As everybody knows, police officers won't write you a ticket for going a mile per hour or two over the speed limit.
Studying district court records for Virginia in 2005, I discovered that there were no tickets written for people going fewer than 15 mph over the speed limit. Accordingly, I've been going 5-12 mph over the speed limit, according to conditions, most days since then.
Looking over District Court stats today for the first time in three years, I discovered that the police were now ticketing drivers for 10 mph over the speed limit. Knowing that, I'll adjust my speed to 5-8 mph over the limit in most cases.
What irks me, though, is that there's been, in essence, a change in the law. Responsible drivers know that going 2-3 mph under the speed limit is unsafe: it puts your car below the velocity of traffic flow. When the police quietly change the threshold for ticketing drivers, with no public notice, they've started punishing responsible drivers.
I hate uneven enforcement of laws.
