Cars & Transportation

Why are motor vehicles built to go faster than the legal speed limit?

Cars & Transportation

Posted by: RainbowSpirit

31st Aug 2011 12:53am

I believe that all motor vehicles driven on public roads should only reach the maximum speed limit of 120km/h. I don't understand why car manufactorers have built them to go any faster? I am just wondering if there was any way they could actually put this idea in place, because to me it makes sense. I have never come across a sign that says to go 180km/h, have you? It will lessen the speed of drivers and it may also help to reduce the number of driving fatalities that occur each year on our roads.

jjdrer
  • 27th Jan 2014 02:48pm

I agree ---in the late 1950s you could buy a car that would go well over the speed limit. The speed limit from memory then was 60 mph in country areas. The speedo showed that it would do 100mph. I know somebody who owned a standard V8 about the same model in the early 1960s and tried it out on a long straight country road when there was no traffic around and actually the gauge did work. It felt as though we were "flying". The car was not modified at all. The gauge in it showed up to 120mph. He took it too 100 and suddenly realised how fast he was really going.


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