How much can you speed without getting ticketed?

[nobb]

I drive on HWY2 every 2 weeks to commute back and forth from home to my summer job. The speed limit is 110 and on just about every commute, I see a traffic cop. I usually do 120, which is what everyone in the right lane does. So I am just curious, at what speed will the traffic cop pull you over? Is there any general rule of thumb or exact speed that you will be pulled over?

[Arrow]

General rule of thumb on city road (50km/h) is 10 over. For highways, I imagine they will be a little more lenient, though anything 15 and over is probably getting touchy. They could pull you over for 5 over or 10 over if they wanted. It's all up to the cop. They can give you a ticket for 1km/h over but realistically that wouldn't happen.

[Whitedart]

I drive on HWY2 every 2 weeks to commute back and forth from home to my summer job. The speed limit is 110 and on just about every commute, I see a traffic cop. I usually do 120, which is what everyone in the right lane does. So I am just curious, at what speed will the traffic cop pull you over? Is there any general rule of thumb or exact speed that you will be pulled over?

That amount is going to vary by jurisdiction/province.

In Ontario, 10-13k over the limit seems to be about the point where a charge will not be laid and a conviction received. Because of that, the province keeps the highway speed limit at 100k, knowing that the majority of drivers will travel at 110k. Push 120 or higher and enforcement routinely starts on speeding offences.

Some officers probably have a zero tolerance policy, but charges at 10k or less I have never heard of someone being convicted on in court.

[mic2074]

no limit - as long as you don't get caught :D

[thesk8man]

i drive 10 hours a day x 6 days

in 40 i dont go above 45 max is 50
in 50 max is 60

pay attention to when 60 becomes 50 or 40 ( school zones )

on highway 110 max is 120 ( 401, 427, 403, gardner )

lakeshore strickly 60 to 65

[ShadowVlican]

General rule of thumb on city road (50km/h) is 10 over. For highways, I imagine they will be a little more lenient, though anything 15 and over is probably getting touchy. They could pull you over for 5 over or 10 over if they wanted. It's all up to the cop. They can give you a ticket for 1km/h over but realistically that wouldn't happen.
+1.. i know people who have gotten tickets for going 5 over in a 60 zone.. cop must've been desperate

but once they stop u... they'll find more reasons to give you trouble (ie: walk around ur car... check for all these little things... )

[yao416]

no limit - as long as you don't get caught :D

+1 :lol:

But I'd say speed limit + 10 KM?

[MP3_SKY]

Even so, driving only 10km + is kinda slow the traffic...

Example....people driving 110km/hr on 401 left lane

[bobby5]

+1 :lol:
But I'd say speed limit + 10 KM?

More like limit + 20% of limit

ie: 40kph => 48 kph (under 50)
50kph => 60 kph
70kph => under 90kph
100kph => 120kph

[Dibble]

More like limit + 20% of limit

ie: 40kph => 48 kph (under 50)
50kph => 60 kph
70kph => under 90kph
100kph => 120kph

I agree with this. I think it's relative, not absolute.

[VivienM]

I'd say it depends on what kind of vehicle you're driving, too. Visibly modded red Integra will be pulled over for a lot less than some boring dull midsized sedan...

[Drew_W]

I agree with this. I think it's relative, not absolute.

Not really. Look at the fines/demerits for Ontario. It doesn't matter what zone you're in, the penalties are absolute. Thus, stick to 15 over or less no matter where. That's a $50 fine and no points. Radar traps, I'm sure they're looking for people at least in the next band of 16-29 over so they can give them the heftier fine and points (3 for this band).

Speeding fines in Ontario are calculated by using a multiplier times the number of km/h you're over. This multiplier grows with the bands as well, so imho, if you stay within the first band, you should be fine.

[ES_Revenge]

More like limit + 20% of limit

ie: 40kph => 48 kph (under 50)
50kph => 60 kph
70kph => under 90kph
100kph => 120kph

I disagree somewhat. In Ontario I say 20km/h over max, except in a 40 where you shouldn't go over 50; also on two lane highways like portions of 69 where the limit is 90km/h, go a tick under 120 (i.e. 119 or lower, nearly 30 over) and they'll barely give you a second look provided you do not do anything stupid (tailgating, swerving, dangerous passing/attempts, etc.).

Though I've gotten speeding tickets before, I almost religiously adhere to the above (~20km/h above the limit) whenever/wherever possible and have never gotten pulled over for speeds within that range except once way back when they first got the laser guns in Toronto and were "testing" them out, pulling over pretty much everyone.

Of course you could get a ticket in there somewhere, it's certainly fair game. Get an overzealous officer or just be doing it where/whenever there is a blitz and you might be screwed; but I mean you are speeding and them's the breaks I guess.

[at1212b]

I think a speed trap/blitz in a 50 (which seems to be very common), if you're 10 over, you're fair game, esp if its a massive blitz, or a slow day.

