# How to answer "Do you know how fast you were going?" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 27, 2011, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-do-you-know-how-fast-you-were-going/607472 "2011-12-27T00:58:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![festiva76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8e8cbc/32.png) [@festiva76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/festiva76)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-do-you-know-how-fast-you-were-going/607472/121 "2011-12-29T14:15:27Z")
The only time I’ve been pulled over for speeding I decided to go the totally honest route. He asked if I knew why he pulled me over. I said “I guess I was speeding…I was on the phone and wasn’t paying attention.” I was let off with a verbal warning from a police department known for writing alot of tickets. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-do-you-know-how-fast-you-were-going/607472/122 "2011-12-29T14:46:18Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > And while we’re on the subject of unfair policing, what’s up with all these FOP and PBA cards? I have a good friend who has been a cop a long time. I have had the pleasure of helping him out of a few jams over the years. I have his personal business card in my wallet. On the back of the card, in cramped printing, he has written: > [@](#): > > If you are reading this, then my buddy has fucked up. Please give me the courtesy of a call to my cell number on the front before going further. I’ve never used it, preferring to pay the fine rather than grovel. But if I’m ever in a tight spot, hell he has many cops who owe him a consideration at least. Fair? Probably not. Do I care?😃 ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-do-you-know-how-fast-you-were-going/607472/123 "2011-12-29T14:48:44Z")
In Texas, the speed limit signs are prima facie; that is, they are a presumed maximum safe speed for that road under ordinary conditions. Exceeding the limit doesn’t automatically mean that your speed is unsafe, but it is _presumed_ to be unsafe. And of course, presumptions can be rebutted. It helps when the officer writes on your ticket that the weather was clear and sunny, the road was dry, visibility was excellent, and traffic was light. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-do-you-know-how-fast-you-were-going/607472/124 "2011-12-29T15:03:41Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > This is ridiculous. This is basically the government admitting that the speed limit is BS…but still having the ability to ticket you for going 56 in a 55 zone. I typically surpass the highway speed limit by at least 10 mph, and I also get annoyed at slow drivers in the left lane. _ **But there’s no way that it’s fair to ticket them. They are the ones following the stated rules.** _ Punishing them leaves the door open for all sorts of inconsistent policing, causing drivers to essentially guess as to what will be enforced on a given road. … (bolding mine) How is it “not fair”? And no, they are not following the stated rules. See below. IMHO, technically, both drivers would be inviting a citation. I concede that’s a bit of a conundrum, but hey, what’re ya gonna do? 😕 > [@Bearflag70](#): > > If someone is driving the speed limit in the fast lane then they have to move over if someone faster comes along behind them. Otherwise, the slower person is _not_ following the stated rules; they are impeding traffic. They may be cited for that even if they obey the speed limit. Failure to move over and yield to a faster car (relative speed) has nothing to do with the speed limit. > > Obviously, the faster driver is violating the speed law and is eligible for a speeding ticket. > > _ **If the speed limit driver is to obey the law, then they move over to permit faster drivers to pass** _. ()bolding mine) Which is the logical (and intelligent) thing to do, IMHO. > [@pulykamell](#): > > [Here is the law in Washington](http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.61.100) > > > [@](#): > > > > :(2) Upon all roadways having two or more lanes for traffic moving in the same direction, all vehicles shall be driven in the right-hand lane then available for traffic, except (a) when overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction, (b) when traveling at a speed greater than the traffic flow, (c) when moving left to allow traffic to merge, or (d) when preparing for a left turn at an intersection, exit, or into a private road or driveway when such left turn is legally permitted. On any such roadway, a vehicle or combination over ten thousand pounds shall be driven only in the right-hand lane except under the conditions enumerated in (a) through (d) of this subsection. > > […] > > (4) It is a traffic infraction to drive continuously in the left lane of a multilane roadway when it impedes the flow of other traffic. > > Seems pretty straightforward to me. I seem to recall reading that the posted speed limit is based upon something called the “75 percentile” rule (or something like that). Don’t have a cite, I’ll try and find one. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-do-you-know-how-fast-you-were-going/607472/125 "2011-12-29T15:06:07Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > In Texas, the speed limit signs are prima facie; that is, they are a presumed maximum safe speed for that road under ordinary conditions. Exceeding the limit doesn’t automatically mean that your speed is unsafe, but it is _presumed_ to be unsafe. And of course, presumptions can be rebutted. It helps when the officer writes on your ticket that the weather was clear and sunny, the road was dry, visibility was excellent, and traffic was light. That’s EXACTLY what I’ve heard before, I just couldn’t remember the correct terminology. Thanks **Max Torque** , you da’ man! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-do-you-know-how-fast-you-were-going/607472/126 "2011-12-29T15:44:24Z")
