In the US, almost all automobile speedometers go up to 160 mph even though very few cars can go that fast, not to mention it's almost twice the highest posted speed limit in the country. So why the 160 mph industry standard? From CNN:
Toyota spokesman Paul Hogard said the automaker wants speedometers to be easy to read, so there's value in placing the typical operating speed of American cars, 45 mph to 70 mph, he said, at the top of the speedometer, which is the easiest place on the speedometer for the driver to read. To do this — while maintaining a visually-appealing, symmetrical speedometer — requires a gauge that displays well past operating speeds, he said[…]
Joan Claybrook, who served as administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from 1977 to 1981 told CNN Business that she was "absolutely infuriated" by high-speed speedometers during her tenure.
So NHTSA issued a rule in 1979 that speedometers should not indicate speeds over 85 mph.
That policy lasted just two years, ending when Claybrook exited the NHTSA in 1981.
