> Trouble is, some people geniunely don't give a **** about anybody except 
> themselves. It's their personal road, and if anybody else gets in their 
> way, that person has absolutely no right to continue to be alive. If it 
> was up to these people, they'd drive *everywhere* at 120 MPH, and if 
> somebody gets killed... well that's their fault, right?
>
> We have rules about speed limits so these people can't get away with it.

But the speed limit rules only stop a very small proportion of dangerous 
driving, a lot of dangerous driving happens below the speed limit, and a lot 
of safe driving happens above the speed limit.

> (Also... apparently the difference in fatality rates for collisions at 30 
> MPH vs 35 MPH are surprisingly large. The people who set the speed limits 
> will have access to all this data - whether they use it right is another 
> matter, obviously. But most drivers don't have this data.)

Of course, but there is *a lot* of confusion and mis-use of accident 
statistics the whole time.  For example, is that 30 and 35 MPH you mentioned 
the speed of the vehicle before they start to take avoiding action, or is 
that the speed of one car the instant they impact, or the differential speed 
between the two cars?  If you're driving at 70mph you're less likely to have 
an accident - so speed up!

> I'm still impressed at that guy who decided to overtake me over the crest 
> of a hill, on a bend, in the dark, in dense fog, at twice the speed limit. 
> Obviously, this person will never be prosecuted.

Oh I think they will, they can't live their life doing moves like that 
without a) ending up dead or b) ending up in a non-fatal accident and being 
prosecuted for dangerous driving.

> That's a little silly. The worst thing that can happen is that you fail to 
> notice the lights change, and hold people up a little. Big deal.

Yet it's illegal to use a mobile phone while sat stationary in traffic...

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