Back in the '80s, the state of Maryland, in a desperate attempt to comply with the Federal rules and retain their funding, used “rolling roadblocks” on I-95. They would send out a bunch of state troopers, and they would have one in each lane, driving exactly 55. Another set would follow a mile or two behind, and so forth. The public hated hated hated it. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-do-you-know-how-fast-you-were-going/607472/127 "2011-12-29T16:01:01Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Back in the '80s, the state of Maryland, in a desperate attempt to comply with the Federal rules and retain their funding, used “rolling roadblocks” on I-95. They would send out a bunch of state troopers, and they would have one in each lane, driving exactly 55. Another set would follow a mile or two behind, and so forth. > > The public hated hated hated it. WTF?! What was the purpose? 😕 I mean, did they then pull over every car that was ‘trapped’ between the two lines of LEOs? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-do-you-know-how-fast-you-were-going/607472/128 "2011-12-29T16:31:12Z")
> [@JBDivmstr](#): > > WTF?! > > What was the purpose? 😕 > I mean, did they then pull over every car that was ‘trapped’ between the two lines of LEOs? No, the idea was to force people to drive 55. I remember it happening. People were furious and traffic jams were the norm. It was to show the Feds how stupid their rules were. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-do-you-know-how-fast-you-were-going/607472/129 "2011-12-29T16:32:28Z")
My Grandmother generally treated the speed limit on highways as a gentle suggestion. I swear if she drove too near an airport the FAA would have noticed on _their_ radar. She was also very petite, very wrinkled from a youth spent outdoors before sunscreen was invented, and white-haired from her 30s (I’ve seen the pictures). IOW, she looked like every State Trooper’s dear sainted mother. She got pulled over frequently, was always polite and respectful and completely willing to take responsibility for her actions, but the cops nearly always let her off with a warning. Usually a verbal warning, not even a written warning. Back in the day when the speed limit on many Texas highways was “Reasonable and Proper” - IOW whatever you thought you and your car could handle on that road at that moment - my Grandmother was driving through Texas one summer as part of one of her many cross-country driving trips. A Texas State Trooper pulled her over. The way she told the story, he said “Ma’am, I cain’t cite you, since there is no speed limit on this hyear road. But it’s 110 degrees out, and you were going 100 miles per hour. I won’t be back this way for at least 24 hours, and it would be a durned shame if y’all had a blowout.” She slowed down. We never knew how fast she was really going, or what the temperature really was. Every time she told the story her speed was 5 MPH slower and the temp was 10 degrees F higher. \ ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-do-you-know-how-fast-you-were-going/607472/130 "2011-12-29T17:00:11Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:111, topic:607472”] That pisses me off, too. One day I was driving to work, and got stuck following somebody for a mile or so doing 40mph in a 55mph zone. There’s no passing on that road, so I was pretty annoyed. The weather was clear, roads dry, visibility excellent; there was no reason I could see to go so slow. Later that day I was grousing about it to someone in my store, and she said, “Oh, that was me. I think that speed limit is much too high, so I slow everybody down whenever I can.” I was utterly flabbergasted. [/quote] Methinks you should have sold her a book for more than the cover price, commenting that you thought the book was priced much too low so you charge everybody more for it whenever you can. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-do-you-know-how-fast-you-were-going/607472/131 "2011-12-29T17:10:07Z")
> [@Typo\_Knig](#): > > _ **My Grandmother generally treated the speed limit on highways as a gentle suggestion.** _ I swear if she drove too near an airport the FAA would have noticed on _their_ radar. She was also very petite, very wrinkled from a youth spent outdoors before sunscreen was invented, and white-haired from her 30s (I’ve seen the pictures). IOW, she looked like every State Trooper’s dear sainted mother. She got pulled over frequently, was always polite and respectful and completely willing to take responsibility for her actions, but the cops nearly always let her off with a warning. Usually a verbal warning, not even a written warning. > > Back in the day when the speed limit on many Texas highways was “Reasonable and Proper” - IOW whatever you thought you and your car could handle on that road at that moment - my Grandmother was driving through Texas one summer as part of one of her many cross-country driving trips. A Texas State Trooper pulled her over. The way she told the story, he said “Ma’am, I cain’t cite you, since there is no speed limit on this hyear road. But it’s 110 degrees out, and you were going 100 miles per hour. I won’t be back this way for at least 24 hours, and it would be a durned shame if y’all had a blowout.” She slowed down. We never knew how fast she was really going, or what the temperature really was. Every time she told the story her speed was 5 MPH slower and the temp was 10 degrees F higher. > > \ (bolding mine) “a gentle suggestion” Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! _ **+1** _ Your Grandmother sounds like a righteous lady, IMHO. 🆒 (She also sounds a little like _ **my** _ Mom!:p) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-do-you-know-how-fast-you-were-going/607472/132 "2011-12-29T17:35:51Z")
