Following is an overview of the laws, limits, and fines as they relate to speeding traffic violations in the state of Nevada.
Speed limits in Nevada
As of October 2015, Nevada raised its maximum allowable speed limit to 80 mph, though as of March 2016, only limited areas are posted at this speed.
80 mph: rural freeways and interstates
75 mph: US-95 south of US-93 to Nevada Highway 163, and I-15 northeast of Las Vegas to Arizona
70 mph: other freeways and divided and undivided highways, as posted
65 mph: some areas of I-80 and I-580, and US-95 in downtown Las Vegas
25-30 mph: residential districts
15-25 mph: school zones
Nevada code on reasonable and prudent speed
Maximum speed law:
According to section 484.361 of Nevada vehicle code, “A person shall not drive a vehicle at a rate of speed greater than is reasonable or proper, having due regard for the traffic, surface and width of the highway, the weather and other highway conditions, or at such a speed as to endanger life, limb or property of any person.”
Minimum speed law:
Section 484B.623 states, “A person shall not operate a motor vehicle at such a slow speed as to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic.”
Due to variations in speedometer calibration, tire size, and margins of error in speed-detecting technology, it’s uncommon for an officer to pull a driver over for going less than five miles above the speed limit. However, technically any amount over can be considered a speed violation so best practices are to stay within the limit.
While it may be difficult to fight a speeding ticket in Nevada due to the absolute speed limit law, a driver may choose to go to court and claim their innocence based upon one of the following arguments:
The driver may oppose the determination of speed. In order to claim this defense a driver must know how his or her speed was determined and then learn how to disprove its accuracy.
A driver may claim that an emergency situation caused the driver to break the speed limit in order to prevent injury or damage to themselves or others.
The driver may claim a case of mistaken identity. If a police officer clocks a driver speeding and subsequently has to find them again in traffic, it’s possible that they could make a mistake and pull the wrong car over.
Penalty for exceeding the speed limit in Nevada
First-time violators may:
Be fined up to $1,000
Be sentenced to up to six months of jail time
Have their license suspended for up to one year
Penalty for reckless driving in Nevada
There’s no set speed at which violating the speed limit is considered reckless driving. That determination depends upon the circumstances of the violation.
First-time violators may:
Be fined up to $1,000
Be sentenced to up to six months of jail time
Have their license suspended for up to one year
Violators may be required to complete a driver improvement course, and/or may be able to reduce points applied to their license by doing so.
