# California DMV rules, Cops, Speed, interstate **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [April 19, 2010, 10:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/california-dmv-rules-cops-speed-interstate/47699 "2010-04-19T22:17:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/california-dmv-rules-cops-speed-interstate/47699/21 "2010-09-28T21:35:29Z")
There could be a third reason. When a (now retired) friend of mine was on the force, he used to park the car in a spot that looked like he was doing radar and sit and do his nightschool homework. ---
**Author:** ![UncleTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9a140/32.png) [@UncleTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/UncleTurbo)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2010, 10:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/california-dmv-rules-cops-speed-interstate/47699/22 "2010-09-28T22:24:44Z")
When the traffic is heavy commuter traffic sometimes the flow is faster than the posted speeds. The cops can’t stop everyone so they focus on cars going even faster than the flow. I doubt CA has a law that allows higher speeds it is just dangerous for cops to pull out into heavy traffic and move around slower cars to catch up to speeders. This is why in lighter traffic you’ll get a ticket for a speed that the commuters travel at routinely. Catching speeders in heavy traffic takes a coordinated effort and when the cops do set up such an operation they will give out lots of tickets. ---
**Author:** ![oblivion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3ab097/32.png) [@oblivion](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oblivion)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2010, 10:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/california-dmv-rules-cops-speed-interstate/47699/23 "2010-09-28T22:27:54Z")
I’d recommend watching out for cops if you speed. I too am a chronic speeder. I do draw the line at speeding in residential neighborhoods, school zones, etc., but I like to cruise at 80-85 on the highway. With cars being so much better than they were 30-40 years ago, I wish they’d just raise the speed limits on controlled-access roads to 80 and enforce THAT. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 1:21am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/california-dmv-rules-cops-speed-interstate/47699/24 "2010-09-29T01:21:58Z")
“If the speed limit was 35 and 99.999% of the traffic was going 70 MPH…” That assumes the road is capable of handling 70 MPH traffic. The 35 MPH roads around here aren’t safe to drive 70 MPH on. The speeders might not hit each other, but they may certainly drive off the road. That brings up the second aspect of speed and safety: the faster you drive the more likely you are to sustain serious injuries if a crash occurs. ---
**Author:** ![oldschool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e19adc/32.png) [@oldschool](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldschool)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 1:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/california-dmv-rules-cops-speed-interstate/47699/25 "2010-09-29T01:27:39Z")
Many people don’t realize the awesome discretionary powers society gives police and prosecutors. ---
**Author:** ![waterboy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/waterboy/32/764_2.png) [@waterboy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/waterboy)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 1:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/california-dmv-rules-cops-speed-interstate/47699/26 "2010-09-29T01:39:06Z")
Last Nov I was in Ca, Miles of construction, and fines double. Worst problem no work, just orange barrels. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 2:01am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/california-dmv-rules-cops-speed-interstate/47699/27 "2010-09-29T02:01:52Z")
The discretion that oldschool mentions is the worst part of this in my opinion. Many people routinely get hammered for the slightest infraction. I got whacked for 3 MPH over on a deserted stretch of Interstate on a Sunday morning and a customer got ticketed for 2 MPH. The discretion comes in when you have someone like a local and now deceased real estate agent who drove a Rolls Royce. He was ticketed repeatedly for very excessive speeding (80 in a 50, 55 in a school zone, etc.) and every single ticket was dismissed; many without his ever appearing in court. This agent even stated once in an interview that “it’s how I drive and I’m not going to stop”. So much for equal application of the law. ---
**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 2:43am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/california-dmv-rules-cops-speed-interstate/47699/28 "2010-09-29T02:43:30Z")
Cops don’t seem to be doing much of ANYTHING any more…It’s a rare sight to see them pull someone over. Posted speed limits have become a joke… At accident scenes, they just fill out the papers for the insurance companies to fight over in court…If your house gets busted into and ransacked, they come and fill out some more forms for the insurance companies and tell you how sorry they are all your stuff got stolen… ---
**Author:** ![galant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/77aa72/32.png) [@galant](https://community.cartalk.com/u/galant)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 3:37am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/california-dmv-rules-cops-speed-interstate/47699/29 "2010-09-29T03:37:37Z")
There are real time digital signs on the fwys that post estimated time to the next popular fwy or location. They estimate the speed based on sensors that are embedded under the road surface. ---
**Author:** ![meanjoe75fan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/meanjoe75fan/32/552_2.png) [@meanjoe75fan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/meanjoe75fan)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 3:59am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/california-dmv-rules-cops-speed-interstate/47699/30 "2010-09-29T03:59:37Z")
> Does anyone have an actual traffic safety study they can cite to support either position? Well, not for autos, but for motorcycles, there was “the Hurt report.” It was a study of motorcycle accidents. Fairly exhaustive, it looked at numerous factors involved in accidents–including speed. What was found was that the statistically SAFEST speed was a few MPH over the prevailing speed. Then, risk increased in a roughly exponential fashion as one deviated from prevailing speeds. Now, one could argue that this is due to some quirk associated with motorcycling–it’d be nice to see this study repeated for autos–but it’s at least suggestive that “going with the flow” is indeed safer. ---
