"Obey The Sign Or Pay The Fine"

Speeding enforcement crackdown in NC to target anyone going above posted limit

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is ready to burst the bubble on the widely believed 9 mph cushion myth.

Every Municipality across the Country is so deep in debt, they will do anything for revenue. Just a pure money grab. I do not condone speeding, don't get me wrong. But a ticket for 66 or 67 in a 65? People will be spending more time staring at their speedometer than the road. And we must assume that every radar gun and speedometer are 100% calibrated. Ridiculous!

Thanks for the heads up anchorman. I usually roll about 5-6 over and this being my home state may save me and rather large headache.

IMO, this won't last because the courts will be too overwhelmed to handle the amounts of tickets this threatens to be. Sounds good on paper and in the media, but realistically there's no way to enforce it.

IMO, this won't last because the courts will be too overwhelmed to handle the amounts of tickets this threatens to be. Sounds good on paper and in the media, but realistically there's no way to enforce it.

You just keep telling yourself that.

And with a CDL - there's no "driving school election". You beat it - or you EAT IT.

This is all about REVENUE.

Courts get a piece, county/municipality gets a piece, the state gets a piece.

In Florida - they (by law) don't write you for up to 5 over - except for school zones.

It's called a speed LIMIT - not a "suggested speed".

Rick

Its ALWAYS about the MONEY$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

I remember a recent post where people were defending the "9 is fine 10 your mine" supposed buffer. My response was...there is no buffer. People above claiming its all about the money are mistaken. Its about safety. It probably costs the town money to write low violation speeding tickets. Most fines for speeding 1-10 the ticket is $30 bucks. However, if you fight it and go to court you could add $188.00. Add to that the cost your insurance will go up, and I don't really agree with the article I will link here, its for full coverage insurance, and you could end up paying something like $1800 for that speeding ticket in the long run. But that makes the insurance company money, so lets ignore that since the posts above are talking about the government making money by enforcing the speed limits.

So if you factor in wages and fuel and other costs for the officer, paperwork processing costs, equipment costs like computers and radar guns, they (the government) are losing money. If you go to court the money you spend there goes to paying the courts wages, processing, equipment, building and utility costs and etc. So just how much do you really think they are making off a speeding ticket and what do they do with that money?

The reason they enforce speed limits does have to do with money, but not in the way you think. When speed limits are not enforced, people tend to speed more and more. And then you get accidents. Accidents are what really costs the city government a lot. You have police response, fire department response, DOT response for signs and such, ambulance response, towing and clean up. So its not speeding tickets that make money, its speed limit enforcement that saves money. Its about keeping people safe and keeping traffic moving. How many traffic jams are caused by speed related accidents? My guess is its quite a lot, perhaps 90%.

So personally I like speed enforcement. We are professional drivers, we (should) obey all traffic signs and laws. We should realize that safety is the number one priority. We should plan our trips so we don't have to speed. IF you drive 500 miles at the speed limit of 65 it takes you about 7.7 hours. IF you speed and go 70mph the same 500 miles takes you 7.15 hours. So by taking unnecessary risk and speeding, you save half an hour. Half an hour at 65mph is 32.5 miles. Say you make $.40 per mile. $.40 x 32.5 = $13.00. So by speeding and taking all the risks associated with it you make an extra $13 that day. For me that is simply not worth the increased risk that comes with increased speed. More accidents = more rules and regulations, like we don't have enough already. It also costs more fuel to go that 5mph faster, so you lose your fuel economy bonus.

So My opinion, and that's all it is just like everyone else posting here, is that speeding, especially in your semi, is a lose lose lose situation. The risks and negative factors far outweigh the $13 you might make, and your driving record will be permanently affected, which affect your hire-ability, your insurance, your reputation, all of that. IS it really worth it? In my mind, no, no its not.

Phil

Forgot link: NC speeding costs

Forgot link: NC speeding costs

NC is CHEEP - as far as the TICKET COST goes. And from what I'm seeing elsewhere on the internet - the ticket is $30 + $188 in court costs - so the COURT COSTS is where the revenue seeking kicks in.

Florida - 6-9 MPH over, base price is $130. Not to mention increased insurance, etc.

The "average" car driver puts on 12K miles per year - versus the 100K a trucker might put on. So statistically - the odds of a trucker getting a citation, or being in an accident - is 10X that of the average 4-wheeler.

CDL holders know that their license is their livelihood, and my driving habits have totally changed since getting mine - because if I ever want to use it - it had better be clean.

That, and as mentioned before - CDL holders (by law), cannot "elect" to take driving school in exchange for no points. A judge can ORDER IT, or withhold the points at their discretion (adjudication withheld) - but a CDL holder can't just go fill out a form and do it. Which is why I say - we either BEAT IT or EAT IT when it comes to traffic citations - EVEN IN A POV.

Rick

I can see 6-10 over, but 1-5 is total BS. Radar guns could be off, etc. Sounds like $$$$$ grabber to me.