# "Traveling at a high rate of speed" - redundant?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-at-a-high-rate-of-speed-redundant/491889>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 3, 2009, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-at-a-high-rate-of-speed-redundant/491889 "2009-04-03T17:15:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Taipan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Taipan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taipan)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-at-a-high-rate-of-speed-redundant/491889/1 "2009-04-03T17:15:55Z")

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I’m wondering if the word ‘rate’ in this term is redundant. I thought speed was already a rate, being km PER hour. No one would ever say “Those apples sure go for a high rate of price”. I think its mostly used by cops as part of their copspeak so they can sound smrt. Anyone?

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**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-at-a-high-rate-of-speed-redundant/491889/2 "2009-04-03T17:39:44Z")

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I agree. It is totally superfluous.

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**Author:** ![Mariemarie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58f4c7/32.png) [@Mariemarie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mariemarie)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-at-a-high-rate-of-speed-redundant/491889/3 "2009-04-03T17:40:32Z")

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Redundancy is not always bad, IMO. The phrase may be mostly used by cops as part of their copspeak so they can sound unambiguous–especially over interferency radios with crappy speakers.

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**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-at-a-high-rate-of-speed-redundant/491889/4 "2009-04-03T18:01:13Z")

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If you google “at a high rate of speed” you can find many, many non-cop uses of the phrase. I also found ten examples of “priced at a high rate”. I agree that it is redundant in a manner.