What are the Speed Limits in Miami and Florida?

When driving in Miami and Florida, obeying the speed limits is essential. Not only does it keep you safer on the roads, but you’ll also avoid getting pulled over or trapped in a speed trap. Not knowing the speed limits can lead to incurring infractions, losing demerits, and even possibly losing your license. 

To help avoid that, this article will share common Miami speed limits, typical driving laws, and tips for finding speed limits.

Miami Speed Limits

For the most part, Miami's speed limits are fairly consistent for certain zones. These are as follows:

• School zones are 20 mph.
• Limited access highways are 70 mph.
• Business areas and 30 mph.
• Residential areas are 30 mph.

There are special zones one should look out for. Namely construction zones. The speeds of these zones can vary, but are typically set to 10 mph. 

Driving Laws Miami

There are a few driving laws one should know before driving on Miami roads, regardless of whether it's with your own car or you engage in a car rental delivery with a car rental like RealCar.Miami. A few common driving laws everyone should know are listed below:

• Driver’s license, vehicle registration, and proof of insurance. When you drive, you must have these three pieces of ID on you. If you’re from outside the USA, you will need a valid foreign driver’s license.
• Texting while driving. More common in North America, especially in Florida and Miami, it is illegal to text while driving. It is considered a primary offense, so officers can pull you over for simply this one action.
• Holding a phone. In addition to the texting while driving rule, it is also illegal to hold a phone while driving through a school zone or work zone if workers are present.
• Driving on Miami beaches. It is illegal to drive on any beach in Miami or Florida in general. This is to preserve the ecosystem of the beaches and ensure the safety of beach-goers.

Florida Highway Speeds

Roads are fairly uniform when it comes to Florida highway speeds. Rural Interstate Limited, Limited Access Highways, Interstates, Toll Roads, and Highways are all 70 mph. State Rural Highways are 60 mph.

To ensure your safety and that of other drivers while on the highway, it is always wise to drive with the flow. That means you should go at the same speed as the general traffic around you. For example, if you find yourself going 10 miles below the speed limit, you’re going to become a ‘rock in the stream.’ This means you block traffic, and other cars will have to go around you in order to keep up with the flow of traffic. To avoid this, always go at the same speed as everyone else.

Tips for Finding Speed Limits

Whether you’re driving your car or using a Rolls Royce Cullinan rental near you, there are basic tips everyone should know for finding speed limits in Miami and Florida. 

For starters, it’s a good idea to memorize what the speed limits regularly are for specific roads, such as interstates and highways. This gives you confidence in your abilities and means you don’t have to guess if you don’t see a signpost marking the speed of the road.

Alternatively, you should always be on the look-out for signposts that detail what the speed limit is. These are usually fairly visible and give you confidence that your speed limit is the right one. However, not all roads will have these, making tip number one even more important.

When in doubt, you can always follow the speed of your driving neighbor. This is a wise move to play anyway, as you don’t want to hold up or disturb traffic by going too fast or too slow. However, following the driving speed of drivers around you ensures that your speed will at least be close to what the actual speed limit is.

Infractions for Going Over Speed Limits

It is a good idea to be aware of what the punishments and speeding tickets are for certain speeds. That way you know if you’re being ticketed correctly and fairly if you end up in this unfortunate situation.

A few speeds and their subsequent tickets are as follows:

• 6 to 8 mph over the speed limit is a speeding ticket of $144.
• 10 to 14 mph over is $219.
• 15 to 19 mph over is $269.
• 20 to 29 mph over is $294.
• If you go more than 30 mph over the speed limit, you will be ticketed at least $369 and face a mandatory court hearing.
• If you go 50 mph over the speed limit, you will be fined $1,000 and risk being charged with a felony.

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