Originally posted by John E
When motoring, I make it a point to hold my speed at the posted maximum speed limit (or even slower, when conditions warrant), irrespective of pressure from those behind me. On a multilane highway, I leave the inner lane open for those who wish to overtake me, but I refuse to succumb to peer pressure to drive dangerously or illegally fast.
On California's local roads, our biggest traffic enforcement nightmare is the "85th percentile law," which states that a motorist cannot be cited for exceeding a posted speed limit, provided that his reported speed did not exceed the 85th percentile speed among motorists on that stretch of road, as measured and computed during a survey. This homicidally-written anti-speedtrap legislation allows the fastest 15 percent of drivers to undermine attempts by local communities to calm traffic, to make their roads safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and even motorists.
That would mean that I-5 in LA County and Orange County, you could be given a ticket at 20 MPH, the actual speed limit notwithstanding.
Jonathan