It’s amazing what sweet little old ladies, and sweet little young things, can get away with. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-do-you-know-how-fast-you-were-going/607472/133 "2011-12-29T18:14:24Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > In Texas, the speed limit signs are prima facie; that is, they are a presumed maximum safe speed for that road under ordinary conditions. Exceeding the limit doesn’t automatically mean that your speed is unsafe, but it is _presumed_ to be unsafe. And of course, presumptions can be rebutted. It helps when the officer writes on your ticket that the weather was clear and sunny, the road was dry, visibility was excellent, and traffic was light. I agree with your first sentence, and that principle applies in most of the United States. Your conclusion, however, seems backward. The point of making them prima facie is so that you can be ticketed for driving 55 on a wet road in heavy fog even if the speed limit is 70. > [@Lare](#): > > Methinks you should have sold her a book for more than the cover price, commenting that you thought the book was priced much too low so you charge everybody more for it whenever you can. And that sales tax is much too low. I could make it 20% just for her and then the city would have enough money for new speed limit signs by her house. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-do-you-know-how-fast-you-were-going/607472/134 "2011-12-29T18:29:12Z")
Prima facie speed limits work both ways. The posted limit is too high for unusually harsh conditions, and it’s too low for unusually favorable conditions. I recall a story from Drivers Ed class that if a person is ticketed for speeding over the posted limit but can show there was no traffic (e.g., very early Sunday morning), visibility is good, and road conditions are good, then driving over the posted speed limit could be considered reasonably safe for conditions. No violation. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-do-you-know-how-fast-you-were-going/607472/135 "2011-12-29T19:16:07Z")
Here’s a link to what I was referring to up-thread. It’s called the “85th percentile method” for determining speed limits on roads and highways. The link below is to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) manual for determining speed limits. (Link is SFW) [http://onlinemanuals.txdot.gov/txdotmanuals/szn/determining\_the\_85th\_percentile\_speed.htm](http://onlinemanuals.txdot.gov/txdotmanuals/szn/determining_the_85th_percentile_speed.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-do-you-know-how-fast-you-were-going/607472/136 "2011-12-29T19:23:40Z")
… and if all my friends drive of a cliff, I should too. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-do-you-know-how-fast-you-were-going/607472/137 "2011-12-30T02:33:35Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > … and if all my friends drive of a cliff, I should too. 😉 Kinda depends on how many of ‘em make it to the bottom without gettin’ hurt, IMHO. 😉 If 99 out of a 100 make it, I _might_ be inclined to give it a shot. Only 9 out of 10? Thank you, but _ **NO** _, thank you. 😛 Just sayin’… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-do-you-know-how-fast-you-were-going/607472/138 "2011-12-30T03:16:39Z")
> [@festiva76](#): > > The only time I’ve been pulled over for speeding I decided to go the totally honest route. He asked if I knew why he pulled me over. I said “I guess I was speeding.. **I was on the phone and wasn’t paying attention.** ” I was let off with a verbal warning from a police department known for writing alot of tickets. (Bolding mine.) :eek::smack:😕 What a shitheel, lazy cop. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-do-you-know-how-fast-you-were-going/607472/139 "2011-12-30T04:37:15Z")
> [@festiva76](#): > > The only time I’ve been pulled over for speeding I decided to go the totally honest route. He asked if I knew why he pulled me over. I said “I guess I was speeding.._ **I was on the phone and wasn’t paying attention** _.” I was let off with a verbal warning from a police department known for writing alot of tickets. (bolding mine) Be ever so glad that we’re not in the ‘Pit’ right now. :mad: Just so you know, (and henceforth, can’t use _ **that** _ lame excuse) there have been more than a couple of studies done on the hazards of DWCP! (‘DrivingWhileCellPhoning’… Yeah… yeah, I just made that up. :rolleyes:) But I _ **didn’t** _ make up the fact that there _HAVE_ been studies done, that prove it is _just as much_, _ **if not more of** _ an impairment, than driving while intoxicated. :eek::mad: Besides the fact that I know FIRST HAND, just _ **how distracting and dangerous** _ it can be, to talk on a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle.:smack: I’ve got a 6" long x 1-1/2" wide x 1/16" thick stainless steel plate… eleven, s.s. screws and four, 1-3/4" x 1/16" dia. s.s. rods permanently installed in my left forearm/wrist… all thanks to someone that was (to use YOUR words) _ **“on the phone and wasn’t paying attention”!** _ PLEASE, _ **don’t do it anymore!** _ > [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > (Bolding mine.) :eek::smack:😕 > _ **What a shitheel, lazy cop** _. (bolding mine) Heartily seconded! (and thank you **B.E.Girl** , for bringing this post to my attention, I completely missed it.;)) Mods, I apologize for the ‘rant’. ☹ But I feel much better now, thank you for (hopefully) understanding.🙂 I now return you, to your regularly scheduled thread. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![X.L.Lent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a5b964/32.png) [@X.L.Lent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X.L.Lent)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-do-you-know-how-fast-you-were-going/607472/140 "2011-12-30T11:17:37Z")
To the question “Do you know how fast you were going?” I’ve been tempted to reply “Relative to what?” but I think that would not stop the cop from writing the ticket. Anyway, I’ve only got one speeding ticket in over 30 years of driving. Got pulled over in the middle of nowhere, Nevada received a $15 speeding ticket (yes, only $15). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-do-you-know-how-fast-you-were-going/607472.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-do-you-know-how-fast-you-were-going/607472.md?page=8)