National speed limits were originally implemented in the early twentieth century not to prevent gruesome traffic fatalities, but primarily to save the rapidly deteriorating rubber tires of early automobiles.

A closer look

National speed limits were originally implemented in the early twentieth century not to prevent gruesome traffic fatalities, but primarily to save the rapidly deteriorating rubber tires of early automobiles. During periods of severe resource rationing like World War I and II, governments realized that driving fast caused massive friction that chewed through highly valuable rubber supplies. Safety was barely an afterthought for politicians, but masking a strict economic conservation effort under the guise of public welfare made the restrictions significantly easier to swallow. Today, we pretend speed limits exist entirely for our own protection, even though municipal governments clearly treat them as incredibly lucrative revenue generators, placing arbitrary signs at the bottoms of steep hills to financially ambush you on your morning commute!