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Comment by smokelegend | Hacker News Reader

The open road is open once more...

Note, if you get caught at these high speeds on public roads, you will be arrested and vehicle impounded. Most of the time police officers will draw their weapons when making vehicle stops of this nature. Most state laws have a zero tolerance policy for vehicles exceeding 90mph on public roads.

But if you got bail money, GODSPEED

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I would bet that most traffic on I-90 in South Dakota is at or over 90mph given the speed limit is now 80mph. Heck, North Dakota, not exactly a bastion of enforcement, decided against going higher specifically because of South Dakota. Idaho, Wyoming and Utah have 80mph limits and Texas has road at 85mph. A lot of plain states are not hyper about speed limits. 120mph is going to get you in trouble, badly, but 90 might not even get you stopped.

I drove on that 80 MPH stretch of I-80 between the Utah/Nevada border, and even the big rigs were going at least 5 over. I honestly think that as long as you're not going 10 over, the police are just there to make sure that if you crash somebody is there to help.

This matches my experience as well.

There are long stretches of road throughout Utah where 110+mph is easily feasible. Sightlines all the way to the horizon.

Oh absolutely. I'd say that this holds true for most states west of the Mississippi.

Or if you run out of gas or have to pullover for engine problems.

I'll say man, there is just something almost spiritual being all there alone out in the Utah West desret can see a hundred miles in every direction, nothing but flat unbroken skyline, blowing down the highway at 110 mph and then realizing even at those blistering speeds you're hardly moving against that infinite flat backdrop.

I love it man.

I once thought North Dakota was sparsely populated, but I had no true idea of that word until I drove through Wyoming. It is so easy to run way over the speed limit, more from inattention than any real decision, on a deserted road with such a far horizon and nothing anywhere near you. Its a different kind of driving when there are signs with "Next Gas Station 79 miles".

A buddy drives back and forth across Utah multiple times per year. He sets his cruise on 95 in the 80 zones, and has passed and been passed by many police without issue.

I vaguely remember driving west through Utah as a teenager, where there was a long stretch that was desolate and scenic and straight, somewhat downhill, maybe I-40? ...and my car did more mph than it had hp.

Some municipalities and states also have rules on the book that police are not to chase if someone is driving over 100 Mph because it is more dangerous than just letting them go and catching them later.

>Note, if you get caught at these high speeds on public roads, you will be arrested and vehicle impounded.

Being white and polite (and generally having a bunch of things about you that scream the opposite of "criminal scum") counts for a lot. In most states officers have discretion to choose between the civil and criminal version of whatever the state's "ludicrous speed" violation is.

Indeed. I've had the privilege (see what I did there) of getting off easy when I got caught going 101mph on US-101 in central coast CA (where it was a 55 limit). The cop pulled me over and said "you know I could take you to jail for this, right?" I kept my hands on the wheel, used "yes, ma'am" / "no, ma'am" type answers, and was let go with a very pricy ticket rather than having my life turned upside down or getting shot.

These guys were driving an Audi A8. Definitely a white, non-criminal car. More of a CEO’s car.

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