What happens if you exceed the speed limit in the middle of an average speed check zone?
4 Answers
Exceeding the speed limit in the middle of an average speed check zone has no impact as long as it does not affect the average speed. Definition of speeding: Speeding refers to a driver operating a vehicle at a speed that exceeds the legal or regulatory speed limit. Introduction to illegal speeding: Motor vehicle speeding typically includes exceeding the speed limit on highways and other roads. From the perspective of safe driving behavior, driving above the legally prescribed maximum speed or the speed limit indicated by traffic signs, or failing to reduce speed when required by law, all constitute illegal speeding. Penalties are imposed in accordance with Article 86 of the "Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China" Implementation Measures.
I specifically asked a traffic police friend during my long-distance trip, and speeding in the middle of an interval speed measurement will definitely result in a fine. It's not as simple as calculating the average speed from start to finish. The cameras set up along the way capture the speed in real time. Last month, I saw a car speeding up to 130 km/h in the middle of the interval, and the electronic screen at the exit directly displayed a red warning that he was speeding by 20%. The traffic police said even if the average speed is acceptable, any momentary speeding in a certain section will be recorded. Especially on mountain roads, many people lose control of their speed downhill and are most likely to get caught. The penalty standards are the same as regular speeding, with points deducted and fines imposed.
Last year, I learned a hard lesson on the Hangrui Expressway, thinking it would be fine to slightly exceed the speed limit in the middle. However, right after passing the speed detection zone, I was pulled over. The police directly showed me the speed records captured by the checkpoint cameras along the way. Later, I understood the principle: average speed detection actually has triple safeguards—timing at the starting point, timing at the ending point, and fixed or mobile speed detection points in between. Nowadays, more advanced systems even combine GPS trajectory to calculate the speed for each segment. Once, I saw a car ahead suddenly accelerate in a tunnel trying to save time, only to be flagged with a warning at the exit. It's advisable to turn on navigation alerts, as they can calculate the remaining segment's speed limit reference in real time.
As a veteran driver with 20 years of experience, I can definitively tell you that you will be fined. I once gave a ride to a technician from the traffic bureau who mentioned that the system captures speed data every 200 meters. On one occasion, while overtaking in the middle of a speed monitoring zone in my pickup truck, I accelerated to 110 km/h. Even though the dashboard showed an average speed of 98 km/h when exiting the zone—which I thought was within the limit—I still received a speeding ticket a week later. It was only then that I learned pickup trucks are classified as commercial vehicles, which are subject to a speed limit of 80 km/h throughout the entire journey. Truck drivers should pay special attention to the speed limit differences based on vehicle type! Changing lanes to overtake in the middle of a highway is particularly dangerous; it's advisable to activate the lane assist system.
