No, they don't. I have 35-year old friends who make upwards of $150k, and still pirate movies and TV shows. But they're smart enough to stay within the speed limit. They said it was something about the probability of dying being really high while speeding, and them wanting to stay alive...

Going slower than the flow of traffic so that everyone has to change lanes to pass you is also not doing wonders for the probability of death.

Actually it is.

You're much safer going 59 than 80, even if everyone else wants to go 80. You're in front of them; they see you and take appropriate action.

There is not much that can go wrong while driving in a straight line at constant speed. The actions they take to get around you (braking, lane changes) create a great deal more opportunities for collision.

Speed doesn't kill, speed differentials do. You should not go drastically slower than the speed of traffic for the same reason you shouldn't go drastically faster than it.

Speed differentials, and loss of control at cruising speed. A 5 mph tap and a 5 mph relative tap at 60 mph on a highway with a slight (for the speed) bend are two entirely different things.

We can't have the same social circle then I have similar age friends making far less money that used to pirate films (when they made no money) but now pay for them. They almost all speed though.

> Your friends also probably regularly exceed the speed limit on the freeway.

At least on trips I've taken to the US, people there seem a lot more inclined to stay within the speed limits than they are in Europe. Take a trip on a UK motorway where there isn't heavy traffic, and you'll find at least 50% of people are going over the 70mph limit.