Honda Repair: 1996 Honda Civic CX Malfunction Light, honda civic cx, driving in the rain

Question
The Malfunction light came one tonight, driving in the rain of course.  The speedometer went wild, burying the needle above 120, fluctuating between 20 and above.  My dash lights flashed, dimmed and the malfunction light came on.  My Civic has 178,800+ miles on it.  It's due for a major service and the timing belt is scheduled to be replaced at 180K.  What risk am I assuming by driving the 45 miles, typically on the freeway, to the Honda dealer near my office, where I get it serviced on a regular basis?

Answer
Charles:
The problem does not sound too serious that it would be a safety issue, but your car may not operate as efficiently as it should or could. The malfunction sounds like it has to do with the speed sensor, that is not to say the speed sensor is bad it may be getting a bad signal from another component.
Hope this helps.
Bill