I have seen it called the “Cone Zone” in California - and if the Highway 12 you are speaking of is the part that runs west of I-80 just south of Fairfield, then I work right by there; isn’t the Highway 12 expansion finished yet? (Of course, there’s the construction on I-80 itself where it meets 680; that’s going to be a while, as they have to build a new, wider Green Valley Road overpass.)
Highway 94 through Wisconsin, you could easily get a ticket going 1 mph over the limit if you’re from out of state.
Pretty much anywhere in Ohio freeway speeding enforcement is quite strict. Also as noted portions of I-70 through Missouri.
Where I live, there are some small townships and towns that (I guess) take the whole “revenue enhancement” part of stopping traffic violators seriously. I’ve been pulled over for going 5 miles over, for having a burned out brake light, and a burned out license plate light…luckily never given a ticket, just a warning. I’m more careful now.
I obey the speed limit in residential neighborhoods, school and active construction zones because a: it makes sense to me and b: I’d rather not get an “enhanced” $280 speeding ticket for no good reason.
In my experience, the best way to avoid getting a speeding ticket is to not speed.
Yep almost, between Fairfield and Stockton. Plus that water project. It was still under construction the last time I took it on my way to Bodega Bay. But even before that it was classified as one of the most dangerous roads in the area. I think most of the problems were caused by passing when its particularly dangerous. For those not in the know this particular road runs almost exactly east to west between those cities.
In NZ, the police have publicly stated their tolerance limits. Most of the time on the highway (80-100 km/h limits) it is 10 km/h, but they drop that to 4 km/h in holiday periods. Around town it is 4 km/h (50-60 km/h limits), and I think 2km/h in school zones (40 km/h limit). If there’s a cop monitoring a school zone, you’d better make sure you’re under the limit unless you can guarantee your speedo reads right and you know exactly the speed you’re going.
The USA tolerance of 10 mph (16km/h) seems crazy to me for a 55 zone. That’s nearly a 20% tolerance which seems very sloppy. Not so bad on a freeway with 65 to 75 limit though.
- Florida seems to give out more tickets in my experience, compared with the northeast.
I wanted to mention the opposite though, areas where everyone speeds by a large amount and no cops ever enforce the speed limit. I nominate the Driscoll Bridge in New Jersey. Lots of people travel at 85 or above in this 45 mph zone, and I’ve never seen anyone get pulled over. The rare motorist doing 50 or so creates a huge disruption, with streams of cars swerving around them and passing on both sides.
I don’t recall noticing if that stretch of road actually has signs labeling it as a “Safety Corridor” or whatever, but there are periodic signs (between Lodi and Fairfield in particular) that say “Arrive Alive! Penalty for reckless driving $2500” !! Yikes! I don’t see signs like that just everywhere.
That whole section of road is getting widened, so furthermore it’s now a construction zone. When it’s done, I guess it’s going to be a 4-lane superhighway just like they did with I-580 between Pleasanton and Castro Valley (used to be a bucolic country drive).
That discretion likely depends heavily on whether or not you look like you are up to no good.
I was traveling from Florida to NY many years ago while in the military and was pulled over for 62mph on the NJ Turnpike (back when the double nickel was law). He gave me a warning and let me go.
When I told this to the guy in NY when I was checking in, he laughed and said “He pulled you over for 62 on the TURNPIKE?!??”
He then explained that the cop had probably targeted me because my Florida plates and my green military duffel bags in the truck bed—the cop did ask me “What’s in the bags?” And once I showed the cop my printed orders he changed his tone completely.
Not always…
Was coming back from a 7,500 mile tour of the USA with my family in the car and had just finished driving from West Virginia across PA to NJ. As soon as I crossed the bridge I took 295 N, for the last five miles to my house.
30 seconds later there was a state trooper lighting me up—I was barely past the on ramp.
