Yes the feds did force the 55 MPH by the threat of with holding federal highway funds. This is how they got around the constitution. They did not make a law that actually forced the states to adopt the 55MPH
But they didn't say how it was to be enforced, right? I seem to remember hearing of one mid-Western state (Kansas??) which imposed the limit to keep their funding but set the fine for driving over 55 but below 75 to a paltry $5.
Good point on the earthquakes and other natural hazards in various parts of the country. There's got to be a lesson there for the push toward a "harmonized" code in Europe too -- Norway and Greece are very different.
