Are vehicles really impounded for 20mph over in AZ?
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In Arizona, police and highway patrol are pretty reasonable and not the good ole boy macho type that you encounter in the South that is trying to send a message. They will allow you to drive up to 10 over the speed limit particularly if you are driving with the flow of traffic and are not driving like a maniac (not swerving in and out of lanes but driving steady in the right lane keeping a healthy distance between you and the driver ahead of you). The police here are pretty reasonable. I will regularly drive 5 over and police will let me drive by them without so much as a blink. There are a lot of people in the state that drive really fast and the police are trying to capture them. They aren't going to waste their time writing you for a ticket going 7-10 over when they can get someone driving well over 15 mph seconds later. It just doesn't make sense to them.
What I don't understand is if you are going to speed and drive really fast then why on earth would you not invest in a good radar detector. The newer ones work really well. The only way they can essentially nail you is if they follow you and you aren't aware of it because the newer ones have incredible range and specificity unlike a few years ago.
Speeding is a facade. You aren't going to save time speeding. At best you will save maybe 10-15 minutes. It just doesn't make sense. I like to drive the speed limit and don't particularly speed over 5 mph however we all can get lost in our thoughts and not realize you are speeding at times (speed limit suddenly reduced and you forget to slow down) and that's what worries me so I like to have a radar for insurance so I can slow down. At times, I speed as a defensive measure because people can be aggressive here and tail gate you if you drive the speed limit but by speeding I'm talking maybe 5 over.
I've heard this also. I haven't seen anywhere that it's true though so I'm curious if anyone can cite a statute on this. I've also heard the 100 mph is automatic jail rumor - looking at a citation on this also.
Don't be so sure it can't happen to you though. A change from 55 to 35 with little-to-no notice can get you very easily.
To answer your question:
1)ARS 28-701 is the speeding statute. Faster than 35mph in a school zone, or 20 + elsewhere is criminal = arrestable.
2)ARS 28-695 is the aggressive/reckless driving statute. Also criminal. Violate 28-701 and two additional provisions (usually passing on the right, unsafe lane change, following too closely, etc.) = another criminal charge plus a 1 year revocation of license.
3) ARS 28-3511 covers the 30 day impound laws. Civil.
In Arizona, police and highway patrol are pretty reasonable and not the good ole boy macho type that you encounter in the South that is trying to send a message. They will allow you to drive up to 10 over the speed limit particularly if you are driving with the flow of traffic and are not driving like a maniac (not swerving in and out of lanes but driving steady in the right lane keeping a healthy distance between you and the driver ahead of you). The police here are pretty reasonable. I will regularly drive 5 over and police will let me drive by them without so much as a blink. There are a lot of people in the state that drive really fast and the police are trying to capture them. They aren't going to waste their time writing you for a ticket going 7-10 over when they can get someone driving well over 15 mph seconds later. It just doesn't make sense to them.
I agree in theory, but in my experience once you go more than 7 over you are significantly increasing your chances of being pulled over. Police LOVE to get people for 10 over just after the speed drops (I saw that this morning when it went from 75 to 65 on the east side of Tucson).
Quote:
What I don't understand is if you are going to speed and drive really fast then why on earth would you not invest in a good radar detector. The newer ones work really well. The only way they can essentially nail you is if they follow you and you aren't aware of it because the newer ones have incredible range and specificity unlike a few years ago.
Until talking to a cop buddy a few weeks ago I thought most agencies were using lasers now, but apparently radar guns are used in the vast majority of the cases. I haven't even looked at radar detectors for almost 20 years, but I have noticed them in a lot of the cars that are passing me lately.
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Originally Posted by Prodigal Native
I agree in theory, but in my experience once you go more than 7 over you are significantly increasing your chances of being pulled over. Police LOVE to get people for 10 over just after the speed drops (I saw that this morning when it went from 75 to 65 on the east side of Tucson).
Until talking to a cop buddy a few weeks ago I thought most agencies were using lasers now, but apparently radar guns are used in the vast majority of the cases. I haven't even looked at radar detectors for almost 20 years, but I have noticed them in a lot of the cars that are passing me lately.
My brother is REALLY big into radar detectors, he's researched 'em to death belongs to a forum that does nothing but talk about the latest technology etc. According to him there's some real top notch units out there that are dead on accurate with laser and radar.
I live in Sedona and regularly drive I17 to Phoenix. In the 75mph zone I generally set the cruise control to 79 or 80 and have never been pulled over. When you hit 65 mph at Carefree and then 55 mph further down then, if you are only doing 5 over you are getting passed by everyone.
So, north of Carefree, 5 over is okay. South of Carefree, stay with the traffic but don't draw attention to yourself by going too fast or weaving.
I got pulled over once on 179 just after leaving the highway. I was slow in adjusting from 75 to 55 and got clocked at 67. My fault and no complaints. The officer cut me a break and wrote me up for 64. Again, no complaints.
In Arizona, police and highway patrol are pretty reasonable and not the good ole boy macho type that you encounter in the South that is trying to send a message. They will allow you to drive up to 10 over the speed limit particularly if you are driving with the flow of traffic and are not driving like a maniac (not swerving in and out of lanes but driving steady in the right lane keeping a healthy distance between you and the driver ahead of you). The police here are pretty reasonable.
This is a sweeping generlization. I was pulled over by a cop outside of Kingman who told me that he could haul me off to jail for going 8 MPH over the limit. He seemed to be on a power trip as he also told me to stand completely still outside my own car as he questioned me. A close friend of mine was pulled over for going 77 in a 75 heading up to Flagstaff on I-17. Clearly another highway patrolman on a power trip.
This experience did NOT cause me to make the assertion that all highway patrol officers in the state are overly aggressive. To say that all are reasonable is a gross mistatement. Some cops are more lenient than others. I think that holds true wherever you drive.
I was going 91 MPH in Williams last year and was pulled over and given a ticket for $545. My car was not impounded, though the Highway patrol man pulling me over was a total Moderator cut: language
Last edited by Kimballette; 06-03-2012 at 06:47 PM..
Reason: language
I was going 91 MPH in Williams last year and was pulled over and given a ticket for $545. My car was not impounded, though the Highway patrol man pulling me over was a total Moderator cut: language
What did you expect, Ulysses . . . HUGS and KISSES for disrespecting the law and driving like a maniac?
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