The Different Types of Speed Limits

Speeding tickets are the most common citations handed out to drivers and they tend to wreak havoc on the pocket book in the form of tickets and increased car insurance rates. It can be even worse if you have not have just recently acquired your license and are looking for cheap student car insurance. While every state is allowed to set their own speed limits, these speed limits typically fall under three different types: absolute, presumed, and basic speed limits.

Absolute Speed Limits

Absolute speed limits are the speed limits posted on signs. You are in violation of an absolute speed limit if you are traveling at a speed above the posted speed limit. Most of the time police officers will not bother issuing a ticket to a driver going less than five miles per hour over the speed limit. However, technically you are in violation of the absolute speed limit even if you are only driving one mile an hour faster than the posted speed limit.

Presumed Speed Limits

Presumed speed limits take all the aspects of your environment into consideration. You are in violation of a presumed speed limit if an officer deems the speed you are traveling to be unsafe due to certain weather or road conditions. For example, you could receive a speeding ticket if you are driving the speed limit during an extreme storm when visibility is severely hampered. Presumed speed limits are based on the police officer’s discretion and these types of speeding tickets are frequently challenged in court.

Basic Speed Limits

Basic speed limits exist in order to prevent drivers from driving unsafe speeds below the speed limit. You are in violation of a basic speed limit if you are driving at unsafe speeds slower than the traffic. For example, if you are on the freeway and everyone else is driving 65 miles per hour, you would be creating a hazard if you were driving only 20 miles per hour.