Under the “So I guess I wasn’t imagining it department” comes the report from the Maine State Police that says we are suffering from a plague of extreme speeding.

It’s common for drivers to put the pedal to the metal – 30, 40 even 50 miles above the posted speed limit. There are not enough troopers to catch them all.

Without question, these drivers are inconsiderate jerks. The same could be said for an automotive industry that insists on incorporating speedometers that commonly read to triple digits as a sales ploy – not to mention installing massive engines that will allow vehicles to reach those limits.

It’s past time for Congress to pass legislation that would peg the upper end of speedometers at 100 mph. That’s way over any national speed limit.

In the 1980s, the speedometer limit was commonly 85 mph. The intent then was to encourage motorists to save fuel and free us from dependence on Middle East oil. The welcome side effect was a greatly reduced highway death rate.

Those results would be equally welcome today.

Greg Rossel

Troy