What Does 'No Tolerance' Mean On Oklahoma Speed Limit Signs?

There are two kinds of drivers: those who admit that they've drifted above the speed limit, and those who lie about it. After all, in a recent survey conducted by U.S. News & World Report, 88% of drivers say they speed on purpose. Yet Oklahoma says speeding is never okay. Don't believe it? The Sooner State has, printed in plain English, the words "no tolerance" or "zero tolerance" on its speed limit signs. Oooh, ominous.

It sounds like something you'd find plastered on an action movie poster or in an employee handbook regarding drugs, alcohol, or harassment. But there's more to it than scaring tourists. For starters, Oklahoma's Absolute Speed Limit Law forbids motorists from speeding. Absolutely forbids even 1 mile per hour over the limit. Then you've got the state's Basic Speeding Law, which can actually land you in trouble for traveling at or below the posted limit if your drive takes place in icy conditions or during a nasty rainstorm.

Oklahoma's attitude toward speeding is the reason why you'll find the almost threatening signage on the state's highways. Not that wild signs and rules stopped Oklahoma from making our readers' list of the worst states to drive in.

Go ahead, admit it. You've drifted above the speed limit before. In the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's fourth National Survey of Speeding Attitudes and Behaviors, 91% of participants agreed that it's important to keep pace with traffic. That doesn't mean, however, a cop will let you slide by for cruising along with your fellow drivers at 5 mph over the posted limit. In some U.S. states, driving 10 over the speed limit will cost you. Then there's Oklahoma.

Of course, Oklahoma isn't the only state with no tolerance for speeding. The Sooner State isn't even the only state with absolute speed limits. Far from it. Around three quarters of U.S. states employ absolute speed limits, meaning even one solitary mile per hour over the posted speed limit could result in an uncomfortable interaction with the fuzz. And California, like Oklahoma, subscribes to a Basic Speeding Law. That means you could technically get a ticket for driving under the speed limit. Just because the posted limit says 70 mph, it doesn't mean you can drive 70 mph in a torrential midnight rainstorm with flooded roads. Seems like common sense, actually.

See? Even 1 mile per hour can make all the difference. Frankly, if you push the envelope too much, you can end up with a reckless driving charge instead of a speeding ticket. Want to stay out of jail? You might not want to get a criminal charge by treating the posted speed limit as a suggestion. Especially if you live in, or drive through, Oklahoma.