The current speed limits were set when car technology was far worse than it is now
Cars today could safely do 120 on a good freeway
I'm not sure most drivers could, though. You're getting into some sort of squirrely territory in triple digits, where poorly maintained vehicles get drivers into a lot of trouble very quickly. That said, they manage it pretty nicely in Germany but those roads are in prime condition and the left-lane folks seem to know what they're doing, at least in my limited experience.
But 70, meh. The whole country is doing 70 now. Or more. Sometimes a lot more. Not that I would know, because I have never driven over the speed limit. Officer.
The problem is stopping.
“Cars today could safely do 120 on a good freeway”
Driving between Chatanooga and Nashville, I saw a sign, “Nashville, 120 miles.”
I thought, “I can be there in an hour” and cranked the LS 400 up to 120. At about 90, I could feel the aerodynamics come into play, as the car really came into it’s own! Then, rational thought came into play, and I slowed back down. But the car did feel even safer at 120 then at 80.
The cars might if they could reach that speed, the drivers are mostly incompetent at half that speed. Many should not be driving at all.
I have advocated reaction time testing and requirements for years to get a license.
Unfortunately our drivers can’t.
Lane discipline driving in Europe is a wonder to behold.