"Why make a car to do 140mph"? Mostly because a high top speed is a standard side-effect of high acceleration ability at lower speeds. Most cars don't do 140mph, but most will happily do 100mph.

I second the argument about speed sometimes helping you get out of a situation - been there, done that. Most people probably have.

The problem isn't speed per se, it's inappropriate speed. There are plenty of country roads with bends where 20mph would land you in the ditch. So do we limit the entire road to 20mph? Or do we try to fit an ultra-accurate GPS and measure the maximum safe speed for every bend on every road in the entire country?

And on the other hand, who says that 70mph is the right speed? The only reason the 70mph national speed limit exists at all is down to the Oil Crisis in the 1970's. With modern cars, there's no earthly reason not to have a higher speed limit on motorways - Germany shows that there isn't a problem with that. "Appropriate speed" on an empty motorway with dry tarmac is however fast you want to go.

You want to blame someone, blame the government for setting unreasonably low standards on driver training.

Graham.