Current Speed in RED is Annoying

As usual Google is right.

Possibly it can still be done on some TomTom units but not on any Nuvi I've ever used. Not sure why Garmin can't make this an option on the Nuvi as the one mile over the limit change in the speed background color is pretty silly.

You might try putting a piece of tape over it if it bothers you.

I guess you don't drive in New Port Richie.
You sure as hell can get a ticket for going over 50 especially at night.

Just a simple reminder to keep it down !
Doesn't bother me a bit !

I don't mind it either. It actually is a good reminder to keep me at a reasonable speed.

Yes, I know that most everyone passes me, but I try to go the speed limit. I can get in the right lane, set my cruise control at the speed limit and enjoy the scenery. Much less stress this way.

I agree 100 %

Here in Atlanta, if you are doing the speed limit you might get rear ended I think there should be an option to allow the red color at x miles above the speed limit

Don't pass through Atlanta a lot, but when I do, I still try to drive the speed limit. I get better gas mileage.

You should be focusing on the road, not GPS unit..

At least the Navigon App does... you can set the speed limit alerts based on being in an urban area or not - and to alert in increments of 5 to 20mph over posted limits... and to get acoustic alerts or not...

One mile per hour over the limit is kind of ridiculous for an alert. Should be at least 5. Most places I drive, you are going to be in the way of everyone, including the police, if you are out tooling along trying to drive exactly the speed limit.

Doesn't bother me but 1 mph over the speed limit is still over the speed limit. But,I do wish it was adjustable though. It can't be that hard for Garmin to program.

Its not changable but it might be something garmin can do on one of its updates. perhaps do a color transition to maybe yellow for 1-5 over then red or maybe an option to turn it off. For now just ignor it.

A color transition is pointless. Most of the posts in this thread are just as pointless because they take into account that many officers give a leeway of between 5 or 10 miles over the limit when legally you're breaking the law by going even one mile over the limit. The way Garmin reminds you that you are above the speed limit is simplicity itself, with no ambiguity. You either are above the limit, or you aren't. It also is legally accurate and should limit Garmin's liability for people who use the GPS as a speedometer.

Now is it annoying? That is a matter of opinion. But in Garmin's position I wouldn't change the appearance.

The GPS displays the speed you are going, and the colour indicates whether you are travelling above (RED) or below (black) the legal speed limit. Very clean and simple - and you can't blame Garmin if you get a ticket for going 2 MPH over the limit.

I am not sure why people want the ability to add in the assumed 5 - 10 MPH "fudge factor" before the speed display turns red.

I have a suggestion: Why not just make believe that the fudge factor has been added? Then, if the speed display turns red, you can think you're going 5 - 10 MPH more than the legal speed limit!

would be to change the speed limit on the GPS, tap the speed limit sign and increase the speed limit.

The following video shows what I mean. My 2460 is a tad different but the basic function is the same.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-yhc7omjMY

Exactly how I drive! Peaceful and makes trips all that more enjoyable.

RED current speed.

Guess I really never noticed the red current speed display ...

A lot easier to glance down at my huge speedometer display rather than focus my eyes on the 5 inch Garmin display to see that itty-bitty current speed number.

Beside that, I usually drive "with the flow," figuring the police can't pull us all over.

My old Navigon stand alone unit had that ability. It also had an audio warning if you passed the point you had set. At 5mph (or whatever point you had set it for) over the speed limit it said "Caution" so you knew you were over the limit.

As usual, DanielT's comment cut to the chase.

Let's think about this - why are people not complaining about the "black" color when you are going at or under the speed limit? Do people want to know the speed limit or not? If the answer is yes, then why argue about the color in which it is displayed?

What people are really saying is that they usually exceed the speed limit and want some visual indicator of when they are so far over the speed limit that they are themselves afraid that it is too risky to proceed at such a speed.

The speed limit is what it is. People may not like that fact, but is still is the speed limit. The usual argument that everybody else is exceeding the speed limit reminds me of my kids complaints - "Daddy, why can't I go to this party where there will be underage drinking? All my friends are going!"

If I ignore speed limits, then the people who ride with me will assume that it is OK to exceed the speed limit. I certainly do not want to send that message to my grandkids.

@cbwatts, your observation is on target.

One wonders why those who are complaining about the red color are looking so much at the Garmin display instead of their vehicle's indication of their speed. Maybe they will say that they mount their device directly in front of them so they do not have to shift their view to the center of the dash where many people put their mount. But, I doubt that is the case.

Driving in the right hand lane (for the most part) and going the speed limit gives me the opportunity to see if I can go from point A to point B on the freeway without ever having to touch my brakes.

Not trying to keep up with (or is it stay ahead of) everybody else on the road means that I can keep at least 3 seconds of distance between me and the vehicles in front of me. This distance lets me adjust my speed with the accelerator pedal rather than the brake pedal. I watch the brake lights of vehicles ahead of me and when they come on, I remove pressure on my gas pedal. Most days, I can go the 10 freeway miles to downtown (even in rush hour traffic) without using by brake pedal until I get to my exit.

