Gas and safety

Like many of you I've been thinking of the high gas prices and wondering what I can do to get better gas mileage. I was driving to my mom's and on a major highway when I remembered a few years ago (80's?) when all (or most) of the speed limits were 55 mph, and the reason was two-fold... For safety reasons, AND to increase your gas mileage. Funny, in today's gas crunch you don't hear the President talking about this like you did back in the 70's or 80's.
So, I was cruising along the highway trying to go 55 in a 65 zone. Needless to say, ALL the other cars were whipping past me. I thought for safety reasons, maybe I should up my speed, so I pushed my cruise control up to 60. Still, people were zooming past me. Then I went up to 65 (not really thinking about the gas thing anymore). STILL people were zooming past me in the slow lane. Then I realized (or wondered) to what extent should we hold car companies responsible for making cars that go 120 miles per hour!? On one hand I am all for personal responsibility. But I also think there may be limits... What possible reason could there be to go 120 miles per hour in an SUV? I'm trying to think of an analogy to guns here, but am having difficulty... It's like buying a gun that could shoot a bb sized pellet, OR could also shoot armor piercing white phosphorus rounds, and leaving it up to the "responsible user" to only buy the ammunition he or she needs. How many accidents are caused on the highways because someone was zipping through traffic doing 80?
So... My answer... ALL cars (except police, military, ambulances, and rescue vehicles) should come with a device that limits the speed to 55 mph. Period. Saves on gas, cuts down on accidents, saves lives, and no speeding tickets ever. Probably less traffic jams too, since everyone must go the same speed.
Thoughts?

This article is what reminded me of my thoughts, so apparently someone is thinking along the same lines as myself...
http://techdirt.com/articles/20060524/0843252.shtml

tag: politics safety cars gas