what is the speed limit in your state/province? how fast do people REALLY drive?

British Columbia recently raised the speed limit on its highways to 120 km/h (75 m/h). In Ontario, the speed limit on 400-series highways is 100 km/h (62 m/h). On secondary highways it is 80 km/h (50 m/h). But most people drive 120 km/h on the 400-series highways and 100 km/h on the secondary highways in Ontario. Or faster.

In fact, it seems to be understood by most people in Ontario that the police will not ticket you if you're driving 119 km/h or less. 120 km/h or over, and you will be fined.

So, what's the speed limit on the highways/freeways in your state/province? How fast do most people ACTUALLY drive? What is the cut-off point between not getting a ticket and seeing flashing lights in your rear-view mirror?

Just curious.

 

Yes and no Only certain sections of HYW are up to 120kmh and all of them are on the mainland, many HYW's in BC it's completely impossible to even get up to that speed. If the entire province went that high this would be happening every 2 minutes......






The fastest stretch of HYW on my island is 110kmp/68mph but that is a wide straight 2 lanes each way between Qualicum Beach and Campbell River waaaay up island. We also have several 30kmh....yes 30=18mph stretches of HYW on the island, cliff side narrow old horribly windy where doing 25mph would make Dale Ernhart Jr brown his shorts. If you go over you will fall a few hundred feet rite into the pacific ocean to never bee seen again....it's happened, sadly lots of times.

My tip of the island, 90kmh/56mph is the max speed in sections and for the most part people don't go over 100kmh/62mph but there is all ways one nut bar......

Then there is the HYW heading to the ferry terminal also 90kmh max speed but that stretch is where the real nut bar drivers speed to catch the boat. If I remember the highest speed caught on radar was over 220kmh/137mph by some idiot on the crowded HWY riding a motor cycle. Police didn't chase but had a small army of officers waiting for him at the ferries. Bike was seized, lot his license, fines up the wazo big time and jail time...... Out here you don't want to be charged under the motor vehicle act with "disregard for human life" When the idiot was spotted by police he fly thought the last HYW intersection in Sidney where pedestrians were and cross, and the speed limit was 50KMH/30mph......... doing over 220kmh

 

Ah, yes, I seem to remember now the highway from Sidney to Victoria where the limit was 90 km/h.

But if you go 100 km/h, will you get a ticket? Or will the police just turn a blind eye? How about 110 km/h?

 

There again it all depends. Ironically the beginning of the month seems to be the safer time to speed (if there even is a safe time to speed, not that I ever do), they throw up radar traps now and then but it appears the end of the month they have almost a zero tolerance for any speeding.......end of the month mandatory ticket quota maybe????

 

Funny you should ask this question right after we got home from Booniville shopping. As I left Hardee's where I was forced to eat biscuts-n-gravey I noticed right in the mediun a large boom truck and 1/2 dozen state workers removing and replacing speed limit signs. They were taking down 35 MPH signs and replacing them with 45 MPH signs. Now this is a small town(?) 15,000? I have no idea. But there is a Ford garage right next to Hardees, many other businesses both sides, and half block farther down the high school with 15 MPH when school is releasing..... Which seems like all the time!
It is a 4-lane semi major N-S highway with a lot of traffic from a lot of states plus local rednecks and little old ladies from Pasadena.
We seem to have one of the highest accident and motorcycle deaths in the area. Yet they raised the speed limit? I know I'm getting older but this seems rediculous.
Only 45 miles east is I75 past Gainsville,Fl one of the most accident friendly sections of that highway. Speed limit there is 70. But anyone on a Moped going under 90 might get rear ended.
Our secondary 2-lanes vary from 55 to 60 MPH. Again if no cops are running radar anything that you could run at Daytona Speedway is fair game on those roads.
Still right down town where they just raised the speed limit local yokals fine people for driving 2 MPH over the speed limit, with loud pipes, and dark windows. Yet new vehicles come out with darker windows and red neck kids run straight pipes. In other words it's any man's gamble.
Most of the N-S highway that sort of follows the Gulf coast is 65 MPH. I run it 70MPH and get passed all the time.

