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Speed Limits

post #1 of 13
2/6/10 at 8:39pm
Thread Starter 
While researching various cities in preparation for my move, I stumbled upon a thread on another forum in which the OP (who had recently moved from Michigan) complained of being ticketed for going five or six miles over the speed limit. The overwhelming consensus was that he shouldn't have been speeding.

This seemed absurd to me until I remembered that I had once heard that Michigan is one of the most lenient states on speeding. The only people who drive the posted speed limit are little old people in Buicks who can barely see over the steering wheel. I always drive five to ten mph over the speed limit on surface streets and ten to fifteen over on freeways, and I've never even been pulled over.

What's it like in other parts of the country?
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post #2 of 13
2/6/10 at 9:11pm
My city is quite militaristic on speeding on city streets: 3 mph gets you pulled over. My state seems okay with about seven over the limit on freeways; 5 over on other highways. (Our freeways are 75 mph limit.)
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post #3 of 13
2/6/10 at 11:42pm
In 65mph zones out here, 75mph is standard.
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post #4 of 13
2/7/10 at 2:43am
Speed limit of the Lake Shore Drive in Chicago is 45mph. If you're at 65mph, people will pass you. You always see cop cars but nobody seems to give a shit.
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post #5 of 13
2/7/10 at 11:32am
In the Philly area, people in the right lane are going over the speed limit. Middle/left lanes are generally 10-20 above.

I was once pulled over for doing 52 in a 35. Cop told me to slow down and sent me on my way.

I was surprised to find that the speed limit was 35 on that particular road; seemed more like a 45-ish type of a road to me.
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post #6 of 13
2/7/10 at 11:44am
Eastern Washington is about 5mph over in all situations. Highway/I-90 you can go 10 or more over and still get passed. Though if you go SE WA you will get popped for doing anything over the actual limit especially around WSU or that highway that goes between WSU and Moscow, ID.
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post #7 of 13
2/7/10 at 11:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dcg View Post
In the Philly area, people in the right lane are going over the speed limit. Middle/left lanes are generally 10-20 above.

I was once pulled over for doing 52 in a 35. Cop told me to slow down and sent me on my way.

I was surprised to find that the speed limit was 35 on that particular road; seemed more like a 45-ish type of a road to me.

Very true.

In the rest of PA the speed limits are enforced by either State Police on highways or local cops everywhere else. The State Police generally don't bother anybody 10-15 MPH over. They are also more likely to give you a "Thirty-one eleven", which is a citation for "disobedience to a traffic control device" which unlike a speeding ticket carries no points to your license.

The locals are a different story. They are the ones setting up speed traps in these shitty little towns to collect revenues. Route 6 is a great example of this as it goes horizontally right through the state. Much of it is 45 or 55 MPH, but every once in a while you get to some crappy podunk municipality that decides to knock it down to 35 FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON other than to create a speed trap. It has nothing to do with safety, and everything to do with raising revenue.
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post #8 of 13
2/7/10 at 11:53am
Speed limit on the street where I live is 30, but I'd say that 45 is more the norm. I regularly see people doing 55+! I've only ever seen someone pulled over by a cop one time.
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post #9 of 13
2/7/10 at 12:22pm
in Miami, people regularly do 90 on a congested (posted 65) freeway, barely maintaining control of their too-big-SUV/hoopty/ghettoed-out ricer/all of the above without consequence i hardly see cops stop them - it gets more strictly enforced up by Ft. Lauderdale and Palm Beach, but there are still simply too many speeders and too little LE
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post #10 of 13
2/7/10 at 12:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by harvey_birdman View Post
Very true.

In the rest of PA the speed limits are enforced by either State Police on highways or local cops everywhere else. The State Police generally don't bother anybody 10-15 MPH over. They are also more likely to give you a "Thirty-one eleven", which is a citation for "disobedience to a traffic control device" which unlike a speeding ticket carries no points to your license. .

+1

During the state budget impasse last summer, I got pulled over on the Turnpike for going about 10 miles over posted speed. WTF It was always an "understanding" that motorist can go 10 over and be OK.

The trooper was somewhat apologetic , and gave me something like a disobedience of traffic rule or somesuch bullshit. There was a fine of $215, if I remember correctly, but no points.
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post #11 of 13
2/8/10 at 12:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lee_44106 View Post
+1

During the state budget impasse last summer, I got pulled over on the Turnpike for going about 10 miles over posted speed. WTF It was always an "understanding" that motorist can go 10 over and be OK.

The trooper was somewhat apologetic , and gave me something like a disobedience of traffic rule or somesuch bullshit. There was a fine of $215, if I remember correctly, but no points.

Even michigan is cracking down a little bit, but they are just writing people for impeading traffic. My dad, who is a lawyer was told that its due to the lack of funding for the courts from the state. Certain offenses the money goes directly to the state, others the money stays with the court.

In the 'old days' I didnt worry about getting pulled over unless I was going at least 90. These days I keep it 5-7 over, and always with the flow of traffic.

Ohio is the worst. Got pulled over once going 67 in a 65, I started to point out that those guns are like +/- 3mph but thought better of it.
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post #12 of 13
2/8/10 at 3:54am
they suck.
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post #13 of 13
2/8/10 at 4:11am
A friend of mine is a cop and I had asked him about his policy on speeders. He said most cops he knows follow this policy: If you're speeding but going less that 10mph over you won't get a ticket unless you have a bad driving record or bad attitude. Unfortunately, some cops are fucking assholes no matter how nice you are, good your driving record is, what your excuse is. Actually, the other night my friend and myself were out having a drink at a local pub. The parking lot was full so he parked across the street at a bank that was closed (this was at 10pm), after my friend saw a cop checking out his car he ran out and said "sorry, I will move my car there was no parking across the street and I didnt think it would be a problem to park here since the bank is closed." The officer asked for his license and reg. and asked what he was doing in NJ since his license said North Carolina. My friend explained how he was moving back to New Jersey because he just got out of the Marine Corps. and was unable to get his NJ license because he just got back from Iraq. Even though he was a vet the cop didnt care and still gave him a ticket. Yea, maybe he shouldnt have parked there but sometimes you should cut someone a break.
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