Speed Traps on Major Interstates?
 

We are driving the USA this summer (been wanting to do this for 25 years!). I want to know where to watch out for speed traps. I'll be spending enough money in each state without paying for speeding tickets along the way. INTERSTATES ONLY please, I really don't care about that speed trap on Main street in Iowa City.<BR><BR>I know the whole State of Wisconsin can be nasty - what else?

Why don't you just drive the speed limit?

Nick, you're one of the reasons traffic deaths have been rising in recent years, and now represent the leading killer for all ages 5-33. And speeding is a major culprit. Don't tell me interstates are safer to go fsater on - things like more heavy trucks have offset those engineering advantages. And crashes at higher speeds are inevitably more violent to vehicle occupants. Higher speeds also undercut your ability to avoid mistakes and to compensate for your own errors when they do occur. Why not slow down and give your family, yourself and others a break and safer travel. Your getting there faster than others isn't that important to the USA. Get some perspective while you have time.

I appreciate your thoughts, but nobody has answered my questions. You make valid points, but I am going to drive a little faster when I have open road, thank you.<BR><BR>Any advice on which speedtraps to avoid?

Route 80 through NJ. Heading east there is frequently a speedtrap just after Rte 380 S intersection. Speed limmit drops from 65 to 55 there and they nail folks just after the change. There are also occasional traps in both directions about 20-30 miles east of there going towards NYC. Finally, there is one on a very regular basis just before the Parsippany exit in Rt 80 east (once agina it's right where the limit has just dropped from 65 to 55). A more practical and useful question you might consider posting is this: What speeds are acceptable in given areas on the Interstate and will be NOT result in gettign a ticket, even if you pass through a speed trap. Answer to that on Rt 80 in NJ is 73mph in a 65mph zone and 68mph in a 55mph zone. These are also safe speeds (safe meaning you won't get a ticket) on Rte. 81 through NY and PA and on Rte 90 in NY (NY State Thruway). I have driven these roads with great regularity on the past three years and have gone by countless peed traps at the aforementioned speeds and have never been pulled over. Once you hit 74mph and above in a 65mph zone it's anyone's guess but chances are they'll pull you over to "chat".

Since you have already decided and announced that you are going to break the speed limits when given the chance, please do us a favor and post your itinerary and dates so that the rest of us can stay out of your way.<BR> <BR>Assuming you are driving 500 miles a day on interstate, increasing your speed by 10 miles an hour will get you to your destination about 45 minutes earlier at best. Too bad you think that your 45 minutes is worth more than our lives. <BR><BR>By the way, I thought a speed "trap" was a name given to the unfair practice of putting up a speed sign in a "hidden" area so the cops can catch people unaware. A clearly posted interstate highway that is being patroled is not a "trap".

Hey, Nick, here's a bit more info. if you can handle it: you're out of date worrying about speed traps. Don't think about that - think about automatic speed detection cameras, more and more being positioned on high-speed roadways. When you get back from vacation, there may be a pile of envelopes waiting for your attention - speeding bills to be paid in 15 days, or else - your licene plate is confiscated, your drivers license invalidated, you name and plate on police computers for a pullover. So, get those speed trap locations and play while you can. Technology is on the way to stop you - and please, don't ask me to believe you plan only a little speeding.

Is driving 75 mph instead of 65 mph in the middle of North Dakota really going to save your life? Am I a more alert driver at 65 mph? Is my stopping ability dramatically increased by driving 65 mph? Am I a less dangerous driver at 65 mph? Let me tell you more about my driving habits -<BR><BR>1. I never drink prior to driving<BR>2. I don't tailgate or swerve in traffic<BR>3. I often drive below the speed limit in conditions that warrant it (stormy weather, high traffic areas)<BR>4. I don't talk on my cell phone while driving<BR>5. I drive a vehicle that is properly maintained and is not a road risk<BR>6. I wear my seatbelt and insist that others in my vehicle do the same<BR><BR>I would argue that drivers who violate the 6 safety items I listed above are at more risk to cause an accident, or, in the case of #6, get injured in an accident. So yes, when I am on I-70 in the middle of Nebraska, I might set my cruise a little higher. It is a choice I am making, and I will do in only when it is safe to do so.

Some strong opinions here...<BR><BR>Before I get verbally assaulted, I'd say watch out for the Chicago area. They frequently have traps set up as you enter the 55mph stretch from the 65mph stretch.

Simple solution to this problem. Spend the money and buy a radar detector. And please don't say they are illegal in some states!

Nick in Texas we do have a lot of State Troopers on the Highways. I live in Dallas and I35 S to Austin I always see them pulling over people. Also, small towns in Texas LOVE to ticket as that is their primary source of extortion oops income. I know what you are talking about. I have a convertible and sometimes if there is nobody on the highway it is fun to "let loose". I hope this helps.

You know, there's one of them there websites fer everything.<BR><BR>www.speedtrap.com has a fair listing. There might be a better site if you look.

So, Nick, you want to know where you can "safely" break the speed laws? Whether or not you are a good driver and take other safety precautions is irrelevant. How silly it would be NOT to pay more attention to road conditions than maintaining the maximum speed limit or, in your case, higher. Speeding is breaking the law. I hope you get caught everywhere you exceed the speed limit. In some states, out of staters must pay the entire fine in cash on the spot. So, bring lots of cash. Here's hoping you're driving through those states that target out-of-state plates to raise local revenues.