 

Somehow, I always manage to be behind the guy who can't seem to exceed 40 MPH merging onto the freeway.

 

Here in Texas there's a toll road that's 85 mph. Some of the interstates are 80. Most folks cruise 70 to 75 but there's always that one Sunday driver doing 50 in the fast lane
Seems like you wont get a ticket if you're not exceeding the speed limit by 5 mph.

 

You asked at what speed we drive our wagons - I stay around the speed limit when not towing, a bit below when the trailer is on, or slower depending on traffic volumes and road conditions. So typically 60 to 70 mph on freeways and 55 to 65 with the trailer.

If there is even a chance of road issues I slow down a bunch. Life is short enough already.

If I am traveling on a road I am unfamiliar with I tend to drive slower than the speed limit, if I end up with four or more vehicles behind me, or even a few for more than a few miles, I pull off and let them pass. It is not their fault I'm driving under the speed limit and I know how I feel when I'm the one behind that toad trying to merge onto the freeway at 40mph. Grrr - I too greatly dislike those people and we seem to have an abundance of them on our highways.

As for what you can get away with - it seems just under 10% at highway speeds, 5 in town, is the breaking point for a lot of officers. But you can also get stopped for going too slow and holding up traffic which I agree with. I wouldn't have a clue how slow you would need to be going though

 

I try to stay10% over the limit! i wonder if that is why i only get 20 mpg!

 

It seems like police in Ontario aren't interested in issuing speeding tickets.

Just a week ago, on a road I used to drive on every day to work, two brothers were killed while stopped at a red light. Another car (likely speeding) hit a curb while turning right, flipped up and landed on TOP of the car the two brothers were in, killing them instantly. This happened at 1:10 PM on a Sunday afternoon.

The speed limit on this stretch of suburban road is 80 km/h, but I suspect that the speeding car was doing at least 100, if not 120.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...tal-march-road-carling-avenue-crash-1.2719563

Maybe we need a quota system for tickets in Ontario.

 

But did you notice on average when you go to pass you can't get around him because you both are now going 98 MPH?

And we have a two lane blacktop from Ocala, Fl. to Daytona area that has hills and curves. Every now and then there will be an extra passing lane. Those cars doing 40 in the 55MPH zone are suddenly doing 65 when you can pass.
Makes you want to say

I love drivers in Florida.

 

Sad, just very sad...





As for speed limits. Our HWY are either 110 or 100km depending on the HWY. As for limits before being ticketed 5kms over seems to be ecceptable. My car seems to creep up to 120 without my noticing and ALOT of cars are blowing past me like I'm parked.

Here's my 2cents, I think speeds on the HWYs should be reduced back to 100kms and on the TransCanada HWY it should be the same in every province. This would help to reduce gas consumption and help to reduce deaths when accidents occur. It won't happen but that what I think.

 

Just this evening our son stopped over and said he heard many cities are raising the speed limits. He also said he believes the interstate system is going from 70MPH to 75 or even 80 MPH.
It's a fact there are too many old people in Florida. There is no hunting season for Snow Birds so this may thin them out.
It's really sad to hear about high speed rollovers right in town. Used to be 15 and 25 MPH in towns and residental areas.

I remember when someone had to walk ahead of the car waving a lantern and yelling a warning.
Ooopps that may have been before my time.

 

But not by much

 

The speed limit on the Garden State Parkway is 65mph except between the Raritan River Bridge and exit 163. That span goes directly through a heavily developed suburban/metropolitan area and the limit's 55. More often than not, it's heavily traffic laden and you can't do anywhere near 55 anyway. But if you're out of that area, the rule of thumb is you won't get pulled over as long as you're not exceeding 10 mph over the limit. I've gone through radar traps at 75 and never had a problem.
It's pretty much the same with the NJ Turnpike.