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Mecklenburg County Speed Limits

A speed limit is a maximum speed that the state has determined to be safe to travel on that specific road. Technically, if a driver is one mile per hour above the speed limit, they are in violation of the traffic laws from that area. They must follow the speed limit in order to avoid the risk of a speeding ticket.

The highest speed limit in Mecklenburg County is 70 miles per hour on Interstate 85. The risk of speeding on highways, especially on the interstate, is that they do not have to get that high above the speed limit to get a reckless driving charge. For instance, if they are traveling 81 in a 70 on Interstate 85, then they face a reckless driving charge, which is a class 1 misdemeanor.

Call today to learn more about the Mecklenburg County speed limits and how an attorney could help you fight a traffic violation. A seasoned traffic lawyer could assist you with reaching a favorable outcome.

What are the Different Types of Speed Limits?

Mecklenburg County primarily uses posted speed limits. Mecklenburg County does have the presumed speed limit for unmarked highways without posted signs that are in non-residential areas of 55 miles per hour. Certain communities within Mecklenburg might have an absolute speed limit of 25 miles per hour when they are in the limits of their town.

Absolute Speed Limit

An absolute speed limit is the maximum speed that can be traveled under any circumstances and on a particular road or area. An absolute speed limit is one that means regardless of other circumstances, the maximum speed that they can travel is that absolute speed limit.

Presumed Speed Limit

The presumed speed limit is when the speed is not otherwise posted. The presumed speed limit is the speed at which it is presumed to be safe to travel on a road that fails to inform people of the speed limit otherwise. A presumed speed limit is one that they would have to know in advance of being in that area because it is not otherwise posted or they are not otherwise informed of it.

Basic Speed Limit

A basic speed limit is a speed limit without any other specific conditions. The posted speed limit is an example of a basic speed limit that defines a limit for travel in that area. A basic speed limit is one that a person can expect to be posted and communicated to them.

Getting Pulled Over for Driving Slightly Above the Speed Limit

A person could be one mile per hour over the speed limit and then be pulled over by law enforcement and given a ticket for speeding. Many people use the 10 miles per hour number or the 10% of the speed limit plus two as a guideline based on the assumption that law enforcement will not pull them over with those speeds. That does not mean that law enforcement cannot pull them over. It just means that in some people’s experience, they have found that law enforcement chooses to target higher speeds than those. But that will not be a defense if they get a ticket for traveling over the speed limit in Mecklenburg County.

Defenses For Exceeding the Speed Limit

A defense for exceeding the speed limit could include inaccurate measurements by the police’s speed reading instrument. This could occur due to a machine or operator error regarding a radar or LiDar gun. Otherwise, anytime the person is over the speed limit, they violate the law, and other defenses are more in the line of mitigating evidence. Whether there was an emergency situation, a speed trap in terms of a recently changed speed limit, going with the flow traffic, or an inaccurate speedometer on their vehicle, those factors can mitigate the situation.

Call today about Mecklenburg County speed limits and how a lawyer could assist your situation.

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