Midwest road trip advice

[MrDisco99]

The Illinois speed limit wishful thinking thread got me thinking...

I'll be taking a road trip in a couple months from New Orleans up I-55 through St. Louis to Chicago, and then from there taking the turnpikes east to NYC, and taking the thruway up and back to Niagara Falls and Cleveland, then I-77 through WV back home.

I've never really driven through the Great Lakes region.  What's the speed enforcement like in those states (IL, IN, OH, PA, WV, upstate NY)?  Can I get away with 10 over?  That's worked for me most places I've been so far in the south and along the east coast (with the notable exception of VA).  Also, am I going to run into a lot of orange signs?  Any service areas I should avoid?

Thanks in advance!

[mgk920]

In Ohio, it is quite rigorous, although the OSP tends to do it in 'blitz' style woflpacks and blanket areas.

I usually follow the 'When in Rome' adage when traveling out of state.

Mike

[corco]

Yeah, I definitely wouldn't go 10 over in Ohio

[agentsteel53]

I think those states generally tolerate the "7 over" which seems to be customary all over the US - but I have not driven some of those places in a long while.

bear in mind, a lot of the differences in enforcement are not gradated at the state-line level: you might run into a county or city (Emporia, VA, anyone?) or even a state enforcement area whose standards are much different from its surroundings.  For a California example - do as fast as you want uphill on the Grapevine (I-5 mountain pass between LA and the Central Valley) but be exceedingly careful going down.  The speed limit is 65 - uphill I do 80-90, downhill I make sure I do not exceed 70.

[Brandon]

Around Chicago, just go with the flow.  If there's someone with a radar gun on the side of the road, you'll know it from all the brake lights.

[NWI_Irish96]

10 over should be just fine in Indiana. 

[texaskdog]

Around Chicago, just go with the flow.  If there's someone with a radar gun on the side of the road, you'll know it from all the brake lights.

and dont signal because then they wont let you in

[InterstateNG]

7 over is just fine in Ohio.  Turnpike cops are looking for Michigan and Illinois drivers doing 85.

[vtk]

7 or 8 over is fine in most of Ohio, and that's if your speedometer doesn't overreport.  (Check it against a GPS speed readout.)  On the turnpike, however, I'd suggest no more than 3 over.  This is because when they raised the limit to 70 on the turnpike, OSHP made a rather public comment that enforcement will be strict, so the "real" speed limit is still the same.

That said, I never drive the Ohio Turnpike.  It's never on my way anywhere.  So I don't actually have personal experience on the subject.

[kphoger]

Up to 10 over is generally fine in Illinois.  I've had a cop flash his taillights in the rear view mirror when I was doing 66 in a 55 in a delivery truck in the boondocks; I've never even been blinked at while going 73 in a 65 plenty, and I've logged plenty of miles in Illinois.  I used to do 78 regularly, and never really worried about cops.  If you push it over 80 mph, you might still be in the generaly flow of traffic, but you're still a sitting duck.  In the Chicago area, who cares?  When traffic is heavy, you can't go fast anyway; when traffic is light, well, it's probably Sunday morning or the middle of the night.

[hbelkins]

If in doubt, invest in a good radar detector.

[vtk]

If in doubt, invest in a good radar detector.

Or don't speed at all.

[Brandon]

If in doubt, invest in a good radar detector.

Or don't speed at all.

Why?, and Why?

I've driven over the speed limit for quite some time without a radar detector, and I have a grand total of zero speeding tickets to my name.  The trick is to see them well before they can discern you.  Don't look 5 feet in front of you, look about a mile in front of you.  Also helps with avoiding traffic trouble.

[brianreynolds]

"Go with the flow" is a pretty good policy everywhere.  I kind of doubt that the cops put a fixed number on what is tolerated.  It depends on road conditions, traffic volumes, time of day.  There are places where virtually all of the traffic is 10-15 over (I-80/94, the Borman in Indiana).  Go much slower than the flow and YOU become the problem.  When a metro-area freeway is virtually at capacity, the cops know better than to stop a simple speed violator.  Aggressive driving is a totally different subject.

--
Brian Reynolds
Hastings Michigan

[froggie]

Don't look 5 feet in front of you, look about a mile in front of you.  Also helps with avoiding traffic trouble.

Something far too many drivers have a problem with these days...

[MrDisco99]

Funny how the tolerance is different depending on where you go.  I've had a friend get stopped on the Turnpike in Florida (90 in a 70) and the trooper actually showed her how to set her cruise control told her to set it to 80.

[corco]

"Go with the flow" is a pretty good policy everywhere.  I kind of doubt that the cops put a fixed number on what is tolerated.  It depends on road conditions, traffic volumes, time of day.  There are places where virtually all of the traffic is 10-15 over (I-80/94, the Borman in Indiana).  Go much slower than the flow and YOU become the problem.  When a metro-area freeway is virtually at capacity, the cops know better than to stop a simple speed violator.  Aggressive driving is a totally different subject.

Yep- it's usually the guy weaving around like a madman trying to go 3 MPH more than the flow that gets pulled over, not the person that blends in and holds their position while speeding slightly.

[hobsini2]

In my experience of driving between Chicago and NYC via 80, in IL and IN you can do 8 over without incident. OH i go the speed limit for 2 reasons. First, high amount of OSP troopers on the Ohio Tpk. Second, when you get your ticket for the Tpk, it is time stamped and i always have a fear of "finding" a ticket in the mail from OH. PA also doesn't mess around with speed. If it says 65, do 64. NY and NJ was 5 over without trouble.

[vtk]

PA also doesn't mess around with speed. If it says 65, do 64.

Is that on the turnpike, or elsewhere? When I crossed the state on I-80 two years ago, it seemed like most traffic did 75—80, regardless of the posted limit, even in construction zones.

Of course, the traffic sometimes slowed way down before the construction zones, at the start of the lane closure...

[hobsini2]

PA also doesn't mess around with speed. If it says 65, do 64.

Is that on the turnpike, or elsewhere? When I crossed the state on I-80 two years ago, it seemed like most traffic did 75—80, regardless of the posted limit, even in construction zones.

Of course, the traffic sometimes slowed way down before the construction zones, at the start of the lane closure...

I took 80 but i had friends take the tpk before and got tickets for 2 over.

[nds76]

I figure speed limits are in place for a reason and don't disobey them. People can go around me if they don't like it.

[Brandon]

I figure speed limits are in place for a reason and don't disobey them. People can go around me if they don't like it.

Surface streets usually are.  Freeway limits on the other hand are a creature of a legislature, not engineering.  Hence, most of them are horseshit.

[Alps]

PA also doesn't mess around with speed. If it says 65, do 64.

Is that on the turnpike, or elsewhere? When I crossed the state on I-80 two years ago, it seemed like most traffic did 75—80, regardless of the posted limit, even in construction zones.

Of course, the traffic sometimes slowed way down before the construction zones, at the start of the lane closure...

I took 80 but i had friends take the tpk before and got tickets for 2 over.

No surprise. Most roads in PA you can go 74 on a freeway.