The speed limit is the maximum speed a driver is allowed to travel on a specific road. Traveling at any speed over the posted or presumed legal speed limit would be a violation of the law. Law enforcement in Mecklenburg keep a careful eye out for speeding vehicles, and violations of speed limit laws in Mecklenburg County make up a significant portion of traffic violations. An experienced traffic lawyer could help overturn moving violations for speeding and related offenses.
Mecklenburg County has a presumed speed limit of 55 miles per hour on any highway that is not marked. Otherwise, all speed limits are posted on the respective roads.
The highest speed limit in Mecklenburg is 70 miles per hour on Interstate 85, which passes through Mecklenburg County. Off of the interstate, the highest speed limit is 60 miles per hour on some sections of Highway 58. Although highways have fast speed limits, they are also the areas that are most frequently patrolled by law enforcement and therefore a frequent location for ticketing.
Any highway speed above 80 miles per hour could be grounds for a reckless driving ticket, which is a criminal misdemeanor and carries the potential for six points on a driver’s license.
An absolute speed limit is the maximum speed at which one is allowed to travel on any highway or road that has a posted speed limit. Mecklenburg County posts the absolute speed limit on most roads and travelling more in excess of the limit is a violation of the law.
A presumed speed limit is the speed at which one is presumed to be allowed to travel when the speed is not posted. A driver must be familiar with the local laws to understand a presumed speed limit. For example, some localities and towns might post a sign that says the speed limit is 25 miles per hour, unless otherwise posted. This is an example of a presumed speed limit.
It is often said that ten miles per hour over the speed limit—or ten percent plus two miles per hour—is a speed at which a person could travel and not be pulled over by law enforcement. While that might be a general rule of thumb, it is not a legitimate defense to speeding. If a person is pulled over for going eight miles per hour over the speed limit, they would not have a defense against their speeding charge. For more information about the speed limit laws in Mecklenburg County, consult with a knowledgeable lawyer.
In many cases, a traffic lawyer may be able to help build a strong defense for a violation of speed limit laws in Mecklenburg County. Defenses for exceeding the speed limit may involve questioning the evidence that law enforcement has against an accused, such as an erroneous reading on their radar or another measurement device.
There are also many mitigating circumstances that may apply to a speeding ticket. Some examples include a defective speedometer that indicated that they were traveling at a safe speed when in fact they were exceeding the speed limit, instances of emergency, or certain traffic conditions that required briefly speeding up to get safely clear of a traffic situation. An experienced attorney could emphasize any mitigating factors in court and work to lessen a driver’s penalties. If you are facing charges, call today.