Iowa speed limits, laws and fines
Content
The following is an overview of the laws, restrictions, and penalties associated with traffic violations in Iowa.
Iowa speed limits
70 mph: rural interstate highways
65 mph: urban and interstate highways (may be 55 mph in some areas)
65 mph: four-lane roads (in some areas, otherwise as specified)
60 mph: Interstates (trucks in suburbs)
45 mph: suburban areas
35 mph: state park and protected roads
25 mph: residential and school districts
20 mph: business districts
Iowa code at reasonable and reasonable speed
The law of maximum speed:
According to Iowa Motor Vehicle Code Section 321.285, “A person must operate a motor vehicle at a careful and prudent speed not exceeding a reasonable and proper speed, with due regard to traffic, the surface and width of the highway, and any other conditions existing at the time, and no one shall drive any vehicle on a highway at a speed exceeding the speed which allows that person to stop it within a guaranteed distance ahead.”
Minimum speed law:
Sections 321.294, 321.285 and 321.297(2) state:
"No one should drive a car at such a low speed as to impede or block normal and reasonable traffic."
"A car that cannot reach and maintain a speed of 40 miles per hour cannot move on the interstate system."
"A person traveling at a slower speed than normal should drive in the right lane available for traffic, or as close as possible to the right curb or edge of the carriageway."
Rural highways have a minimum speed limit of 40 mph. Most four-lane roads do not have a minimum speed limit for slow-moving agricultural vehicles.
While it can be difficult to challenge a speeding ticket in Iowa due to the absolute speed limit law, a driver can go to court and plead not guilty based on one of the following:
The driver may object to the determination of the speed. To qualify for this protection, the driver must know how his or her speed was determined and then learn to disprove its accuracy.
The driver may claim that, due to an emergency, the driver violated the speed limit to prevent injury or damage to himself or others.
The driver may report a case of misidentification. If a police officer records a speeding driver and subsequently has to find him again in a traffic jam, it is quite possible that he made a mistake and stopped the wrong car.
Iowa speeding ticket
First-time offenders may:
Be fined between $50 and $500 (plus an additional 30% fine).
Be sentenced to up to 30 days in prison
Suspend license for up to one year
Iowa reckless driving ticket
In this condition, exceeding the speed limit by 25 mph or more is automatically considered reckless driving.
First-time offenders may:
Be fined between $50 and $500 (plus an additional 30% fine).
Be sentenced to up to 30 days in prison
Suspend license for up to one year
Violators may be required to attend a traffic school and/or receive a speeding ticket and/or deduction for attending these classes.
