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Have you ever heard of the “ten and under speeding” myth? Most of us have been told by a family member or a friend about this myth. Basically, the tale goes like this:
If you are within ten miles of the posted speed limit, a cop ask you to pull over for speeding. More conservative variations of this myth range from five to seven miles over the speed limit. Either way, the message is the same; in order to get any type of attention from the police, you have to be burning some serious rubber.
Unfortunately, this myth is just that a myth. Continue reading to learn more about speeding and what you actually have to do to get attention from the police.
Table of Contents
Breaking The Ten & Under Myth
Most police officers’ attitude towards speeding is that “speeding is speeding,” and it really doesn’t matter how many miles per hour over the speed limit in Missouri you are going. After all, the speed limit is a limit, not a target you need to try and meet or surpass. However, the research regarding this myth disagrees with the general police stance on the issue.
- In 2012 in Missouri, only 5.8% of the speeding citations issued were for speeds exceeding the limit by only 1 to 5 MPH.
- Just 12.9% of citations were for speeding miles sex to ten over the limit.
With these two combined percentages, the overall percentage of violations that were 10 miles or under over the speed limit is 18.8%. While in comparison, speed tickets in Missouri for speeds over 10 MPH were 81.1% of the citations issued in 2012.
With these numbers in mind, it makes sense to stay within five miles of the posted speed limit, since your chances of getting a speeding ticket in Missouri are exponentially lower than if you are driving faster than 5 MPH over the limit.
Another statistic to know is that the highest percentage (42.9%) of tickets are issued to people driving at speeds that are between 11 and 15 MPH over the speed limit.
Final Word
While data would indicate that if your speeds are within the 10 MPH range above the speed limit, you’re going to be in the clear. However, previous years suggest that the rate of low-range speeding tickets in Missouri, especially those that fall within the 1 to 5 MPH range over the limit.
The percentage of speeding tickets issued in this range was 4.8% in 2011 and 4.4% in 2010. Though these percentages may seem small, the difference is roughly 1,500 drivers being issued a speeding ticket.
So, remember, the speed limit posted is not a target; it is the limit.
Contact Springfield Traffic Tickets if you have received a speeding ticket. We have already handled thousands of traffic tickets in the state of Missouri, and we’d love to help you. Let the professionals take over!
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