The average majority of people's commutes are over 30 minutes, about an hour every day. Many people's commutes are much longer. Combine it with zoning laws that make routine errands and necessities (like grocery shopping, pharmacy's, basic services) much further from residential areas meaning the average American has to drive a lot. A substantial portion of their life is just spend driving, potentially 1-2 hours a day. If you are already up to your neck in work and chores, that time is extremely precious, so it's understandable people want to minimize it by speeding, not considering the real risks if doing so.

I spent some time in very rural Maine, and EVERYTHING, even the most basic of necessities were at least 30 minutes away. The nearest hospital was an hour. People speed there like crazy.

I'm not on the side of speeders, or condoning their actions and behaviour, but do realize that it's coming from a place, not necessarily of entitlement, but desperately trying to claw some of their life back

Speed limits, at least on state and federal roads, are often governed by a set of rules that basically look at sight distances, entrances to the roadway, and some other factors. So there are rules to them. I think the highway speed limits are generally fine.

Putting all that aside, entitlement is absolutely a thing, and this post does a good job of nailing it. There's a speed limit. If you go over it, you are taking a risk. If you get pulled over for 70 in a 65 and you bitch about it, you're an entitled idiot. I say this as someone who exceeds the speed limit, it's just how things operate over her. But if I get tagged for doing so, I will eat it, because I was knowingly breaking the law. Now, if it were more regularly enforced, I might not do it, but it seems to be that 20% above the posted limit is acceptable, and so that's how I operate (except I do 25 in residential areas because there is no reason to speed on streets people are walking and kids are riding bikes).

Speed limits in the U.S. aren't set to any specific standard. 6 lane divided highways and laneless rural roads carry the same speed limit.

Please. There are many places in the world with no posted or higher speed limits and far more deadly traffic related accidents than Americans with their “humongous death machines.” Want to bash Americans for stupidly large, numerous, and wasteful cars? Sure. But we’re nowhere near the top of the list for deaths or speed.