this post was submitted on 18 Oct 2025
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I’m not sure what this system does, but my non-Tesla car can adjust its intelligent cruise control by speed limit signs it sees, and you can tell it to have a buffer. Mine is set for +5, so if the sign says 45 miles per hour, the car drives itself at 50 mph.
If it’s something like that, which you set yourself, it’s probably fine. Just know what the police in your area enforce. Where I live you can generally go five over without an issue, ten over on the freeways. Everyone does this, so if you go the speed limit you end up annoying everyone.
So dumb that society collectively agreed that 35 means 40, 40 means 45, 45 means 50, etc.
There’s a little more to it than that. They also need to consider that, in cars with an analogue speed dial, the actual speed is not displayed precisely. Plus, there may be minor discrepancies between the speed dial and the actual speed, which can be affected by non-standard tyres etc. So a small “buffer” in acceptable speeds is pretty reasonable.
I recall being told by someone at a Mitsubishi factory that car manufacturers actually intentionally set the speed dials to be slightly higher speed than reality to accommodate for people’s need to break the rules just a little…!
I was also told it's about the calibration of the radar guns. They are calibrated to -7/+0 meaning if you are going 47 mph there is a chance you are picked up as going 40. That said if you are going 41 or 42 there is a good chance the cop picks you up as going less than 40.