I respectfully submit that the posted speed limit and a truly "safe" speed are not necessarily related in any way, shape, form or fashion. Speed limits are often arbitrarily assigned, arbitrarily changed, and arbitrarily enforced.
For example, 95mph by an experienced rider on a 'busa is MUCH "safer" on any given stretch of road than a teenaged dimwit doing 55 mph while texting. Or a soccer mom putting on makeup. The former is "breaking" the law, while the latter two are not breaking the law (in many states).
As an old geezer, I remember vividly the day when daytime speed limits were 65 mph on most 2-lane highways. That was well before seat belts, air bags, disc brakes, ABS, stability control, etc, etc. The speed limit on those same roads now are typically no more than 55 mph, in spite of all of our advances in safety.
If authorities can arbitrarily set and enforce speed limits, we all ought to reserve the right to exceed those limits when we can safely do so.
CW
CW, agreed that limits are not neccessarily defined on the basis of safety for any particular vehicle or driver or combo thereof. In fact, they are usually set for the least effective of those, the lowest common denominator. In addition, limits often take into account various environmental conditions (hidden drive ways, intersections, pedestrian and animal factors, etc.), looking to compromise on speed of travel vs leaving vehicles enough time to react to an unanticipated yet common need to slow or stop. So there is more than just the skill of the driver at work in determining limits on public roads.
For that sake of argument, let's assume that drive skill is the only significant factor in determining limits. What you've suggested is :
"we all ought to reserve the right to exceed those limits when we can safely do so."
If that's the case, how do we determine when it is safe? And how many in the population are capable of being honest about their ability and therefore when it is safe to do so?
More to the point, when is it "safe" to do 2x and 3x the speed limit? We're not talking about doin' 70 in a 55. Multiple posters in this thread are claiming to go 100+ mph REGULARLY on public streets IN TRAFFIC. Many have claimed to regularly hit speeds higher than those occurring at many races and track events!!!
I submit that it is NEVER "safe" to go triple digits on a public road. I will acknowledge that there can be times when one is COMPLETELY isolated from other people on a public freeway when the only one at risk is the driver. However, for most of us, those situations are not daily occurences but are extremely rare. And even then, risking oneself is still selfish and incosiderate to those that rely on and care for us.
So, again, risk yourself, fine. But it's very difficult to do (and be sure that no one else is at risk) on a public road.
Go fast...but do it on a track. There, you and everyone around you is fully informed of the risk at hand but the environment is much safer and there are no innocents to drag down in the event that disaster strikes.
Again, just consider getting the news that a loved one has been struck down by a rider who chose to do 150mph on your local roads. I submit that there is no defending such behavior.
