Over on Fark, they recently posted a story that claimed that `'91% of drivers routinely speed, eat or read while driving''. While I'll admit that reading while drving is probably an exceptionally bad idea, and eating somewhat so, it occurs to me (again) that the speed limits in the US are much too low.

As a case in point, I take an interstate-labeled beltline to work. The posted speed limit is 60MPH. I don't believe that I've ever seen anyone drive 60MPH on this road. In fact, this morning, I got onto the beltline behind a city cop, and, despite the fact that I was driving about 70MPH, he quickly left me behind, and he was not on his way to a crime scene. I usually drive between 75 and 80 MPH on that road and am probably on the high side of the average speed. It doesn't seem to have any more accidents than any other stretch of road.

I suppose that city roads (that is, not highways) are more sanely marked, even if they are usually about 5 MPH too slow, IMO. (Then again, have you ever actually driven 25MPH on a normally sized neighborhood road? It feels like you could get outside and push the car faster.) But highways are just insane. North Carolina is all about collecting revenue via traffic violations -- even moreso in recent months, it seems -- but I'd be much happier paying higher taxes than worrying about whether driving the same reasonable speed as everyone else on the road is going to garner me a ticket, especially when it's not inconceivable that I could lose my license for it, since it's often, if not usually, 15MPH over the limit.

I suppose I'd have more respect for it if cops ever drove the limit, but every time I see them, they're either going the same 10-15MPH over the limit, just like everyone else, or are driving 5MPH less than the limit just to freak everyone out (I assume -- I can't see any other reason they'd be doing that).