Speed traps on highways? (Atlanta: tickets, top, limit)

[lorilove]

Radar guns seems to come out in full force on holiday weekends that are traditionally known for high traffic accidents - come 4th of July you will see them everywhere

By definition a radar gun is not a speed trap. I would call a speed trap when you are on surface roads that go through small towns and the speed limit decreases often without much warning.

As for the highways in Georgia, you can typically drive the speed limit +5 or 10 without much issue.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by Atlanta1000

That's good. I once got pulled over for doing 74 in a 70 in Illinois. It's crazy up there.

Not unlike in Atlanta and Georgia, motorists seem to have a tendency to drive well above the posted speed limit in Illinois as well (particularly in the Chicago area, of course).....That's even with somewhat stricter speed enforcement in Illinois.

Not unlike their southeastern counterparts in Georgia, Chicago motorists have a well-deserved reputation for being heavy-footed drivers.

There have been multiple times when I can recall doing 65 mph in a 55 mph zone on the interstates through the Chicago area, including the I-294 Tri-State Tollway (the bypass around Chicago that is somewhat equivalent to Atlanta's I-285) and the I-90/I-94 multiplex through town (the Dan Ryan and John F. Kennedy expressway complex that is somewhat similar to Atlanta's I-75/I-85 Downtown Connector), and feeling like a sitting duck because the traffic was moving past me so fast.

Chicago motorists seem to have a reputation for driving at excessive speeds that are just a notch below the excessive speeds that Atlanta motorists frequently drive at.

[Atlanta1000]

Originally Posted by AnsleyPark

Please don't speed.

I can't. My 94 Corolla vibrates at anything above 70 . Even on city streets I generally do the speed limit or 5 over. I just asked the question because I noticed the big difference between IL/IN and GA in the number of cops camped out by the side of the highway.

[sedimenjerry]

Originally Posted by Mattie

I travel up I-85 fairly often to NC. It's rare to see police until I hit SC, where they sit on the overpasses.

316 heading towards Athens , especially as you get closer to UGA, is a well-known speed trap.

I was just along that corridor today. SC had a few cops out. None in GA. Although I have seen a cop sitting on the bridge for Exit 177 in GA. That's usually it. Occasionally a trooper somewhere else. Braselton PD does patrol their lone exit quite often but they can only get you for 10+ over.
Virginia is really bad. Very sneaky with their medians on I 81 built up so you can't see the cars until you're literally 100 feet away. Another time I saw one motorcycle cop sitting on the off ramp with over half a dozen troopers sitting on the on ramp. And they had about 4 people pulled over within 1 mile of that ramp. They're strict too.

[DaBurgh]

I've seen Dekalb county enforce 285 on Sundays- they'll hide under bridges and overpasses where they blend in.

[PKCorey]

It is harder to set up speed traps inside the metro due to the lack of crossovers on the interstates inside the metro.

Pretty much, the troopers and local police sit in the same place every day.

On 285, watch for the Sandy Springs Police from Roswell Rd to Ashford Dunwoody then it's switched to the Dunwoody Police patrolling until 141 then Doraville takes over until 85.

On I-20, Dekalb strictly enforces once you pass 285 on the East side.

Dekalb enforces on 285 by 675 by the GDOT parking area and upwards to Moreland Avenue.

They rarely enforce between I-20 and I-85. Some enforcement on the 285n at Memorial Drive in the cut out on the shoulder and near Ponce De Leon and 78 at times too.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by sedimenjerry

Virginia is really bad. Very sneaky with their medians on I 81 built up so you can't see the cars until you're literally 100 feet away. Another time I saw one motorcycle cop sitting on the off ramp with over half a dozen troopers sitting on the on ramp. And they had about 4 people pulled over within 1 mile of that ramp. They're strict too.

You barely wanna sneeze in VA . VA has more cops than you will see from GA, SC and NC combined on a trip. I hate going through VA . They hide in the woods on I-85 too.

[Atlanta1000]

Originally Posted by PKCorey

You barely wanna sneeze in VA . VA has more cops than you will see from GA, SC and NC combined on a trip. I hate going through VA . They hide in the woods on I-85 too.

On top of that radar detectors are illegal in VA. Law enforcement will actually sit there with radar detector detectors and hand out tickets to people using them. Smh.

[Thulsa]

Originally Posted by billl

There are other exceptions. As I recall, speed limits below 35 and historic districts are also exempt from the 10 mph rule. And there are rules that put limits on the percentage of a municipality's income that can come from moving violations. I can't seem to bring up the Georgia code in Lexis-Nexis anymore to confirm.

And as you mentioned, these laws were all enacted because of the notorious speed traps that existed in the state back in the 50s and 60s. Ludowici was probably the most infamous of them. These weren't just cops sitting on the side of the road. These were actual traps, including (as I recall) a traffic light that could be changed quickly from green to red by the flip of a switch.

I read that the Georgia DOT and the Department of Public Safety has a designation of "Residential District Speed Zone" that can applied for. If this is granted, then tickets can be issued for going only one mph over. I'm pretty sure this is only used where the speed limit is 25 mph or less.
Such enforcement is only allowed after signs showing the designation have been posted by the DOT.

[sedimenjerry]

Originally Posted by PKCorey

You barely wanna sneeze in VA . VA has more cops than you will see from GA, SC and NC combined on a trip. I hate going through VA . They hide in the woods on I-85 too.

I take 81 to get back and forth from PA for school. I start sweating when I get near 74 mph.