You guys all ranting about speeders probably drive with one hand on the cell phone, one hand sipping your moccachino grande, and your knee on the bottom of the steering wheel. When the speed limit was 55 were you all crazy about someone going 65? Do you still drive 55 in a 65 because, by golly, that used to be the "safe" top speed as dictated by the NTSB or are you just a bunch of sheep following the herd as you swerve side to side on the road?<BR><BR>As for Nick, I've sped all across the country and say that you may encounter speed traps EVERYWHERE and ANYWHERE, you'll never be able to keep a list of "that bend on I-80 5.75 miles west of the Kylerstown exit and just slow down there. Just keep in to 10 over and you should be fine, keep your eyes on the traffic ahead of you and drive in a cluster so at least the odds are with you.

Nick, I can only hope that all of these speed limit-loving do-gooders stay in the far right lane of any interstates here in Massachusetts - they'll be less likely to get rear-ended by someone who's driving at the prevailing speeds. To answer your question and also to expand a bit on Owen's comments - there are usually one or more radar traps somewhere along the Mass Pike (I-90) - they tend to move them around a bit. You'll virtually never see one on the portion of I-95 that bypasses Boston, known to locals as Route 128, but north and south of the city they sometimes crop up, particularly to the north. I don't usually see them on I-93 or I-91. Unmarked cars are around, but not particularly common. Ten miles or so over the speed limit is usually safe here, except during rush hours when it seems pretty much anything goes.<BR><BR>P.S. I just got back from a week's vacation that involved a few hundred kilometers on German autobahns. It's an interesting experience to be "crawling" along in the right lane at the equivalent of 85 mph and have a continual stream of cars blowing by you like you're standing still!

I-95 in Virginia can be well patrolled. I think Virginia overall is pretty notorious for speed traps.

For all you blue-haired traffic congesting nervous nellie drivers whining about exceeding the spped limit, I have only one thing to say: 450 horsepower. With 450 horses under my car's hood one of my greatest pleasures is unwinding the tachometer and pushing up over 100 mph on the beautiful stretches of wide open interstate here in Arizona.<BR>No I don't do this in traffic.<BR>And if I crash and burn that's my business.<BR>But high speed cruising in beautiful country is a major rush.

Note re/radar detectors - I have spoken to some who believe that they offer a false sense of security (i.e. protection from being detected at fast speeds). A friend rode up a few years back from VA to NYC with someone who had just acquired a radar detector - they got three speeding tickets on the way! Far better to just determine what is acceptable in given areas. IN PA I have seen the troopers set up directly in front of road maintenace machinery so they can sit undetected and clock the cars going by in the single lane construction zone (which has a 45 mph speed limit and double fines!). If they use the radar gun on and off in a selective manner it's very difficult to detect their presence with a radar detector. In support of another's comments I will note that I always strictly observe speed limits when off the interstate. If a small town or village has signs that say 30 mph they mean it! Many small towns and villages enforce speed limits vigorously not only because it is a revenue stream but also because they are residential areas with families and childrens - the speed limits are in place for a reason.

Nick,<BR>You are cruising for a ticket. When you come back, please let us know how much and if you got any points.<BR><BR>Try driving no more than 5 MPH over the speed limit and you should get where you are going in good time and safely without worrying about tickets. <BR><BR>However, in some places where the limit is already 65, the police have 0 tolerance for speeding.<BR><BR>If you come to the Northeast, please drive carefully, pass on the left only, and don't eat any Big Macs while driving. A dropped Big Mac or portion thereof has been proven to be more dangerous than a ringing cell phone and cafe latte put together.

Nick-<BR>You're totally right about Wisconsin. Drove down to Illinois a few weeks ago and saw 4 smokies within 50 miles on <BR>I 94 east of the Minnesota border. They do take credit cards and have the machine in their cars.<BR><BR>Good Luck!

Watch out for the Denver area. The interstates have lots of photo-cops. Nothing like getting a ticket in the mail 4 weeks after you came home.

the trouble with e-mails and postings is that what we could say or ask in person without fear of judgmental rhetoric somehow gets singled out for attack.<BR><BR>i used to and still enjoy the feeling of blasting across the northern higways when i have them to myself. But i no longer enjoy speeding when there is a risk of a collission. I spent 4 years in MOntana when they had no speed limits (in the interstate during the day) and it was fun and given the size of the state practical. But i have learned a few things:<BR><BR>1. radar detectors do just that: they tell you that you have been hit by radar (3 tickets in 2 years using a 300 state of the art detector)<BR><BR>2. go with the flow like an early poster said. Don't stand out.<BR><BR>3. Patrolcars have wheels ont them so they constantly relocate.<BR><BR>4. final word of advice comes from an old and i mean old TV show..called Highway Patrol starring Broderick Crawford. He had this closing line i will never forget:<BR><BR>"it doesn't matter who's right;<BR>but, who's left"

I-75 between Tifton, GA and the FL border is packed with cops. We once saw 17 cops along that stretch in one county alone. Once you get in FL, however, you can go 90mph or faster...the cops there don't want to give their tourist-friendly state a bad reputation. Although even at 60mph you feel as if you are going fast with all the senior citizens driving!