Certainly there's quite a bit of the latter, but as to the former there
were few if any cars that wouldn't do more than 85, even back in the
darkest years of the automotive industry. The SSP Mustangs (police
specials) of the 80s came from the factory with a 140 MPH speedometer,
and they needed it.

My '83 Mustang would theoretically top out at about 115 (gear limited),
so a 120 MPH speedometer would not have been inappropriate, but alas no:
it's stuck with an 85 MPH speedometer (unless I want to upgrade it to a
SSP instrument cluster. Which I don't, because a) it'd be rather
pointless, and b) relatively expensive).

Of course. My first car ever was a Ford Cortina estate with a 1500cc engine that
was capable of 100 mph. It was built in 1966. My next car ( a Rover 2000 TC )
built in 1970 was good for 115. my Dad's Jaguar ( 1967 model ) reached 120 mph
once but was probably capable of more.

Most have a top speed well in excess of what the car's capable of but sometimes
the high-end models will really reach the numbers indicated.

Graham

Hey, I think you've got something there.  I say all speedometers should read
25MPH, maximum.  Then you would have an iron-clad defense against roadside
tax collection activity.  You can't be charged for defective equipment if
the factory installed it.  You can't be charged for speeding if you honestly
have no idea how fast you are going.  :)  Oh, and speed limits below 35MPH
are rarely (like, almost never) enforced.  -Dave

Keep it under 60 and you'll know you're not speeding.  Next question.

If "Laura Bush-Vehicular Homicide" wants to travel so damn slow, let he/she/it
walk, ride a bike or ride a horse!

Nate, sorry to piggyback on your post but I have the stupid mindless blob of
protoplasm to whom you replied plonked.

Pooh Bear said in rec.autos.driving:

Would that be the same acid that Loco Laura drops? ;-)

Only a psychopath with no conception of right and wrong would say that.

Sigh, considering how the idea of personal responsibility has faded over the
years, the more likely I think this troll could actually be right. Now I'm
not saying that it's right, but there's been a surgeon general's warning on
cigarettes for God knows how many years now, and yet people are still suing
cigarette makers?

I seriously doubt there's many "decent people" that allows Laura to be
in their midst. Can you detect the anger of a social reject in it's
posts? Perhaps that's why Laura hangs out at the bath houses drooling
over celebrities in homosexual pornography rags.

A BIG sticker. Covering the entire speedo dial.

Radar units could be posted in strategic spots around the freeways; these
radar units would transmit a signal to a car's throttle/braking controls.
The car would be forced to slow down (and in some cases even stop, if an
override is present in the system -- e.g., a warrant broadcast as part of
an "amber alert").  An "OVERSPEED" warning indicator, black on red or
white on red depending on taste (these are commonly known as "idiot
lights"), would be mandated on all cars after a certain model year; this
indicator would light up and blink to give the driver 10 seconds to slow
down to posted speed -- or the car will do it for him, the indicator
glowing a steady red in that case. The car would then be forced to drive
at the posted speed for the next 15 minutes, as penance; this would be
enforced by a notification broadcast from central dispatch.  Three
violations in an hour or a 50% overspeed (e.g., 45 mph in a 30 mph zone)
would constitute grounds for engine cutoff; the linkage, transmission, or
ignition system would be disabled in a repairable (but not bypassable, at
least by the casual user) and safe fashion (e.g., a foam plug of some sort
in the fuel line that can be removed later) but the car would be disabled,
coasting to a stop, ideally in a safe stretch of freeway.  A patrol escort
can also be notified to assist the driver -- or arrest him, as necessary.

Weather monitors could be built into the units as well, adjusting the
speed limit for night driving, or rainy, foggy, snowy, or dusty weather,
or any combination thereof.

Erratic driving would be slightly harder to enforce but there is the
possibility that onboard GPS units can monitor the vehicle and check for
"out-of-true" conditions that would suggest the driver is weaving,
unsafely changing lanes, or passing on the wrong side -- or even *driving*
on the wrong side.

