Not reasonable, perhaps, but theoretically understandable. The escalating price of just about everything implies an increase in value that, in most cases, is not delivered. So some folks simply create their own perks — giving vent to rage or breaking traditional rules of social conduct (i.e., doing whatever the hell they want.)
If you feel you are paying VIP prices, you may well expect to be treated like a VIP.
This is what I do, too. Get up to 60 and set the cruise control. At 60 I get ~35mpg vs 80 (typical speed for everyone else) at ~25mpg. Then there's the people with lifted trucks flooring it going 95-100 who probably get less than 5mpg. And they haven't seemed to decrease in number despite the price of gas doubling in the past two years. I can't understand being so into machismo that they spend $25+/day on gas.