Are speeding fines too low? (Phoenix, Tucson: felony, school, live)

[Dewey59]

I regularly see people driving well in excess of 15mph over the limit in and around the Phoenix area. It looks like the minimum speeding fine is $250, which seems pretty steep to me, but maybe not? Is it that people are not aware the fine is that high, or is it that they just don't care? If the latter, that would seem to indicate the fines are too low.

I also heard on LivePD (when they used to follow DPS officers) that anything over 85 on the freeway (at least in the 65 zones) is felony speeding. Wow! Seems like that would be a big deterrent too!

Based on some of the other posts I have read here, I think we have lots of speeders on this forum, so I am curious as to what your thought process is. I generally run 5 over, in case anyone thinks I am one of those old codgers that is always going 10 under! (There should be a law against THAT too!)

[JGMotorsport64]

My thought process is traffic is moving at whatever speed it is and I'm moving with it.

Speed limits are artificially low as it is to drive revenue for local departments.

If you want to go to a city where nobody speeds go to Tucson and tell me how great it is.

[Valley Native]

The problem isn't the speeding fines are too low, it's the speed LIMITS which are too low. 55 MPH on some of the freeways, such as the 51 between Glendale Avenue and the 10/202 interchange. As long as a person is attentive, driving 70 or 75 on the 51 is perfectly safe if the traffic conditions allow for it. Of course you can't expect to drive fast during rush hour, but it's the slowpoke drivers who are generally the unsafe (and inconsiderate) ones.

I've said repeatedly that people tend to drive fast here for a reason. Most streets & freeways here are designed for faster travel. Most vehicles nowadays are also designed for faster travel. Gone are the depressing days of the 1970s when 55 MPH was THE maximum speed and many cars couldn't handle higher speeds. Anybody who drives 55 on a freeway these days in good traffic conditions is considered a slowpoke. It's high time to raise the speed limits on all freeways.

[Pink Jazz]

Note that the reason why parts of I-17 and SR 51 are posted at 55 mph are due to the fact that they are in fact substandard in design, since they have 11-foot wide lanes, which is below the Interstate standard of 12 feet. I think shoulder width and some of the ramp grades might also be substandard as well.

It would actually be interesting to know what are the engineered design speeds of each of our freeways.

[lewdog_5]

I sped through a school zone today......



on my bike! Doing 22 MPH in a 15.

Come at me!!!

[DetroitN8V]

Exactly what others have said. Speed limits are low for revenue generation purposes and should be increased. Then the fine amounts will be moot except in reckless circumstances.

[Coop01]

Originally Posted by lewdog_5

I sped through a school zone today......



on my bike! Doing 22 MPH in a 15.

Come at me!!!

Bikes should be licensed. They are nothing more than a moving road hazard with an attitude and tight pants.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by lewdog_5

I sped through a school zone today......



on my bike! Doing 22 MPH in a 15.

Come at me!!!

You actually can be ticketed for this but much like highway speeders the enforcement in AZ seems pretty limited, I don’t know why but I rarely see speed enforcement here.

[Nate4635]

Originally Posted by JGMotorsport64

My thought process is traffic is moving at whatever speed it is and I'm moving with it.

Speed limits are artificially low as it is to drive revenue for local departments.

If you want to go to a city where nobody speeds go to Tucson and tell me how great it is.

Yup...

I lived in Tucson for 9 years, and much prefer the driving up here.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

Exactly what others have said. Speed limits are low for revenue generation purposes and should be increased. Then the fine amounts will be moot except in reckless circumstances.

Speed limits are generally not low. They are consistent with other states and municipalities and traffic engineering standards. The freeway cams were revenue generation schemes, but overall there is scant enforcement of speed limits in AZ which is the answer to OP's question. It's not the lack of fines, but the low probability of being caught that encourages people to speed in our state.