Why does everybody speed?

[Haloman800]

Most of you have your drivers license's, I just got mine earlier this year and I noticed that everybody goes 5-10 miles (at least) over the speed limit. Why is that? My friend from California said he would drive as much as 20 miles over the speed limit at times and he'd never get pulled over. The cops didn't even care. I know police officers in some cases do take it seriously (or maybe they seriously want a bigger paycheck) because I've heard stories of people getting tickets for going as little as two miles over the limit.

But everywhere I go I'll drive exactly, or 1-2 miles under the speed limit, and everyone passes me, even while I'm in the right lane. In a lot of cases I'm forced to speed as well just to keep up with the general flow of traffic.

Anyone else notice this?

 

[Rydian]

Yeah, I drive the limit too and it seems to piss people off.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

Most of the time people don't notice they're going over as, like you've mentioned, people just follow the flow of traffic. Others are in a hurry and feel the need to go over because they think their business is important. And then there are the idiots who think they should go as fast as they want down every road because they can.

Also, frequency of tickets depends entirely on the area you're in, so making a general statement like "the police don't care" is rather...small-minded. In areas where I live, you can get pulled over for going 1mph over the speed limit. Others, I've seen people go 10 over and they don't get stopped. Also, as far as I know they don't get paid more for writing more tickets else every officer would do it.

 

[Haloman800]

Most of the time people don't notice they're going over as, like you've mentioned, people just follow the flow of traffic. Others are in a hurry and feel the need to go over because they think their business is important. And then there are the idiots who think they should go as fast as they want down every road because they can.

Also, frequency of tickets depends entirely on the area you're in, so making a general statement like "the police don't care" is rather...small-minded. In areas where I live, you can get pulled over for going 1mph over the speed limit. Others, I've seen people go 10 over and they don't get stopped. Also, as far as I know they don't get paid more for writing more tickets else every officer would do it.

In every area I've been to or heard about they don't seem to. And I do know for a fact that they have a quota they must meet every month or [I don't know] happens. And IMO, it would be like every job, where if you meet or exceed your quota consistently, you'd get a raise/promotion.

 

[Lacius]

5 mph over the speed limit is what everyone I ask says is the unofficial accepted margin of error, so that probably has something to do with it. I usually go 0-5 mph over the speed limit. I used to go as much as 15 mph over the speed limit when driving through rural Missouri and only the corn was around to see (until I finally got pulled over).

 

[Haloman800]

5 mph over the speed limit is what everyone I ask says is the unofficial accepted margin of error, so that probably has something to do with it. I usually go 0-5 mph over the speed limit. I used to go as much as 15 mph over the speed limit when driving through rural Missouri and only the corn was around to see (until I finally got pulled over).

What was the outcome of that?

 

[Rydian]

I've always been told that police will rarely, if ever, pull you over unless you're at least 5MPH over, at least in virginia.
http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/free-books/beat-ticket-book/chapter5-1.html
This explains why, somewhat.
Also here's a thread from a police forum echoing some of the info in the above link.
http://forums.officer.com/t90893/

As far as them wanting to pull you over even when you're not dangerous, it's widely theorized that there's unofficial quotas they need to meet (usually monthly).
http://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/9578/do-police-officers-have-monthly-quotas-of-traffic-tickets-to-write

Especially in virginia, near the end of the month seems to be when you see all the cops out pulling people.

 

[Lacius]

What was the outcome of that?

I made small talk about corn and got off with a warning.

 

[MelodieOctavia]

In most areas a "speed limit" is more a speed suggestion.

In some areas highway patrol can pull you off the highway and issue you a ticket for hindering traffic, if you're not going with the flow of traffic. Yes, even if you're going the speed limit.

 

[Gahars]

What was the outcome of that?

I made small talk about corn and got off with a warning.

SHUCK DA POLICE!

Anyway, I'm in the boring, plain chicken sandwich category of keeping within 0-5 mph of the speed limit.

 

[KidIce]

I agree w/ most of the comments above. 0-5 MPH over the limit is unlikely to get you pulled over or ticketed. The police aren't looking for speeders so much as they are looking for dangerous drivers. Lots of lane changes, not using your signals and various other dip shittery is more likely to get you a ticket then speeding "safely". Excessive speeding aside of course.

