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[Source] 5 MPH over could be a discrepancy in measurement equipment, and officers do not want to go to court to explain when and how their radar gun was calibrated, etc. If they see you doing 20 over and write you a ticket for 10 or 15, it's less hassle for them. This cuts both ways: if your speedometer is slightly miscalibrated (entirely possible), you might be doing 10 over when you think you're doing 5 over.

Would someone please explain and elucidate this? If you're speeding by 20 (any unit of speed), why's it 'less hassle' to 'write you a ticket for 10 or 15'? Per contra, would this weaken the officer's argument? It's easier to argue based on a discrepancy of 10 or 15 rather than 20?

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It's less hassle because it's just a ticket and some paperwork, instead of a potential court appearance.

If they are kind to you, you may appreciate it and be less angry as well, not taking it out on them if they're doing you a 'favour'. And then they write up a ticket, probably record it back at the station, and that's the job done.

If it's a court appearance, they'll have to file additional paperwork, probably show up to testify, and they could instead be out on the street looking for more offenders.

So it benefits everyone in someways (although some would argue you're letting someone off of a crime) to reduce the level of the offence, and give you a stern warning and a ticket. They're more likely to do it if you don't have a record, of course - if it's your third this week, they might decide it's time to take it to another level (ie court).

Mark Mayo
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Apart from the other good reason that the police officer will want to give you a ticket that causes him less work, there's also the matter of evidence. Measuring that you drove 20 over the limit doesn't necessarily prove that you did drive 20 over the limit; the slightest inaccuracy could mean that you actually only drove 19 over. But with a ticket of 10 or 15, a measurement of 20 over the limit is very strong evidence.

gnasher729
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In many states in the US, there is some threshold above the speed limit (+20-25 mph is common) that changes a speeding ticket to a reckless driving misdemeanor or felony. Plenty of people will just pay off a speeding ticket but would fight a reckless driving charge in court.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/features/a6310/50-states-speeding-laws-mobilefriendly/ has a summary, check the state's official site if you want to be sure.

ex-user3761894
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