In a 60 though, they were having a blitz one time on Eglinton, just east of Bellamy under the GO train bridge... they must have been pulling ppl over for 70 or so (it is a 60km/hr).

Seems like they were just targeting the first cars that were coming which seemed to have made their job easier.

Another time, going north on Midland just after Eglinton (they usually have a speed trap at the plaza), a cop was on actually on somebody's driveway on the West side.

I was a couple of cars back... the cop just zipped right out, and sqeezed right behind the car it was pulling over (which was also the first car of the bunch), pretty much cutting off the car behind it... you could tell that car was 'wtf?'. That car was definitely going around 65 or under as I was around 60, and it wasn't even pulling away that much at all.

I think at night time though, late at night, with not that many other cars around, if you look a bit 'suspicous' (whatever that means), the cops will also likely pull you over on a slower speed since its their way of checking the drivers, looking for impaired drivers, warrants, etc.

[untaka]

I don't know I think you can easily push 130-140 on 400 series highways sometimes. I've rolled up to a cop before doing 130 on the 401, no problem there :D

[thecharlie]

More like limit + 20% of limit

ie: 40kph => 48 kph (under 50)
50kph => 60 kph
70kph => under 90kph
100kph => 120kph

This seems just about right for me as well. Except on a 70, I usually go 85ish or so.

[GroceryBagHead]

I try not to get above 130km/h on 400 highways.

[rv2843]

Do not speed in school zone or zero tolerance zone. Anywhere else it is safe to speed below 15km/hr.

[ichpen]

Yes, watch out for school zones as that can and do pull over people for doing 10 over. Highways is really quite subjective and dependent on time of day and stretch of road. 401 west of Kingston which is fairly quiet often goes up to 140 (I'm referring to speed of fast lane traffic here). Trucks are typically going at 110 (thank you speed limiters).

Street speed traps are typically looking for people going 15 k and over.

Hwy speedtraps are after people going 30k and over.

This is all from personal experience btw. As pointed out in theory you could be pulled over for doing 1km over the speed limit.

And to the person that mentioned that the reasons why ontario hwy speedlimits are set at 100 as it is accepted that people will drive at least 10k over. That's not good reasoning and not true if you go by standards of any European country (heck even the US).

[rob187jj]

i think the general rule of them should be 10-15% of the speed zone. so 50 > 55-58, 60 > 66-69, 70 > 77-81, 80 > 88-92, 100 > 110-115

ive passed opp doing 120 on the highway, they don't really care. i usually cruise at 119 though

[at1212b]

It seems overall, the police around ontario and the GTA are pretty lenient with passing them, even if it is a small amount over the speed limit.

But if you're going to do it in the U.S. and try to pass a State Trooper, might want to think twice:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoGkcvyCxnU&feature=related

[Peterson Lee]

I don't think anyone drives under 125kph in the left lane on the 403, Atleast it seeems rare. Cars always zip past me when im in the right lane doing 110. :cheesygri

What I hate is people doing 80 on the 403, wtf get going or stop driving. I mean if your scared to go 100 you should'nt be driving.

Whats the slowest you can go before being fined?

[bobby5]

...What I hate is people doing 80 on the 403, wtf get going or stop driving. I mean if your scared to go 100 you should'nt be driving.Whats the slowest you can go before being fined?

In US, there are signs showing minimum speed 55mph (88kph) on interstates.
Anyone who can't make it to 90, save your driving costs and take a cab

[Ebola]

Yes, watch out for school zones as that can and do pull over people for doing 10 over. Highways is really quite subjective and dependent on time of day and stretch of road. 401 west of Kingston which is fairly quiet often goes up to 140 (I'm referring to speed of fast lane traffic here). Trucks are typically going at 110 (thank you speed limiters).



But then eastbound from Kingston the traffic goes usually no faster than 115-120km/h in the fast lane. Traffic generally between 105-110km/h from Kingston-Cornwall.

[f00kie]

I don't think anyone drives under 125kph in the left lane on the 403, Atleast it seeems rare. Cars always zip past me when im in the right lane doing 110. :cheesygri

What I hate is people doing 80 on the 403, wtf get going or stop driving. I mean if your scared to go 100 you should'nt be driving.

Whats the slowest you can go before being fined?

I don't think we have minimum limits yet, but if the gas prices continue to rise and the hypermilers take over, I'm hoping we'd be starting to see some.

[Whitedart]

And to the person that mentioned that the reasons why ontario hwy speedlimits are set at 100 as it is accepted that people will drive at least 10k over. That's not good reasoning and not true if you go by standards of any European country (heck even the US).

Have you actually driven on highways in the US? They have higher speed limits, but much less tolerance for speeders. There is no 5 or 10 k over the limit tolerance as we have.

With a speed limit of 65-75 mph on a highway, drive 5 mph over that limit in New York, Penn, or Ohio for example, and you will get a speeding ticket. And the vehicles I see pulled over are typically Ontario plates.

[Ebola]

Have you actually driven on highways in the US? They have higher speed limits, but much less tolerance for speeders. There is no 5 or 10 k over the limit tolerance as we have.

