Driving speed (Cheyenne: insurance, home, campers)

[TKS64]

I'm curious what the speed limits are in Wyoming. And perhaps even more important, what is the general attitude about speed? I have traveled the country enough to know that there are vast differences in local attitudes toward speed. For example, in Wisconsin, the speed limit on rural interstates is 65. If you go 66, you will pass every car on the highway and get dirty looks as you pass. In Texas, the limit on most rural interstates is 75. If you want to go 90, most vehicles will politely pull over to the shoulder to let you pass, and then wave or nod as if to apologize for being in your way. Talk about two completely different cultures! What's it like in WY?

[WyoNewk]

Posted speed limit on the interstate highways is 75 and on most other highways it's 65. I'd guess most drivers exceed the limit by 2-5 mph and still avoid speeding tickets. I don't know about "attitudes" because I don't speed much more than that.

In my younger years when I drove high performance cars (Turbo Porsche, Turbo Saab, etc.) I'd sometimes push the limit pretty far, but even then I'd slow down for any traffic I might be meeting or passing. I'd say if you keep your speed to within 10 mph of the speed limit most won't give it a second thought -- except the police/highway patrol. Even then, I think they'll often let you slide if you aren't exceeding the limit by 10 mph or more. Note I said "often"; not always.

It's safer to travel at the speed most others are driving. We also have a lot of campers on the road in the summer months, and they tend to drive slower -- for safety, fuel economy, and to enjoy the scenery. (Tires on many of those campers are rated for max speeds of 65 and will blow at higher speeds, especially in hot weather.)

[TKS64]

Thanks, WyoNewk. Are radar detectors legal?

[WyoNewk]

As far as I know they're still legal in private vehicles. My son has one in his car and I used to have them.

They can be embarrassing, however. Years ago my wife got in a little "race" with a Corvette driver. (I was riding shotgun.) He passed her; she passed him; he passed her, she passed him... but as she was passing him the second or third time the Corvette suddenly braked and our radar detector sounded, followed shortly thereafter by lights and a siren. *OOPS*

So the cop walks up, she rolls down the window... and the radar detector starts going off again. I was rolling on the floor laughing, she started giggling, then the cop saw the humor to it and started laughing too. And my wife escaped yet another ticket!

[TKS64]

Good story, WyoNewk. I was embarrassed once, too. The cop got me with a laser detector. There I was, thinking I had it made with my trusty Fuzzbuster. The smirk on the cop's face said it all...

[Brian_M]

Years ago when the secondary road speed limits were 55, WY implemented a "no points" fine, $5 for up to 4mph over the limit and $10 for up to 9 over the limit with a $5 discount if you were wearing your seatbelt. People drove 60mph without issue and without being pulled over. I managed to drive over most of the state at near 70 without issues at that time.

I left the state for a decade and returned to 65mph limits on secondary highways and it seems like the big trucks/SUVs want to be doing 75 indicated, all of them tailgate and pass in bad places (over double-yellows on blind corners). Those little "slow-down" towns that have speed limits from 30~45 and no stop signs/lights seem to be where the worst speeding occurs... some don't slow down for them at all. People driving cars seem to be like me, just content to move along at the speed limit. These are genearlizations, and there are Obviously exceptions, but this is the trend I've noticed. High fuel prices did quell some of the insanity, but it's back now that prices are down again.

[pw72]

In the 75 mph states there are differences. For example, in Idaho most keep it around 75 or a few clicks over, due to some pretty heavy enforcement. In Utah and Montana, 80-85 is common.

As far as attitude goes, I think the wide open feel of the west gives confidence to freeway drivers. The lack of traffic volume (outside of the bigger cities) also helps. The biggest problem is when conditions get dicey, or traffic gets heavy, people tend not to slow down much. I still feel safer at 75 on the interstate than I do at 55 on a 2-lane highway.

[TKS64]

Thanks, everyone. That gives me a good indication of what it's like.

[Happy in Wyoming]

I always drive about eight miles over on the highway and have never had a problem.

If the speed limit in WY is 65 or 75, they do not record the ticket if you are going less than 80.

