I-75 Speed Limit Enforcement

[Raineman]

We have done the road trip from Ontario to WDW once before, 3 years ago. We will be undertaking our second trip this weekend.
How strictly are the speed limits enforced on I-75? Coming from Canada, you can get away with driving up to 20 km/h over the limit without attracting any police attention. Is there a similar "guideline" on the I-75 corridor? Does it vary from state-to-state? Would 5 mph over the limit be ok?
I want to make sure we don't get any speeding tickets during our travels, but I would like to shave a bit of time off our trip, and not anger any of the locals when we are holding them up while passing.

 

[DisAl]

There is no guideline. If you speed, you risk a ticket.
But I do understand your dilemma. If you try to drive the speed limit in Atlanta you will get run over or cause a gigantic traffic jam. (A few year ago a group of college students got on I-285 that surrounds Atlanta and drove the speed limit. They had traffic backed up for miles.) Sometimes you have to "go with the flow" even if it is over the speed limit just to keep from causing a wreck. That being said you could still get a ticket if law enforcement is looking for some reason to stop you such as cutting in and out of traffic etc.
My rule of thumb is to DO NOT PASS PEOPLE WHO ARE "GOING WITH THE FLOW". If everybody is already over the limit, you sure don't want to make yourself stand out in the crowd.
Don't forget that fines are DOUBLED in construction zones, and they usually enforce those more strictly than other areas. That comes from DOT workers getting killed by people speeding through areas where there were workers.
Bottom line is that speed limits are there for a reason - safety.

 

[networkpro]

Between Macon GA and the Florida Turnpike speed enforcement is pretty strict and theres a reason for it. Out of state drivers doing long distances are a hazard. Frequent accidents with tragic results occur regularly. Speed if you must, but in Georgia certified radar operators can ticket you for 1 mile per hour over the posted limit.

 

[John park hopper]

I know on I-95 in Georgia down around Brunswick I all ways see people getting tickets. I do 5mph above the posted speed limit and have never been stopped. People fly by me and more than one once I see some of these people pulled over down the road. I just smile to myself. Keep it no more than 5 above and you will be OK

 

[lazyboy97o]

Between Macon GA and the Florida Turnpike speed enforcement is pretty strict and theres a reason for it. Out of state drivers doing long distances are a hazard. Frequent accidents with tragic results occur regularly. Speed if you must, but in Georgia certified radar operators can ticket you for 1 mile per hour over the posted limit.

Only state police using speed detection devices can issue a citation for such a low infraction.

"§ 40-14-8. When case may be made and conviction had
(a) No county, city, or campus officer shall be allowed to make a case based on the use of any speed detection device, unless the speed of the vehicle exceeds the posted speed limit by more than ten miles per hour and no conviction shall be had thereon unless such speed is more than ten miles per hour above the posted speed limit."

Georgia has a number of laws restricting local governments due to the popularity of speed traps aimed at tourists traveling to and from Florida in the 1950s - 60s, particularly in the town of Ludowici.

 

[Raineman]

There is no guideline. If you speed, you risk a ticket.
But I do understand your dilemma. If you try to drive the speed limit in Atlanta you will get run over or cause a gigantic traffic jam. (A few year ago a group of college students got on I-285 that surrounds Atlanta and drove the speed limit. They had traffic backed up for miles.) Sometimes you have to "go with the flow" even if it is over the speed limit just to keep from causing a wreck. That being said you could still get a ticket if law enforcement is looking for some reason to stop you such as cutting in and out of traffic etc.
My rule of thumb is to DO NOT PASS PEOPLE WHO ARE "GOING WITH THE FLOW". If everybody is already over the limit, you sure don't want to make yourself stand out in the crowd.
Don't forget that fines are DOUBLED in construction zones, and they usually enforce those more strictly than other areas. That comes from DOT workers getting killed by people speeding through areas where there were workers.
Bottom line is that speed limits are there for a reason - safety.