With a speed limit of 65-75 mph on a highway, drive 5 mph over that limit in New York, Penn, or Ohio for example, and you will get a speeding ticket. And the vehicles I see pulled over are typically Ontario plates.

All the NY State Troopers I talk to love Canadians, easy pickins.

[bobby5]

All the NY State Troopers I talk to love Canadians, easy pickins.

???
In Michigan, the traffic seems to zoom past me endlessly, and I was doing above the limit! :o

[VivienM]

???
In Michigan, the traffic seems to zoom past me endlessly, and I was doing above the limit! :o

Aren't radar detectors legal in most U.S. states, and illegal in all Canadian provinces except the Great Free Province of Alberta and maybe Sask.?

If so - that would make non-Alberta Canadian cars easy targets for U.S. cops, because unless the Canadian picked up a radar detector at the border OR breaks his/her province's law, there's no way they can detect radar...

[bobby5]

do u guys really agree for it to be normal for people to do 48 in a 40 zone?
i mean I dont mind people even doing 20-30+ over the speed limit on any road over 50km/h, but a 40 zone is likely there for a reason eg. a school zone or residential(kids playing in front of homes)

Ideally, we should not go over the limit at any time :)
You're right, places with 40 limit usually have tons of stop signs, so it's pointless to drive any faster since you need to stop again few seconds later.

[IntegrationByParts]

I'd say +10 km for around B.C. (from my experience). Although, for school and playground zones, it's a lot more strict. Also, it depends on what time you are driving around. I feel that at night, the speed limit becomes a lot more stricter since there are less options for police.

For B.C., 40 zones tend to be construction zones usually. 30 zones are the school and playground zones.

[Whitedart]

do u guys really agree for it to be normal for people to do 48 in a 40 zone?

i mean I dont mind people even doing 20-30+ over the speed limit on any road over 50km/h, but a 40 zone is likely there for a reason eg. a school zone or residential(kids playing in front of homes).

All residential areas are 50k zones in Ontario, unless is it a major roadway where it may be 60 or 70k.

Young kids are still known to dart out in front of parked cars in many 50k zones.

[Drew_W]

i usually cruise at 119 though

Why? 119 gets you the exact same ticket as 120.

[Agent_DESI]

one golden rule for speeding on streets is

stay low and watch out for the cars(the cop cars that is)


Of course u can get ticketed for anything over the posted speed limit

but it all depends on the other traffic and the time of the day

for example if it is a sunday morning 6 am and u are going at 75km/h in a 60km/h zone u have 80% chance of getting caught while u can get away with this speed at rush hours.

I am always speeding on streets i think it is bad but just can't live without it the only time i have actually obeyed the limits is for my drive tests and even there the examiner told me that i was going at 55km/h in a 40km/h zone but still passed.

[Getripped]

its up to the discretion of the police, i know from personal experience, cop pulled me over for doing 8 over and just gave me a warning, he told me he can pull people over for even 1 over if they felt like it, also u getting ticket has alot to do with your attitude talking to the officer.

[m4gician]

Do not speed in school zone or zero tolerance zone. Anywhere else it is safe to speed below 15km/hr.

This will get you in serious trouble.

Other than that, stay within 10 - 15 to safe, 20 at 100s. On long rural highways, 120 - 125 is fine for passing, but if you're the only car there you're doa if an officer decides to shoot you with the gun.

[HP_John]

A few yrs ago there was a Toronto Star article where it said on Ontario highways with a limit of 100, you won't get ticketed for 120 (I'm sure there've been some exceptions, but in general).

[Drew_W]

A few yrs ago there was a Toronto Star article where it said on Ontario highways with a limit of 100, you won't get ticketed for 120 (I'm sure there've been some exceptions, but in general).

I think it was just this past year. It's online. I don't have the link though.

[Ebola]

???
In Michigan, the traffic seems to zoom past me endlessly, and I was doing above the limit! :o

I'm just saying for sure I agree with Whitedart, NY State has some hardcore traffic enforcement.

You have the state troopers, the metro police for the cities, the county (deputy) sheriffs, they're all over the place, and they dont mess around.

In the USA they have a police for everything, and they all enforce everything.

[tjthemanto]

I drive on HWY2 every 2 weeks to commute back and forth from home to my summer job. The speed limit is 110 and on just about every commute, I see a traffic cop. I usually do 120, which is what everyone in the right lane does. So I am just curious, at what speed will the traffic cop pull you over? Is there any general rule of thumb or exact speed that you will be pulled over?

I don't know about the highway but in a school zone ( 40 Km/hr ) they will generally give a ticket even if you are a couple of km above .

[Hugh Jass]

I don't know about the highway but in a school zone ( 40 Km/hr ) they will generally give a ticket even if you are a couple of km above .


+1. School zones, esp the times kids are going into or leaving schools are the least lenient of any zone.

[bobby5]

...In the USA they have a police for everything

police state with extra big 'P' :D