On an interstate you can usually get away with 10mph over the limit. Some places are more strict than others- and work zones tend to be more strict. Watch what other people are doing. If the flow of traffic seems to be 10mph over the speedlimit- they won't pull you over out of the crowd. Also depends on what plates you have on the back of your car. Cops frequently target cars with out of state plates because they reason that you're less likely to protest the ticket in court if you're out of state. (you're also less likely to know a local cop who will just nullify your ticket for you. Everyone wants a cop friend so that they can get out of speeding tickets... police frequently cancel tickets of their friends for them) If you're got out of state license plates- you may want to stick to 5mph over the speed limit to be safe.... I've never been pulled over on an interstate going less than 15mph over the speed limit- even when out of state. I tend to stick to about 10mph over though. Now- off the interstates on regular roads- it's anyone's guess. There is no uniform policing standards across the country. There is no "US Police force"... the highways are monitored by the state- so are somewhat uniform... off the main highways you're dealing with local forces- and local forces contradict each others policies- and set their own. Small towns are notorious traffic problems. A lot of small towns get most of their funding from ticketing out-of-towners. They have lots of tricks to try and "get you". Frequently they'll drop a speed limit on a wide open highway from 55mph to 35mph for a small stretch with no apparent reason- and set up a speed trap in that area where a cop will always be waiting to catch people who didn't see the limit change. Locals will know about the speed trap- and slow down for it. Out of towners will zoom through and get caught... and they like out of towners because they pay the ticket without coming back to protest in court. (costing the town money in court fees). The smaller the town the more strict they are... the smallest towns will ticket you for any speed limit violation... larger towns and cities you can get away with going 10mph over the limit. Large cities like Atlanta- you have to be going insanely fast 25mph or more over the speed limit before a cop will even blink. For them it's a hassle/paperwork rather than a revenue source. Small towns will also have their own unique traffic law loop holes- where they will inflate the price of the ticket to something absolutely insane- like $1000 but tell you "if you pay within 24 hrs- we'll drop the charge to $200" - to encourage you to pay and not try and fight it. In reality- they only mean it to be a $200 ticket in the first place. Basic rule... as long as you go with the flow - no faster than everyone else and aren't the fastest car on the road- they won't go after you... they'll go after the guy going faster. / it is has also been statistically proven before that cops are much more likely to pull you over if you're driving a sports car or a red car (regardless of speed). If you drive a red sports car you're screwed! // My advice: drive a boring coloured car that is not a sports car and don't go out of state if you don't want a ticket!
