The 10 Worst Places To Speed

The maximum speed limits within the United States vary from state-to-state.  See map on left.  The number of speeding tickets issued in each state also varies.  Driverside.com, a car owner website, recently researched the worst states to speed.  Specifically, they looked at the number of speeding tickets issued based on population.  The results are below.

Surprisingly, New York is not on the list with many smaller population states making it instead.

1. The number one speeding ticket states is actually not a state.  The nation’s capital is the runaway traffic ticket champion with an 434,301 traffic tickets being issued to its 553,523 residents, meaning that a whopping 78.5% of the District of Columbia population received at least one traffic violation!
2. Wyoming has a population of 506,529 people and issued 46,366 moving violations.  That’s about 9.2% of its population.
3. Similarly, Vermont has a population of only 631,394 residents but issued 52,269 traffic violations representing 8.4% of its population.
4. North Dakota has a per capita ticket percentage of 7.2% (population 634,366 and 45,510 traffic tickets issued).
5. Mississippi has 2,902,966 residents and its police force hands out 197,434 tickets for a 6.8% percent of the population.
6. Maryland issued 6.3% of its population with 349,921 traffic tickets being issued in this state of 5,558,058.
7. New Mexico’s 1,903,289 residents were issued 117,303 speeding violations (6.1%) despite its 75 mph highway speed limit.
8. South Carolina has a population of 4,198,068 which were issued a total of 228,363 speeding tickets (5.4%).
9. Delaware has the smallest population of the states on the list with a 5.36% figure.  Its 830,364 residents received 44,551 tickets.
10. The final state to make the list is the largest in population.  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ 6,416,505 residents received 337,103 tickets last year (5.25%).

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New Way To Avoid A Speeding Ticket?

Cop Shakes Hands With The Governor Instead Of Issuing A Speeding Ticket

It is quite common for someone to try and talk their way out of a speeding ticket.  I’m late for work.  I have to get to the bathroom.  Etc, etc.

But one South Carolina man actually came up with a novel excuse, and it worked.  A Highway Patrol Trooper stopped a dark-colored sedan along the heavily-trafficked Interstate 385 for speeding but let him go without a speeding ticket.  Apparently, the man was speeding 85/65.

When asked why he was going so fast, the driver said that he was transporting the Governor.  After the officer peered into confirm that the Governor South Carolina was, indeed, his passenger, and after shaking the Governor’s hand, he let the driver go without even a warning.

Governor Mark Sanford is best known for going AWOL in South America to continue an affair he was having with an Argentinian woman.  State lawmakers may even try to impeach the Republican governor who has about 15 months left in his term. Ironically, in 2006, Sanford’s office was highly critical of the lieutenant governor when the Highway Patrol twice stopped him for speeding but did not issue tickets.

This incident is reminiscent of New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine‘s April 2007 car accident where he sustained critical injuries as a passenger failing to wear his seat belt.  The Governor had been a huge proponent and public image of the “click it or ticket” campaign resulting in 100s of New Jersey drivers receiving traffic tickets for failing to wear a seat belt.  Like Sanford’s driver, Corzine was not issued a summons despite not wearing a seat belt.

Click here to see a video of the Sanford traffic stop.

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