He was surprised at my lack of understanding of why he was there: “Do you know why I pulled you over?” “No, officer, I have no idea whatsoever. I just got on the highway a few seconds ago.” “Didn’t you see me back there on the median?” “No, officer, I wasn’t back there, we just got on the highway”
And so on. “Here’s my toll receipt. Here’s my hotel receipt from West Virginia. I really just got up to speed when you stopped me.”
He harrumphed, went back to his cruiser, returned with a warning and sent me on my way.
Clearly he had seen another nondescript blue sedan that looked like ours, but he wasn’t able to admit that he made a mistake. I found that mildly annoying, but life goes on. It was just a warning after all.
…but you didn’t get a ticket, right?
Or trying to find out what happens when they hit triple digits.
(they show something that looks like a couple letters in Klingonese)
Told to me from a former State Trooper, 5 (mph) given due to you being human, 5 due inaccuracy of the (speed recording device + your speedometer) and 5 on him. This what a while ago since they allowed him to carry a badge and your state trooper’s mileage may vary .
The rule of thumb I learned, and try to follow, is don’t go more than 10% over the speed limit.
Makes sense to me.
mmm
A written warning, the full meaning which escapes me. I think those hang around in a NJ database for 6 months and then evaporate (Loach may have explained NJ warnings some time in the past, probably when I told this same story :). One of the luxuries of getting old is that you can tell the same boring story multiple times and everyone politely ignores you.)
Anyway, if the officer was willing to issue a formal written warning to someone who did nothing at all and was obeying the speed limit, then he could very well have just given me the ticket.
ETA: Here we go
NJ Warnings explained by Loach
In Australia, speed cameras typically used to have a tolerance of around 3km/h. I think it’s now been reduced to zero in some states - 1km/hr over the limit will get you a $176 ticket.
You don’t dare drive at 25.001 miles per hour in a school zone when children are present. This seems to be one of the most heavily and strictly enforced rules everywhere.
In many cities I’ve lived in or driven through, I’ve seen wolfpacks of motorcycle cops sitting on side streets near school zones, picking off one driver after another after another.
My town had these for a few months. The official line from the mayor himself was that the cameras were set for 10 over. They were actually set for 5. :rolleyes: Then when people complained that they’d been lied to, the advice suddenly changed to “well gosh, you wouldn’t get a ticket if you didn’t speed at all you know, so why are you complaining about getting caught?”
(IMO revenue had dropped a little, and it was obvious people hated the racket, so the city wanted a few more squeezes of that lemon before the voters took it away in November.)
I hate speed cameras (don’t have them here (NE FL), but we do have some red-light ones, which are almost as bad). What if the safest option at that particular moment in time is to speed up? I can then choose to either get into a wreck (even if it strictly speaking isn’t then “my” fault), or speed up to avoid it, but triggering the camera in the process.
The single-minded focus on speed, to the exclusion of all else, is utterly ridiculous IMNSHO. I must see rear-enders several times a month here, because drivers here have absolutely no concept of what a safe following distance is. Rain, sunshine, day, night, they’re inevitably 6 feet from the bumper of the guy in front in a 65 MPH zone, a nice little conga line in many cases. That’s going to compromise safety a lot more than going 5-10 over in light-moderate traffic in clear weather.
So, I’d like to solicit examples here from people who have gotten unsafe following distance tickets recently.
Anyone?
I think 10+ on the highways is ok. Anywhere else. Stick to the speed limit. Especially in residential areas. I hate when people speed in residential areas. I purposely will drive ten under if your going fast.
In my town and the surrounding towns, there is no road that is not a posted highway where the speed limit is not 25. In my town, cops ticket and I really don’t b-tch about it at all, because my kids play on these streets too.
One of the Single best speeches about speed I have ever heard goes as follows:
**"This street right here? The speed limit is 25.
That street over there? The speed limit is 25.
That street over there the other way? The speed limit is 25.
ANY STREET YOU DRIVE on in THIS town? The speed limit is 25.
I don’t care if you’ve lived here 100 years, because you know what? The limits haven’t changed.
You want to drive faster than that?
Drive ELSEWHERE."**