**Author:** ![meanjoe75fan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/meanjoe75fan/32/552_2.png) [@meanjoe75fan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/meanjoe75fan)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 4:26am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/california-dmv-rules-cops-speed-interstate/47699/31 "2010-09-29T04:26:01Z")
> I got whacked for 3 MPH over on a deserted stretch of Interstate on a Sunday morning and a customer got ticketed for 2 MPH. You should really have fought that. 3MPH is well within the “standard deviation error” of a radar gun, and you could probably get written statement of that (i.e. what is the permissible error during calibration?) ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 6:20am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/california-dmv-rules-cops-speed-interstate/47699/32 "2010-09-29T06:20:07Z")
I actually did show up in court to fight it and lost anyway. Myself, the state trooper who issued the ticket, and the DA were all standing in front of the judge. After the trooper quickly laid out his brief story I cross-examined him and had that guy so twisted that he became flustered and started stuttering, along with backtracking several times on his story as to how he came to cite me. The story changed from his facing west (I was going east) with a radar gun to his being in pursuit of a speeder going in the same direction as I was. When I questioned why he would allow this other pursuit to die so he could nail me he stated that I “was a more serious violation”. (at 3 MPH over?) He then claimed to be doing 80 MPH in pursuit but since this did not mesh with how in the world I could overtake him doing 3 MPH over the posted 55 he started wallowing around on his story. After about 5 minutes the DA just turned around and told the trooper to shut up. A minute later the judge said I was guilty and they escorted me (odd as that was) out of the courtroom to the court clerk where I had pony up. This lying trooper’s name kind of stuck with me and I always wished the worst on him. Well, some years back I got my wish. He got caught on some kind of sexual assault and bribery charges so if nothing else I got the last laugh when I saw him on the late night local news. ---
**Author:** ![ZombieWoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/91b2a8/32.png) [@ZombieWoof](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ZombieWoof)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 7:37am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/california-dmv-rules-cops-speed-interstate/47699/33 "2010-09-29T07:37:23Z")
Who’s going to get pulled over? Let’s see, the person of the wrong race (and I say that as a whitie), the person driving the most expensive car, the person with the least lane discipline… the list goes on. Are you familiar with the word “quota”? ---
**Author:** ![ZombieWoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/91b2a8/32.png) [@ZombieWoof](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ZombieWoof)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 7:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/california-dmv-rules-cops-speed-interstate/47699/34 "2010-09-29T07:39:26Z")
No. They don’t. ---
**Author:** ![ZombieWoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/91b2a8/32.png) [@ZombieWoof](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ZombieWoof)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 7:43am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/california-dmv-rules-cops-speed-interstate/47699/35 "2010-09-29T07:43:15Z")
No, wrong. Tickets most certainly ARE issued to make money. They are also issued to give the officer a chance to look in your car. Are you suggesting that police officers are so incompetent that they can’t pull over ONE car? Get real. ---
**Author:** ![ZombieWoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/91b2a8/32.png) [@ZombieWoof](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ZombieWoof)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 7:46am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/california-dmv-rules-cops-speed-interstate/47699/36 "2010-09-29T07:46:23Z")
Right. Because police generally use their cars to sit in, and rarely DRIVE them. ---
**Author:** ![oblivion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3ab097/32.png) [@oblivion](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oblivion)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 10:18am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/california-dmv-rules-cops-speed-interstate/47699/37 "2010-09-29T10:18:53Z")
Guidelines for beating a ticket (whether you’re guilty or not) -“Not guilty” plea -Delay the court date as much as possible. -If you are not at fault, bring evidence–eg. a photo of the speed limit sign near where you were stopped. -If you are guilty, you can often ‘plea bargain’ with the officer or prosecutor. This may still get you a fine, but it may be reduced and cost you no points on yor license. Of course just having to go to court multiple times and wait through the endless parade of human misery to plead your case is pretty much as bad as just paying the fine and getting out of there. ---
**Author:** ![FoDaddy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/fodaddy/32/717_2.png) [@FoDaddy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/FoDaddy)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 12:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/california-dmv-rules-cops-speed-interstate/47699/38 "2010-09-29T12:01:03Z")
Well yes it would. But for the sake of simplicitiy we’ll assume the road in question is perfectly capable of handling highway speeds, but that’s besides the point. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/california-dmv-rules-cops-speed-interstate/47699/39 "2010-09-29T19:38:59Z")
The best rules to avoid tickets are: 1. if you served, put a military sticker in your rear window. It’s extremely common for cops to also be veterans. If you were awarded a ribbon, put that there too. If your state has veteran’s plates, get them. 2. if you are atopped, be polite, respectful, and apologetic. Don’t argue with the cop. Every stop they make involves risk, and once they realize you don’t present a risk they’ll relax, improving the chances of your getting off with a warning. If they think you’re going to fight with them, they will not back down. In my rear window I have US Air Force Veteran, My Son is a SeaBee, and my Vietnam Service Ribbon, and I have veteran’s plates. I had one cop stop me, walk up to the car, say “Air Force, 'eh?”. I said “yup, during Viet Nam”. He told me to slow down from now on and wished me a nice day. Note, by the way, that I have these because I’m proud of my service and my son’s service, not to avoid tickets. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 9:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/california-dmv-rules-cops-speed-interstate/47699/40 "2010-09-29T21:33:47Z")
“Do you remember when you were a kid and you said, “But Mom, all my friends are doing it.” Did it work with her? Probably not. It won’t work in traffic court either.” Sure it will. It’s a very effective method of getting your fine doubled or tripled. [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/california-dmv-rules-cops-speed-interstate/47699.md?page=1) [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/california-dmv-rules-cops-speed-interstate/47699.md?page=3)