The constructions zones, at least from my limited experience on I-75, can be horrible. Last time I was heading south through Cincinnati, I-75 was a huge construction zone, speed limit of 45 through alot of it, and people were cranking by me doing 70. It was a little intense. Even under normal road conditions, I was doing 72-73 in a 70, and people were constantly zooming by at 85-90. I always drive carefully, no weaving in and out of lanes, so I shouldn't be attracting any attention that way.

I know on I-95 mph in Georgia down around Brunswick I all ways see people getting tickets. I do 5mph above the posted speed limit and have never been stopped. People fly by me and more than one once I see some of these people pulled over down the road. I just smile to myself. Keep it no more than 5 above and you will be OK

That's what I was planning to do, so it sounds like 5 mph max over the limit should be a safe bet. Most drivers here in Canada are aware of the unwritten rule of no more than 20 km/hr over the limit on highways, and it is extremely rare to get pulled over at that speed.

 

[The Mom]

Just made the drive from Atlanta to North FL on I-75. Saw parked patrol cars every 25 miles or so between Macon and the FL border. Many more than usual. As others have mentioned, go with the flow. Although my husband once got a ticket because he was at the end of the "flow."

 

[Lilofan]

I know on I-95 mph in Georgia down around Brunswick I all ways see people getting tickets. I do 5mph above the posted speed limit and have never been stopped. People fly by me and more than one once I see some of these people pulled over down the road. I just smile to myself. Keep it no more than 5 above and you will be OK

Gotta love the 4 lane open road I-95 thru Georgia. One can easily do 90-100mph in clear open road but overweight red neck Sheriff Buford could be waiting around the bend... I-75, I see more Florida Highway patrol instead of local sheriffs in hidden speed traps. And interstate highways from Florida to points north are where the drugs and cash travel which law enforcement are attempting to look for.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Gotta love the 4 lane open road I-95 thru Georgia. One can easily do 90-100mph in clear open road but overweight red neck Sheriff Buford could be waiting around the bend...

In Georgia the local police are not allowed to hide. They must be visible for at least 500 feet.

 

[DisAl]

Gotta love the 4 lane open road I-95 thru Georgia. One can easily do 90-100mph in clear open road but overweight red neck Sheriff Buford could be waiting around the bend... I-75, I see more Florida Highway patrol instead of local sheriffs in hidden speed traps. And interstate highways from Florida to points north are where the drugs and cash travel which law enforcement are attempting to look for.

It is not a "speed trap" if you are driving 90 - 100 mph. If you are going that fast you should be taken to jail and your car impounded.
A few years ago three of my co-workers were killed when a driver on the other side of the interstate lost control of their car at a high rate of speed, crossed the median, and landed on top of their car killing all three instantlly.
I have no sympathy at all for fools who put other people at risk with their stupid actions.

 

[Lilofan]

It is not a "speed trap" if you are driving 90 - 100 mph. If you are going that fast you should be taken to jail and your car impounded.
A few years ago three of my co-workers were killed when a driver on the other side of the interstate lost control of their car at a high rate of speed, crossed the median, and landed on top of their car killing all three instantlly.
I have no sympathy at all for fools who put other people at risk with their stupid actions.

I agree however with vehicles nowadays having 280-400hp stock engines, I have seen exotic cars cruise at this speed but at least I can hear them coming with their loud exhausts coming up behind me. If you ever are in West Texas, Arizona or New Mexico, 90 mph is considered slow in the wide open interstate.

 

[thomas998]

Get a radar detector and use google maps it will tell you when you are near speed traps pretty often. But be warned even going with the flow wont help you in some states because the cops often like to nail out of state drivers because it is easy money since you are unlikely to fight the ticket. I was actually going slower than the flow in Tennessee and got singled out and it was pretty clear that it was because I was from out of state... similarly in Texas I was in a rental car with Illinois plates, got pulled over even though I was but one of more than 30 cars going the same speed but when I handed the officer my license and he realized I was not from Illinois he just said be careful and sent me on my way. So keep in mind your license plate makes you a target.

