Do you remember a time when the national speed limit in the United States was 55 MPH? Back in the early 80s, there wasn’t a road anywhere in the U.S. where you could legally drive faster than 55 MPH. That law went into effect in 1974, and in 1987 it was raised to 65 MPH, but in 1993 the law was abolished, and it was left up to the individual states.
In the early 80s the hard rocker Sammy Hagar was driving through New York State when he was pulled over in the early morning hours for speeding by a New York State Trooper. He was going 62 MPH, 7 miles over the National Maximum Speed Limit, and was given a ticket. That situation spawned the writing of the song “I Can’t Drive 55,” and it lead off his 8th studio album VOA. The song became so successful that he even played it while on tour as the lead singer of Van Halen in the following years. It was also named one of the greatest hard rock songs in history according to VH1’s “Top 100 Hard Rock Songs.” The video was also a staple on the newly launched MTV.
And now you know a little more about Sammy Hagar’s 1984 staple “I Can’t Drive 55.”