Cars could also be equipped with units that allow printout of their route.
This could be done wirelessly using Bluetooth or perhaps with an RJ45 jack
compatible with networking equipment such as one might find on modern
desktop computers.  (This is primarily for use by the defense in a court
case and for worried parents of teenagers; the prosecution would have the
route as plotted out by cell monitors in the roadway.)  Cars would not be
required to have onboard maps, although such might be a nice addition for
higher-priced automobiles.  The route would be a 4- or 5-dimensional plot
of points (1 coordinate is for speed); additional software could translate
that into a scrawl that shows exactly where the car was when. Additional
coordinates, such as car orientation, engine performance indications, and
braking signals, are also possible. Such would turn the car into more of
an airplane -- a consideration when one realizes that a 15 gallon fuel
tank (weighing about 92 pounds) contains 1.815 gigaJoules, or just under
half a ton of TNT equivalent. [*]

Can't be too careful with all those bombs driving around, now, can we? :-)

And of course cars might also know who's driving them, to some extent (or,
more precisely, who will be held responsible if the law is violated). This
might be doable by means of an authorization system that requires the
license to be inserted in a slot, then a fingerprint unit would scan the
driver's thumb and match it to the card.

Much of this machinery is already in place in US cities -- and is even
advertised.  "OnStar" for instance is a cellular communications system and
GPS locator unit on General Motors vehicles here in the US.  "LoJack" is
occasionally sold on vehicles, and can remotely disable them using a
special authorization signal when the vehicle is reported stolen.
(It may also have GPS.  I'd have to look.)  Throttle control has been
contemplated in Great Britain although I don't know if it's been
implemented there yet; one can use cells or satellites, depending on
expense and capabilities needed (rural roads are problematic).  Cell
phones, of course, are everywhere, and studies have been suggested to
monitor cell signals to indicate traffic blockages -- but they could also
be monitored for other purposes.  (Note that cell signals are always "on",
in some sense, if only as a beacon, so that the cell can find the phone in
the event a call needs to reach it.)

How much of this is Constitutional in the US?  Good question.  I wish I
knew the answer.

[*] The good news: it doesn't all get released at once!  It's meted out by
the throttle linkage, fuel injectors, etc.  It's also surprisingly
difficult to get a pool gasoline to catch fire, let alone explode, using
merely a cigarette.

http://www.intuitor.com/moviephysics/
http://www.intuitor.com/moviephysics/mpmain.html#cigarettes

['Brent P':]

Do you have a cite to the actual law?  I.S.T.M. that the O.P. was
looking for chapter and verse.  B.T.W., my 1978 Impala had an 85 M.P.H.
speedometer (can't remember whether 55 received special emphasis), but
my 1986 Maxima goes up to 110 or 115.

The law was Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 127,
a NHTSA regulation.  The repeal process started shortly
after Reagan took office.  The Federal Register notice
stated:

   In February and March of [1981], NHTSA undertook a
   comprehensive review of its existing and pending
   vehicle safety standards. The purpose of the review
   was to determine what modifications could be made to
   the standards to reduce the regulatory burden on the
   automobile industry without sacrificing safety. Among
   the factors considered in evaluating each standard was
   the magnitude of the standard's contribution to
   safety, the likelihood that manufacturers might
   continue to comply with the standard after its
   modification or rescission, and the costs of the
   standard. ...

   Among the standards considered was Safety Standard
   No. 127, Speedometers and Odometers (49 CFR 571.127).
   ... The speedometer requirements became effective on
   September 1, 1979.

The rule was officially revoked effective March 25, 1982.

The electronic Federal Register archives do not go back to
the original rulemaking process under Carter.

The process shows how the predient affects the attitude of
the government towards regulation.  Carter's NHTSA had
claimed that tamper-evident odometers were essential for
safety.  Under Reagan, they weren't a safety problem any
more.

And your liberal educated reading comprehension skill are showing. Go
back and re-read the posts where people were talking about speedometers
reading up to 85MPH and HAD 55MPH HIGHLIGHTED ON THEM, YOU IDIOT!!!