Speed, for speeding
What the extra speed buys, and what it can cost.
Minutes saved, by speed drag the dot
Change the drive
Fuel
How this is worked out
Time is distance over speed, and the saving shrinks as speed rises: 110 instead of 100 saves more per kilometre than 130 instead of 120, which is why the curve bends. Fuel per kilometre is a constant part (rolling, the engine's own overhead) plus a part that grows with the square of speed, which is air drag; the one figure to set is how much more your car burns at 120 than at 100, and Natural Resources Canada's usual number is about a fifth. Below 60 the curve is held flat, because engines stop getting thriftier there.
The fine is Ontario's set fine per kilometre over the limit, before the victim fine surcharge and court costs, as of . Fifty over anywhere, or forty over where the limit is under 80, is stunt driving: a roadside 30-day licence suspension, a 14-day impound, a court summons with no set fine, six demerits and a longer suspension on conviction. Fines double in a community safety zone. The ticket in your hand is the one that counts; this is the schedule.
| Over the limit | Set fine | Demerits |
|---|---|---|
| 1–15 km/h | $2.50 / km | 0 |
| 16–19 | $2.50 / km | 3 |
| 20–29 | $3.75 / km | 3 |
| 30–49 | $6.00 / km | 4 |
| 50 or more | summons | 6 |
What no table holds is insurance: a conviction sits on the record for three years and is usually the largest cost of all.