(COLORADO) — While a majority of drivers may think it’s okay to go 5 or 10 mph over the speed limit, the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) recently responded to the misconception.
When troopers are asked, “How fast can I go over the speed limit before I get pulled over?” whether it be at social gatherings or in brief conversations, a response with the rhetorical question, “What is the posted speed limit?” is often given.
The most commonly violated traffic law, according to CSP, is speeding, and troopers said one of the reasons speed limits should be important to drivers, is because of how long it takes vehicles to stop, considering the distance they have to do so and the time it takes a driver to react and brake.
“Many motorists don’t consider the space they need to maintain around them when driving at high rates of speed. Two-car lengths is commonly practiced, but it is grossly deficient. A good rule of thumb is to have one car length per 10 mph traveled,” wrote CSP.
In 2023, troopers investigated 2,860 fatal and injury crashes in Colorado, where CSP said speeding was found to be the top contributing factor in 685 of those crashes, followed by lane violations at 632 and impaired driving at 588.