4 ms·

My wife was born and raised in the Southern US, and whenever we travel on the interstate system here she assures me that so long as I remain within 15mph of the

by bspn 9y ago

My wife was born and raised in the Southern US, and whenever we travel on the interstate system here she assures me that so long as I remain within 15mph of the posted speed limit I'll never be ticketed. When she first told me her theory it's fair to say I was a deep sceptic (as a foreign-born LPR), but nearly a decade on and she hasn't been wrong yet. I will admit though, she counsels me against following the rule in Virginia because the cops there don't mess around. EDIT: I should add that 15mph over the limit is usually "going with the flow". If the other cars are traveling at 70 then 85 really stands out.

mikeash 9y ago
Yeah, absolutely do not follow that rule in Virginia. We have roads where the speed limit is 70MPH. If you're driving 80MPH or over, it's automatically a reckless driving charge, which is an actual crime, not just a moving violation. And if your attention drifts a bit and you accidentally break 90MPH, you'll probably end up in jail. My usual rule is 5MPH over. I sometimes increase it to 10MPH, but it works almost everywhere.
- Neliquat 9y ago
  In general: 5 over is safe everywhere in the USA except school zones. 10 is generally safe in suburban and rural areas. 14 over on highways, unless mitigating situations exist (bridge, visibility, twisties) Beware, almost every area has some county or township that abuses their little patch of highway, and they tend to be well known to locals, but prey on passers by. This is not bulletproof, but has been my experince.
  - brewdad 9y ago
    This is true but personally I would rather see this shift to something closer to +10%. Going 35 in a 25 mph residential zone puts anyone not in a car in significant danger. Going 27 or 28 doesn't change the risk nearly as much. This rule of thumb still allows for 61 mph on urban freeways and 77 to 83 on rural interstates.
tropo 9y ago
Federal standards for car spedometers allow 10% error. Because of liability, cars are not sold with spedometers that read low. If you are less than 10% over, the cops would need to prove that you knew it. This would involve testing your car. Nobody wants to bother with that, so you normally get an extra 10%.
- 0xfeba 9y ago
  Source of said standard? Older cars (pre-1990) had pretty inaccurate speedometers, 5-10% off. Modern cars are very accurate. There is no such need for cop to "prove" you "knew" you were speeding. Ignorance of the law (or the condition of your vehicle, or whatever) is no excuse, as the saying goes. When you sign up for a driver's license (in the US) you agree that you will abide by all traffic laws.

by bspn 9y ago

mikeash 9y ago

Yeah, absolutely do not follow that rule in Virginia. We have roads where the speed limit is 70MPH. If you're driving 80MPH or over, it's automatically a reckless driving charge, which is an actual crime, not just a moving violation. And if your attention drifts a bit and you accidentally break 90MPH, you'll probably end up in jail. My usual rule is 5MPH over. I sometimes increase it to 10MPH, but it works almost everywhere.

Neliquat 9y ago
In general: 5 over is safe everywhere in the USA except school zones. 10 is generally safe in suburban and rural areas. 14 over on highways, unless mitigating situations exist (bridge, visibility, twisties) Beware, almost every area has some county or township that abuses their little patch of highway, and they tend to be well known to locals, but prey on passers by. This is not bulletproof, but has been my experince.
- brewdad 9y ago
  This is true but personally I would rather see this shift to something closer to +10%. Going 35 in a 25 mph residential zone puts anyone not in a car in significant danger. Going 27 or 28 doesn't change the risk nearly as much. This rule of thumb still allows for 61 mph on urban freeways and 77 to 83 on rural interstates.

tropo 9y ago

Federal standards for car spedometers allow 10% error. Because of liability, cars are not sold with spedometers that read low. If you are less than 10% over, the cops would need to prove that you knew it. This would involve testing your car. Nobody wants to bother with that, so you normally get an extra 10%.

0xfeba 9y ago
Source of said standard? Older cars (pre-1990) had pretty inaccurate speedometers, 5-10% off. Modern cars are very accurate. There is no such need for cop to "prove" you "knew" you were speeding. Ignorance of the law (or the condition of your vehicle, or whatever) is no excuse, as the saying goes. When you sign up for a driver's license (in the US) you agree that you will abide by all traffic laws.