Now here's the good news. The Highway Patrol people go home at midnight (usually). Give them a couple hours for good measure. But do watch for animals, especially deer. I was doing just under 100 when I spied several on the road in front of me. I stopped OK, but barely. The group included a mother who was nursing a fawn right on the road. I wouldn't want to live with that, so I've slowed down where I might encounter animals.

FLIR (forward looking infrared) is now available and might solve the problem. BMW is making it available on some models.

Good touring to you.

[sunsprit]

I'd take all the posts about going over the posted speed limit around here with a grain of salt.

While the highway patrol will most likely leave you alone for just a few miles per hour over the posted limit, they do have the legal authority to ticket you for 1 mph over the posted limit. In some areas, where excess speed has been the prime causation of numerous traffic accidents, esp single car accidents (stretches of I-80 come to mind), they tend to be a lot more assertive about the posted limit. I've used my GPS at times to calibrate my speedometer (which reads faster than I'm going) and held my actual speed to the limit, and have slowly been passed by someone doing only 1-2 mph faster ... and watched them get pulled over on I-80East of Cheyenne. With their instant on radar, the officers are pretty well trained to judge by eye a car moving close to the speed limit ... and when they verify their judgement with the instant on gun, you're already in their zone for a reading which will hold up in court; your radar detector just tells you that you've been caught. The patrol loves to sit in the center median in inconspicuous locations looking for their next encounter, especially on the rise or crest of hills where the sun is in your eyes or they're substantially hidden from your view on the road.

Also, please note that the sheriff's deputies have radar units in their vehicles, and many keep them on standby as they cruise down country roads. Given an opportunity to verify someone heading toward them, they'll do it now and then ... and you're busted doing 60 in a posted 55 zone. There's not a lot of deputies considering the number of roads they need to patrol, but they're out there. Do you really need the risk of another ticket?

Similarly, within city limits, the police departments love to write speeding tickets. With 20 mph zones in Cheyenne's core district, it's real easy to be going 5-10 mph over the limit, as well as 5-10 over in the 40 mph zones heading into the posted 50-55 mph areas. Again, these are favorite areas for the city police to get "easy" tickets.

And I can assure you that a 15 mph over the limit ticket will get on your record here, as will a 5 mph over the limit ticket. Wyoming doesn't have a structured points system for your driving privilege, but they do keep track of your violations and there are judicial guidelines in place. A string of minor over the speed limit violations will earn you ever increasing fines from the judge .... and you are required to appear in court for an 8 mph over the limit citation. Those minor speeding violations will play badly upon your fines for other tickets, and if you're in an accident, will make the punishment options a lot worse for you.

Frankly, I do not understand why folks would be bragging about doing 100 mph at night around here. There's not a safe place in Wyoming to do so, between wildlife, other traffic, or adverse road conditions that may be present. It's way too easy to overdrive for the conditions and the lighting on most vehicles.

Fact, too ... the WYHP and WYDOT have figured out that too many people don't exercise good judgement for driving conditions around the state and have begun selective speed reduction programs. For example, there are places along I-80's 75 mph posted zones which now have substantially reduced speeds posted on electronic signs during adverse weather/driving conditions. Some cars and drivers could most likely be capable of higher speeds, but the average driver isn't and it really strains the resources of the state to have to go rescue so many people from their own stupidity; so, they have posted lower limits to pro-actively reduce the problem. We'll see if there's a savings over this winter's season .... but be aware that the lower posted limits will be aggressively enforced in the interest of road safety (if not for you, others). Consider, too, that it doesn't have to be road surface problems or limited visibility that calls for lowering the speed; high winds and strong gusts can contribute to difficulty on the road.

It's a big state of vast remote stretches where you can drive for many miles and not see another vehicle for hours. But you're still taking your chances on a big ticket by speeding way over the limit when the day comes that the next approaching car is a radar equipped law enforcement vehicle. The new vehicles aren't well identified, as they now have the light bars folding down for a clean roofline appearance and many of their other emergency lighting hidden in the grills or regular lamps, and you can't spot the antennas so easily anymore. They're also driving "sporty" looking cars and SUV's that blend into the traffic mix, and some of the cars have "normal" paint jobs on them ... purples, greens, blue ... they're not "black and white" anymore.

Do keep in mind that your violations will make it to the insurance reporting folks, so you'll be looking at the consequences of all speeding tickets here on your insurance.