The Need for Speed

        In this day in age, people want things as fast as possible. Take computers, cars, and even microwave dinners for example - the faster the better. The same is true on the road. People need to get to places, and they want to get there fast. The speed limit is a very controversial point among drivers. Some motorists feel that speed limits are unnecessary and should be abolished completely, while others believe they save lives and should be more strictly enforced to create a safer driving environment. On a yearly basis, 50,000 people die in car accidents, but only one third of those accidents are speed related. The most common causes of crashes are drunk driving, going to fast for the condition of the road, failing to yield to other drivers, and driving carelessly - not driving fast (Facts).

The majority of cars on the road today have the ability to drive much faster than the posted speed limit, and many cars can double that speed.

Designing cars to operate that fast is pointless if they aren't allowed to use their full potential. Many drivers feel confident in their ability to handle an automobile at higher speeds and believe they should be rewarded for their driving skill with the privilege to legally drive above the speed limit.

Many other drivers argue that speed limits are very necessary to maintain order on the road and abolishing them would create an anarchical upbringing leading to mass hysteria. In a way, a limit on speed chews away a bit of our freedom, but it creates a safer environment to live in. However arbitrary speed limits may seem to some, they are proven to reduce the number of fatal car accidents.

        Most average Americans think of speed limits as a safety standard placed on...