The way I figure it, I am saving gas and not wearing out my brakes by constantly "riding" them like many I see.

The next time you drive, just watch the brake lights of the cars in front of you. On and off; on and off as their vehicles jockey for position.

Just tell your mind to ignore it. I've been around radios most of my life, ARMY and civilian jobs that life or job depended on listening to radio. You get to a point where your mind leans to ignore none pertain ate info, your subconscious files it away if you need it but your conscious does not seem to hear it. If you use your GPS much you could train your mind to not notice red unless you see Officer friendly or RLC nearby.

In Ontario, I pretty much know how far above the limit that I can drive. Yea! My Speed indicator turns red, but really all I care about is that I'm locked in cruise and regardless of the colour, I know that my GPS is more accurate than my KIA's speedometer.

When driving in the states, I change to MPH, instead of KPH and drive no more than a couple of MPH over the limit. Some places love seeing an out of country license plate.

There are times that seems to be downright dangerous, when the limit is 55 and everyone around you is doing much over that. Safety takes precedent and I will speed up a bit, to reduce the speed differential.

The red doesn't bother me. In fact, on the highway I set my cruise control (when possible) for the posted speed limit + 5mph (e.g. 70mph when the limit is 65mph). No making believe required, and if I get caught, I have no one to blame but myself.

And for the record, I use my GPS as my speedometer, because it's more accurate than the one in the car, which is routinely 2 or 3mph slower than the posted limit.

I generally drive around 5-6 over the limit. I have found, that in Texas, I often get pulled over for 5 over... get a warning, and set free. In New Mexico I was pulled over at 5 over and the car was searched - dumped out on the road. I was stopped for over an hour, then released. What a pain.

I drive a BMW Z3 with license plate ZZZOOOM, so that is probably why I attract the cops.

And as others have said, the Garmin speed is more accurate than either the BMW or our Prius.

You must have forgotten that they can't search your car if you don't consent. Unless they have probable cause of course: a traffic stop isn't probable cause.

They indicated that someone in a similar vehicle was wanted... they therefore claimed to have probable cause. When I told the cop I did not want the car rifled through (I was driving from AZ to OH and the trunk was packed with every inch squeezed in plus the passenger seat area) he said they would take me in and tow the car... so I consented, since there was nothing to fear. Unfortunately, I was supposed to meet someone for dinner in Texas and did not make it in time.

another scenario how about when the pnd is wrong, was driving around salt lake today, a couple of places the speed limit sign said 60 pnd said 50 needless to say it stayed red.

Since they had probable cause, there isn't much you could do here. However, the next time something like this happens to you, it's best not to tell them you don't want the car examined, as that will raise their suspicions.

A valid point you make. I too have experienced many occasions where the Nuvi has incorrect speed limit indicated on some roads. My 2460LMT has the ability to make a correction and change to the correct limit.
I NEVER use that feature. In today’s dangerous driving conditions due to texting and aggressive drivers I want my focus on the road, not on the GPS.

For those who rely on the GPS for speed accuracy, think again, you may end up lightening up your wallet to pay a fine. Just use common sense and watch for posted speed limit signs and adhere to them. Using cruise control on highways is a good idea but remember even highway speeds may change in certain areas.

"Someone in a similar vehicle?" At best, they had reasonable suspition. Not probable cause. And at that level, they cannot search your vehicle without your consent.

The point of the matter is that he was strong-armed into allowing his car to be searched. Though as you point out, I was apparently wrong regarding probable cause.

It's a fine line here. Perhaps the Police had more information then what was discussed with member hjrw.
Possibly they had a physical description of occupant(s), number of occupants, the vehicles state of registration to name a few. Since they threatened to tow the car, one would hope there was more evidence than just matching a cars description to perform a search.

The "looking for someone in a car like yours" is just pure police bullshit. The thugs with badges just throw stuff like that out whenever they run into someone who is aware of their rights. Then they add further injury by threatening to impound the car, which does give them the legal right to inventory it. If you believe at all in your rights, the best thing to do in such a case is to reconfirm that they have checked your ID and know that you are not the suspect they are supposedly looking for. Beyond that, tell them "OK, if you want to arrest me, do it. Otherwise, let me go." They will back down, they don't want the false arrest on the books. If they don't back down you will not be much worse off than you already are letting the thugs push you around.

It is a shame, but America really has become a nation of the government victimizing its own citizens. It will get worse as long as people let things like this go on.

Not that I feel too sorry for the original poster. I believe that he acknowledged that he was speeding in the first place. Personally, I would like to see him and anyone speeding ticketed. It would make the roads safer for us all and not reduce us to a guessing game of how much over the posted speed limit can I go without getting a ticket.

I admitted I was wrong about probable cause, and I said as much in my last post. However, the OP isn't the person who posted about being stopped in New Mexico.

With that said, I don't agree that total enforcement of speeding tickets will help make anything safer. If anything, it will only accelerate America's decline into a police state. Other than that, I agree with your post.

