85-mph speed limit

[Christopher Hoffman <imperial67@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

James (nyb@xxxxxxx) wrote:
> Was there any reason for this speedometer reading limit?
> Did the US government somehow believe that restricting
> the spedometer maximum would make people go slower?

James, it's exactly what you said. Starting for MY1981, speedometers in new
cars sold in the US could only read up to 85 mph, and 55 mph, then the
National Speed Limit, had to be highlighted (as in called out with the
number 55 in some way).

The government actually did think that showing a reading that is about 65%
of the maximum indicated speed would psychologically encourage people not to
speed, as years of running cars with 120-mph speedometers (on which the
national speed limit was now less than 50% of the maximum reading) had
gotten people accustomed to an approximate needle position along the speedo
when they hit highway speed.

Imagine, if you will, that suddenly the government insisted that your fuel
gauge read four times what your tank held. You might constantly think, or
even briefly be fooled (repeatedly), that you were running low on fuel. This
would presumably encourage you to drive more economically. (Or, as with the
85-mph speedo, you might just figure out that it's stupid!)

Chris in LA