, back during the gas problems of the 70s and 80’s a federal law was enacted which forced the states to have the lower speed limit in the idea that it would conserve gasoline.

What’s the fastest speed limit in the United States?

Do speed limits do anything?

Yes, some vehicles travel at very high speeds, some in excess of 150 mph! But, the average speed for most vehicles is around 80 mph, about 10 mph faster than traffic in the U.S. on comparable highways. Let’s clear up one major misconception: Speed limits do not regulate traffic speeds; they never did and never will.

How many people obey the speed limit?

About 45 percent of drivers report going 10 mph over the speed limit on a residential street in the past 30 days, and 11 percent admit doing so fairly often or regularly. Previous research by NHTSA estimates that speed plays a factor in nearly 10,000 deaths per year.