My reference to "original poster" wasn't intended to refer to the person who started the entire thread, but rather hjrw who started the discussion of police forcing him to allow an illegal search and said "I generally drive around 5-6 over the limit." Sorry if I used the term in a confusing way.

However, I take exception to the belief that actually enforcing the law would lead to a police state. Many people believe in the merits of some enforcement of speed limits, and few think it is improper to stop and ticket someone who is driving 90 around traffic in a 60 zone (and some of us would like to see even more aggressive treatment in that case). If you believe in that type of enforcement, then the question becomes where do you want to draw the line? I really dislike seeing local politicians argue against raising limits, such as changing a limit from 70 to 75 as they did around here recently, by arguing that we should just keep the limit at 70 because people will drive 5 miles over the limit anyway. I think it is far better to spell out the law than to leave arbitrary enforcement to mindless thugs. Or at least spell out the rules clearly. Maybe you and others would be happier with signs that read "SPEED LIMIT 70 TICKETS ISSUED AT ANYTHING OVER 75", but I don't see that as any better than "SPEED LIMIT 75 STRICTLY ENFORCED". Why put drivers in risk by having a grey area where you probably will not get a ticket, but if the cop is in a bad mood or needs to make his monthly quota or just feels like searching your car you might get stopped and ticketed or searched? That to me seems more like a police state.

I thought I was the only person who was annoyed by the red, untill I read your post. There needs to be a way of changing it to only go red if going maybe 12 over the speed limit, or disable it all together!!!!

In Pennsylvania the signs don't announce it but it is written into law the police cannot ticket unless a vehicle is a certain mph over the limit, and it depends on what type of speed detection is used.

For example, R.A.D.A.R. (which can only be used by the PA State Police [PSP]) the "buffer" is 5 mph, you can be written at 6 and over. For other types like VASCAR used by locals 11 mph. The PSP can write you if they pace you in their vehicle at least 1/4 mile at 1mph over. The speedo needs to be certified every 30 or 60 days I forget which. There's a different rule for schools zones.

If you truly believe that exceeding an arbitrarily set speed limit by a few miles per hour is, in fact, "breaking the law" (in the true sense of the term), then there is something wrong with you. There is no evidence to support a conclusion that exceeding the posted limit by a few miles per hour causes any additional accidents or increased damage in an accident.

Limits are most often set to optimize revenue generating police enforcement. To those of you who go exactly the speed limit, thank you. I like that I have the guts and ego to pass you all. I actually enjoy it. Just stay out of the left lane and don't lecture anyone about going 1-2 miles per hour over the limit. Then we can all get along.

Wow. Simply wow.

We don't get to choose which laws we follow and which we don't. If you believe that a law (and whether you believe it or agree with it or not a speed limit is a law), then you should take the appropriate measures to have the law changed.

But randomly not following laws with which we might not agree is still illegal.

Nice attitude you have there. I wasn't aware the left lane was designed for chosen drivers like yourself. I always believed it was designed for passing, I guess I was wrong.

look at the speedometer. If you're driving 60 to 70 MPH is it really smart to be staring at your GPS?

I would agree with you that not following an actual law is technically breaking it. But let's be honest, there are laws and there are laws. I can understand, respect, and follow a law involving something germane or important like murder, stealing, etc. There are books dedicated all over to actual laws, which are ridiculous. Please check your local laws to make sure you and your consenting wife aren't breaking it in the bed room.

Following laws you do not agree with might have rendered Germany without a single living Jew by the end of the war. It was, in fact, law. And lots of good free thinking people broke it to save lives. Think about it and think about the law before you just blindly follow it. Do you really think it's a good idea to just do whatever the government says because it is the law. Speed limits are designed to make money, plain and simple. This is why we do not have any speed limitless roads as they do in Europe.

Civil disobedience (not following an arbitrary law) is the power we as citizens have. In Florida, it is against the law to give a speeding ticket for an infraction less than 5 miles per hour over. Do you think this was passed because everyone was going exactly the speed limit? No, good people were getting tickets for 3 and 4 over and continued to drive that way. This civil disobedience changed the law.

Maybe I was a bit harsh. It is for passing, and I do get over for the people going faster than me. But if you want to go exactly the speed limit, as a general rule you are not passing and should not be in the left lane. I am not a "chosen driver." There are, of course, consequences for going over the speed limit (right or wrong).

The GPS indication of the actual speed is likely more accurate than the speedometer.

B-U-T... It's indication of the Speed Limit, should be considered a good guideline, not absolute gospel. Always gotta keep a check of the speed limit signs, especially the ones that drop from 70 MPH to 50, for no apparent reason, but we all no what the reason is.

If you are perhaps speaking of two towns in central Florida, the pressure to change the enforcement wasn't as much from drivers that had been ticketed, it came from the local merchants who saw their businesses failing because traffic through the area dropped to a point where the residents could no longer supply their income needs.

No bother me

Honestly, it bugged me too when I first got my unit, but I promise you - you will see it so often that you will get completely used to it and it won't bother you.