On Duty with the CHP: To avoid a ticket, drive the speed limit

“I’ve heard if you drive 5 mph over the speed limit, you won’t be stopped.”

“Wait! I heard if you keep it at 10 mph over the speed limit they won’t stop you.”

“If you drive in the far right lane, they never see you there because they only look in the far left lane.”

“No, no, no. If you stay with the flow of traffic they won’t get you.”

“I heard they only write tickets to make money for their department.”

All these anecdotes and sayings are heard repeatedly in the community, but are just not the truth. The speed limit posted on the sign is what you need to drive. When driving in inclement weather, use proper judgment and always think of safety first. So to keep you from trying to figure out when the officers will stop you, let me give you a bit of information about speed laws and where your fine goes when the law is violated.

There is no buffer zone for speeding. To avoid a traffic citation and the associated fines is simple – drive the speed limit. As a CHP officer, part of my job is enforcement. So, when you ask me or my fellow officers, “Don’t you have anything better to do?” the answer is no. My job is to provide safety. With safety comes issuing citations to motorists who are driving unsafely and violating vehicle code laws. The speed limit is the maximum speed you may travel, at any time.

I would like to share with you a vehicle stop I made when I was assigned to patrol. While working the Fresno area, I was on southbound Highway 41, north of Shaw Avenue, in the No. 2 lane. Throughout the day it had been raining on and off and we had been dispatched to numerous collisions. The time was 5 p.m. and traffic was a bit heavy. Rain was falling heavily and the freeway lanes were quickly overcome with water. I was using the high-speed setting on my windshield wipers, and they were barely moving the water fast enough so I could see in front of me.

I activated my rear amber lights to alert motorists to slow down due to the weather. A tan-colored Yukon drove past me in the No. 1 lane at approximately 65 mph. I found this speed extremely unsafe for the conditions. I initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and issued the driver a speeding citation for violation of Vehicle Code Section 22350 – Unsafe Speed for Conditions.

22350 states: No person shall drive a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable or prudent having due regard for weather, visibility (and) the traffic ... and in no event at a speed which endangers the safety of persons or property.

Violations of California’s traffic safety laws, such as speeding or right-of-way violations, can and do result in collisions. The CHP has numerous examples where additional enforcement in a particular area has resulted in fewer collisions, fewer injuries and a reduction in lives lost.

Another question I get asked: “Where does the money go when I pay for a ticket?” The CHP does not receive any direct funding from fines, penalties or fees collected pursuant to the citations written by our officers.

CHP officers issue citations to gain compliance with the state’s traffic laws. Although a percentage of the total bail amount is directed to the general fund, the CHP does not directly benefit from the general fund revenue.

The CHP is primarily funded by the Motor Vehicle Account, which derives its revenue from vehicle registration and license fees. Additional fines, fees and penalties are assessed by local counties and the state to arrive at a total bail amount.

These tickets can get quite expensive. The best way to avoid getting noticed is to drive the posted speed limit. Slow down when you see a CHP officer. Move over a lane, and it never hurts to just give us a smile and a wave when appropriate.

In 1929, the CHP was formed to provide service to the motoring public as well as fair and unified enforcement of traffic safety laws. This article is meant to be an educational service. If you have a topic or question you would like me to write about, please share it with me.

This story was originally published October 4, 2015 at 5:01 PM with the headline "On Duty with the CHP: To avoid a ticket, drive the speed limit."