There have been rumors swirling in some states that have drivers concerned they are going to be ticketed for driving even one mph over the posted speed limit. While police officers are well within their rights to ticket even for this small infraction, it makes much more sense to monitor the flow of traffic and as long as it’s moving at a safe speed (usually within five mph of the posted speed limit) and there aren’t any outliers that are driving at grossly ridiculous speeds the traffic enforcement team won’t typically hand out any tickets.
The problem with adding a huge amount of restrictions to the driving that takes place is it gives us one more thing to be concerned about on the road. The ideal situation is to actually reduce the number of distractions rather than add to them. Knowing there was a strict enforcement of the speed limit in a state or a specific area, often referred to as a “speed trap,” makes a driver only focus on the speed they’re travelling at and not on what else is going on around them on the road. This can cause a driver to miss turns and not be aware of the rest of the drivers on the road around them.
Unfortunately many drivers do drive distracted already. The concern over what music is playing through their smartphone system, or about what people are doing in the backseat can cause us to take our attention off the road. Of course the forbidden texting while driving or even talking on the phone while driving can also be a distraction while on the road as well. Do we really want to add to our already distracted driving lifestyle by having to pay more attention to the speed we’re travelling or would it make more sense to let traffic flow naturally?
One study performed in Australia showed three sets of drivers, ones that had to keep to within one mph of the speed limit, another restricted to six mph and the last to eleven mph. This study showed results that those who were restricted the most were the most distracted and focused solely on speed, making them miss other driving cues and have a hard time staying in a traffic pattern. Those drivers with the least restrictive speed were able to see all other driving cues on their driving test.
While we are not condoning speeding and want you to understand officers are well within their rights to give you a ticket for as little as one mph over the speed limit most officers won’t do this. You also normally have a tool inside your vehicle to help you keep your speed where it should be, this took is the cruise control system. Let’s be smart out there and understand the traffic officers are only trying to keep us all safe from harm. Put the phones down, engage the cruise control and pay attention to the road around you.
This post may contain affiliate links. Meaning a commission is given should you decide to make a purchase through these links, at no cost to you. All products shown are researched and tested to give an accurate review for you.
