What's the "real" over the speed limit in AZ? (Phoenix: movers, law)

[AZ Manager]

The main road about half a mile south of me is set to 45 but you won't find a single person doing under 60 on it, myself included. It's at least 5 miles long, mostly straight, and not a single traffic light on it. About half of it is one lane both directions with the rest being 2 lanes. The county doesn't ever come out to do stops, maybe 3 times a year you even see a sheriff's car.

I feel like our speed limits are set too low in most areas as is. Most everything needs a bump by 5-10 right now.

[JPrzybylski07]

Originally Posted by KurtAZ

Having lived in AZ since I got my license...

If you are not doing 5 over, you are wrong...except in school zones. If you speed in a school zone you should RIGHTFULLY get pulled over.
You won't get pulled over doing 10 over if you aren't doing anything stupid (weaving, tailgating, etc.)
10-20 over on the highways...you are pushing it but as long as you aren't doing anything stupid...should be good.
20+...if there is an officer around you are getting stopped.

We used to have stringent enforcement about 10 years or so ago but I think with the rise in population and decrease of folks wanting to go into law enforcement, i.e. lower LEO/Citizen ratio...you have a lower chance/percentage of getting pulled over for a traffic violation.

Ohh yea speed limit signs always have a number then an additional plus sign with another number makes sense to me now….

“If you’re not doing 5 over you’re wrong and then I’ll tailgate your car aggressively until I can get around you in order to speed up to a right light first”

Or

“If you’re only doing 70 on the interstate in the right lane and I’m doing 90 also in the right lane I’ll usually wait till I’m only 2 feet behind you to switch over to the left passing lane, in order to show my entitled frustration about you forcing me to have to turn my steering wheel 15 degrees.”

[PhoenixSomeday]

Originally Posted by AZ Manager

The main road about half a mile south of me is set to 45 but you won't find a single person doing under 60 on it, myself included. It's at least 5 miles long, mostly straight, and not a single traffic light on it. About half of it is one lane both directions with the rest being 2 lanes. The county doesn't ever come out to do stops, maybe 3 times a year you even see a sheriff's car.

I feel like our speed limits are set too low in most areas as is. Most everything needs a bump by 5-10 right now.

Reminds me of Queen Creek Rd between I-10 and Price Rd. 2 lanes in both directions, but it has a low speed limit and is straight, flat, and light-less for that 3.5 mile length. I think the speed limit is 50 or 55 or something (been a couple of years since I've been down it), but as per the usual, people do 70+.

Meanwhile, I wonder if some roads have limits too high, or if the 'traffic engineers' set it just right. Cotton Rd between Greenway and Waddell is 45. Same with that stretch of Greenway west of Cotton Rd.

Yet again, there's Allison Rd between 56th St and Kyrene Rd at only 25. That one always frustrated me so much when I had to drive through there everyday for a couple of years. But I did keep to 25-30, and not just because there were frequently cop cars parked in that conspicuous 'ready to chase you' kind of orientation. I'm sure it has something to do with the businesses, but I drove through there at all hours of the day and the traffic coming out of driveways on that street was always just about zero.

[bobsell]

Originally Posted by PhoenixSomeday

Yet again, there's Allison Rd between 56th St and Kyrene Rd at only 25.

Gin Blossoms have entered the chat.

[KurtAZ]

Originally Posted by JPrzybylski07

Ohh yea speed limit signs always have a number then an additional plus sign with another number makes sense to me now….

“If you’re not doing 5 over you’re wrong and then I’ll tailgate your car aggressively until I can get around you in order to speed up to a right light first”

Or

“If you’re only doing 70 on the interstate in the right lane and I’m doing 90 also in the right lane I’ll usually wait till I’m only 2 feet behind you to switch over to the left passing lane, in order to show my entitled frustration about you forcing me to have to turn my steering wheel 15 degrees.”

Easy there sparky...no one said anything about aggressive driving. The question was about locally held norms on speed limit interpretation.

[JPrzybylski07]

Originally Posted by KurtAZ

Easy there sparky...no one said anything about aggressive driving. The question was about locally held norms on speed limit interpretation.

Wasn’t trying to direct that all at you. Yes there’s speeding and then aggressively speeding putting other people in stress or even danger.

I-10 El Paso to San Antonio going 95-100 when there’s light traffic, sure, but speeding up through Main Street in Sedona to get to the back of the wolf packed stopped at a red light, D bag.

[wit-nit]

What's the "real" over the speed limit in AZ?

Whatever you can get away with.

[KurtAZ]

Originally Posted by JPrzybylski07

Wasn’t trying to direct that all at you. Yes there’s speeding and then aggressively speeding putting other people in stress or even danger.

I-10 El Paso to San Antonio going 95-100 when there’s light traffic, sure, but speeding up through Main Street in Sedona to get to the back of the wolf packed stopped at a red light, D bag.

No worries...and I agree there are some really stupid and aggressive drivers out there. Then there are the drivers doing 5 under on a surface street and clogging up traffic...usually with out of state plates or a dealer sticker/license plate frame from somewhere in the Midwest...but you just need to adjust to the traffic flow around you.

I don't know how you would speed anywhere in Sedona, it is always packed and backed up the last few times we were there. Bad Drivers are everywhere though I suppose.

[grmi66]

Was just on I-10 between Tucson and Phoenix twice yesterday. Folks were blowing by the couple of cops parked in the median and making no effort to slow down at speeds 10-12 over the posted speeds. The biggest issue was a few cars that were parked in the far left lane doing 2-3 MPH over the speed limit and oblivious to the number of cars that had to whip around them. Other than that the traffic was flowing fine.

[JPrzybylski07]

Originally Posted by KurtAZ

No worries...and I agree there are some really stupid and aggressive drivers out there. Then there are the drivers doing 5 under on a surface street and clogging up traffic...usually with out of state plates or a dealer sticker/license plate frame from somewhere in the Midwest...but you just need to adjust to the traffic flow around you.

I don't know how you would speed anywhere in Sedona, it is always packed and backed up the last few times we were there. Bad Drivers are everywhere though I suppose.

Exactly no where to speed in Sedona and yet they try to. I was commuting from Oak Creek to Sedona and even going the speed limit wasn’t enough. You get tailgated unless you’re wipping all those curves going 60. But it’s pervasive everywhere. Honestly people have too much cortisol and adrenaline running through their veins. The majority of people simply aren’t conscious enough to take a few deep breaths and just enjoy the ride oblivious to the fact driving like a maniac might save you only a few minutes at best.