That said there is a very good reason I tend to go around 5 miles over the posted limit in my town... Traffic lights. Despite the posted speed limit of 30 MPH on the longest drag on my way to work, the lights are timed for 35 MPH traffic, If one goes 25-30 MPH they will be guaranteed to hit every light on that stretch on red. Go 35 and it's clean sailing green lights all the way.

This is why I would be annoyed w/ you if I found you in front of me going the speed limit during rush hour. I'm not the sort to get on your ass, road rage or any other such nonsense... But yeah, I'd be in my car behind you thinking, "Would you go a little faster, or do you like to waste gas and time at red lights?" I only do this on roads "major" enough to have traffic lights, I do not speed through neighborhoods or school zones.

The highway is a completely different story for me though. Speed limit is 65 MPH and I tend to go 80 to 90 MPH... So do most the people on I5 between Salem and Portland. Don't get on the highway if you want to go 65 MPH, take a rural route. I actually learned that the hard way.

 

[pokefloote]

This also annoys me. I prefer to go the speed limit but everyone just gets mad, lol.

Some people say that you're allowed to go 5mph over the limit... If that was true, then the sign would just say 50 instead of 45.
Some cops don't care, some do (or as was said above, if they need to meet their quota they will stop you for anything they can find wrong).

I don't go more than 5 over, because I'd like to keep a perfect driving record.

 

[Ericthegreat]

This also annoys me. I prefer to go the speed limit but everyone just gets mad, lol.

Some people say that you're allowed to go 5mph over the limit... If that was true, then the sign would just say 50 instead of 45.
Some cops don't care, some do (or as was said above, if they need to meet their quota they will stop you for anything they can find wrong).

I don't go more than 5 over, because I'd like to keep a perfect driving record.

I also go 5 over.

Also in places like Los Angeles, or New York, I think although not all but alot of police wait for the big speeders instead of the guys going 10-15 over. Here in NC, 15 over and your getting a ticket.

 

[KidIce]

I don't go more than 5 over, because I'd like to keep a perfect driving record.

I have a perfectly clean driving record, thanks, and zero accidents in my life time.

 

[pokefloote]

I don't go more than 5 over, because I'd like to keep a perfect driving record.

I have a perfectly clean driving record, thanks, and zero accidents in my life time.

Oh, that wasn't directed towards your post. That's just a common phrase around here, that you can go 5 over without much chance of being stopped.

There's a chance that you can be stopped if a cop is having a bad day, so I'd prefer not doing it, that's all.

 

[ShadowSoldier]

Most of you have your drivers license's, I just got mine earlier this year and I noticed that everybody goes 5-10 miles (at least) over the speed limit. Why is that? My friend from California said he would drive as much as 20 miles over the speed limit at times and he'd never get pulled over. The cops didn't even care. I know police officers in some cases do take it seriously (or maybe they seriously want a bigger paycheck) because I've heard stories of people getting tickets for going as little as two miles over the limit.

But everywhere I go I'll drive exactly, or 1-2 miles under the speed limit, and everyone passes me, even while I'm in the right lane. In a lot of cases I'm forced to speed as well just to keep up with the general flow of traffic.

Anyone else notice this?

Some people are just faster drivers just like there are slow ass drivers. Also, it's a bit ironic, it tells you to go the speed limit, but in the drivers book, at least here, it says to go with the flow of traffic anyways.

The most I go is about 15kmh over, or if I'm in front of my house pulling onto the road (which is a highway) I'll go anywhere from 20-40 over.

 

[yusuo]

I speed cause its better and healthier than crack

 

[SinHarvest24]

Why would you?.....are you so scared of breaking the law, even if it's highly unlikely there's anyone around to enforce it?


Most speed limits are so freaking slow!!

Well where is live, in TnT, the police isn't on every corner looking at every driver (from what i hear about other places like US/EU/JP, they're pretty fucktipated), so i guess we're kinda lucky...in a way.

 

[DiscostewSM]

For me, it depends on where I am. There is this small business district that I go through on my way to work, and I don't dare go over the speed limit. On regular streets, I'm within the 0-3 MPH over the limit. About 5-10 MPH over on the freeway as long as everyone else is going that speed.

 

[Yumi]

I have no idea why they do that. It is stupid and annoying. They think they are gods.
Especially those that just cut you off rudely and act like they are hot shit.