 

[thomas998]

It is not a "speed trap" if you are driving 90 - 100 mph. If you are going that fast you should be taken to jail and your car impounded.
A few years ago three of my co-workers were killed when a driver on the other side of the interstate lost control of their car at a high rate of speed, crossed the median, and landed on top of their car killing all three instantlly.
I have no sympathy at all for fools who put other people at risk with their stupid actions.

It depends on the car, the weather and the driver. Most new cars are very perfectly stable cruising at 90 to 100mph... unfortunately that's not the case for some SUVs and trucks... nor is it going to be a good idea if the weather is bad or the driver is drunk or high. I suspect more wrecks are caused by idiots that driver way under the speed limit on the highway than by those driving over it as people don't have to pass a speeding driver but you get a bunch of slow moving speed bumps on a road and it forces continual passing by everyone around them.

 

[Lilofan]

And if the cop gives you a ticket and you live out of state, it's not easy to contest it since you have to come back to the state you got the ticket in to fight it in court.

 

[Polydweller]

Get a radar detector and use google maps it will tell you when you are near speed traps pretty often. But be warned even going with the flow wont help you in some states because the cops often like to nail out of state drivers because it is easy money since you are unlikely to fight the ticket. I was actually going slower than the flow in Tennessee and got singled out and it was pretty clear that it was because I was from out of state... similarly in Texas I was in a rental car with Illinois plates, got pulled over even though I was but one of more than 30 cars going the same speed but when I handed the officer my license and he realized I was not from Illinois he just said be careful and sent me on my way. So keep in mind your license plate makes you a target.

The person is coming from Ontario Canada and radar detectors are illegal in Ontario. Automatic $170 fine, 3 demerit points on the license and the device will be confiscated. So, not really an option in this case.

 

[thomas998]

The person is coming from Ontario Canada and radar detectors are illegal in Ontario. Automatic $170 fine, 3 demerit points on the license and the device will be confiscated. So, not really an option in this case.

If they are dead certain they want to speed, then I would buy one as soon as I crossed the border. A ticket in the US can easily be more than you would pay for a radar detector. Or buy one off of ebay and just don't use it until you leave Canada.

 

[Model3 McQueen]

Play it smart. If the flow of traffic is going faster, stick with em. If the flow of traffic is slower, you're probably going too fast. I've been speeding in my attention-grabbing 1LE for 5 years and haven't been pulled over once. It's all about reading your surroundings and being aware of everything at all times.

BTW I have no accidents on record and undercovers saturate the highways in Arizona. Inattentive and careless driving is bad. Speeding is meh.

 

[Polydweller]

If they are dead certain they want to speed, then I would buy one as soon as I crossed the border. A ticket in the US can easily be more than you would pay for a radar detector. Or buy one off of ebay and just don't use it until you leave Canada.

The buying in US would work a bit but in Ontario it’s illegal to possess one so they can’t have it once they cross back.

 

[Lilofan]

The person is coming from Ontario Canada and radar detectors are illegal in Ontario. Automatic $170 fine, 3 demerit points on the license and the device will be confiscated. So, not really an option in this case.

Can't you buy one when driving in the USA?. Easy to do.. Does Canada police rip apart your car? Mums the word.. Go figure, recreational pot is legal in Canada but radar detectors are not?

 

[Polydweller]

Can't you buy one when driving in the USA?. Easy to do.. Does Canada police rip apart your car? Mums the word.. Go figure, recreational pot is legal in Canada but radar detectors are not?

They could. But you could be searched on the way back across the border. Same as going to the US. Strictly up to the border agent. I guess it’s up to the OP if they want to take the risk. Could affect the ability to cross, in either direction, for the future. But just be careful with speed, stay at the lane speed, and they are and no need for the detector.