America's Worst Speed Traps

[Robert_K]

America's Worst Speed Traps
By Cindy Perman
America's Worst Speed Traps- Yahoo! Autos Article Page

If you've ever been pulled over for speeding, you know it feels like you're a gazelle that just got taken down by a lion.

And, while this recession, and the gaping budget holes that resulted, have turned most cities into a jungle for motorists, there are some cities that have far more speed traps than others. And automated traffic cams have only egged them on. Now, they can snag just as many motorists for speeding, if not more, with less manpower.

It's hard to get this information from the police or the courts for two reasons: 1) Many tickets are negotiated in court and 2) speed limits, while originally designed to conserve fuel during the energy crisis of the 1970s, have grown into a cash cow for states and municipalities—and they don't want you to know how much they're making off of speeding tickets.

"Speed limits are supposed to be based on factual studies of traffic and what the majority of motorists deem as a safe speed," said Chad Dornsife, director of the Highway Safety Group . "Now, the posted limit has become a revenue generator—not a safety device."

The National Motorists Association, a drivers' rights group, estimates that speeding tickets are a $4.5 to $6 billion industry in America.

To be clear, speeding tickets aren't just for lead foots: In some places, they'll ticket you for going one mile over the speed limit and others set the speed limits artificially low.

"In some places, the average speed limit is set 10 to 15 miles below the actual safe speed for conditions," Dornsife said. "It makes technical violators out of people otherwise driving safely."

10. Los Angeles, California
Speed traps: 151

9. Chicago, Illinois
Speed traps: 153

8. Dallas, Texas
Speed traps: 156

Dallas is one of three Texas cities that made the top 10 for speed traps.

"Here's what happens in Texas: We have these safety standards that you have to apply to make sure the speed limit is safe," Dornsife said. "They follow none of them! They have what's called "home rule," which means they don't have to follow federal law."

Dornsife said it's not uncommon here for tickets to be issued for drivers going just a few miles over the speed limit, and they'll do things like set a "school zone" two miles away from the school.

Also, good luck keeping up with fluctuations in the speed limit on a given road. Dornsife recalls being at a DOT speed-limit conference and a presenter from Dallas said there are sections of the freeway where the speed limit can change three to four times within a few miles.

And speed limits can be changed arbitrarily: "Somebody stands up in a city council meeting … say, a police officer with no training in traffic engineering … and proposes a speed-limit change and they vote on it," Dornsife said. "Traffic engineers are supposed to decide what speed is safe—and law enforcement is supposed to enforce it," he said. "Half of these cities don't have traffic engineers."

7. Orlando, Florida
Speed traps: 165

6. Denver, Colorado
Speed traps: 165

5. Jacksonville, Florida
Speed traps: 175

4. Colorado Springs, Colorado
Speed traps: 186

3. Las Vegas, Nevada
Speed traps: 187

2. Austin, Texas
Speed traps: 189

The second entry from Texas in the top 10 is Austin, which one motorist described as practically a police state. Remember that here, they have "home rule," so municipalities don't have to follow state laws—and it seems they've taken that invitation to go quite seriously off the script.

That motorist said he was ticketed for going three to four miles per hour over the speed limit in a school zone, and when he was going 83 in an 80 mph zone.

There are serious speed traps at the northern and southern city limits, motorists note on Speedtrap.org, with many noting that everyone they know seems to have a couple of tickets. One woman wrote that she received a ticket and took a driver's education course to eliminate it. A clerk called her a year later and said the ticket was now a warrant and the fine had been increased. Luckily, she had her paperwork to prove it had been eliminated. She also noted that she'd seen three cars pulled over at once.

1. Houston, Texas
Speed traps: 373

And the winning city is from … Texas!

Seriously, the speed traps in Texas are so bad, Dornsife said, "any place in Texas could be No. 1."

Drivers note on Speedtrap.org that there are traps set at the Houston city limits and near attractions like the Astrodome. And, the speed limit can change rapidly and dramatically. One motorist wrote that entering the city on Highway 59 North, the speed limit dropped suddenly to 55 from 70. Just as the motorist noticed the speed-limit change on his GPS, BAM! There was a speed trap.

The number of tickets was even more staggering when the economy was bad: In March of last year, KTRK Channel 13 found that Houston police officers wrote about 3,000 tickets per day, or 147 an hour!

TrafficTicketSecrets.com says the average speeding ticket in the U.S. is about $150. Multiply that out and that's $450,000 a day—and $14 million for the month

[red6spd]

Nice find.

[theDreamer]

YAY Houston!!!!

[Niche79]

I went to HS in Jacksonville and I find it hard to believe that they are rated so high on the list. Granted I did get 2 tickets over the years I lived there, 1 via airplane and 1 via cop sitting just past an over pass on a side road but I normally sped everywhere at well over the speed limit and never got a ticket. Now Orange Park however was a deathtrap for any driver, esp at night. YOu avoided those main roads like a plague because they were there every night as soon as you crossed into Clay country from Jacksonville and would write you up and tail you as soon as look at you if you were doing more than 5 over...and ya wonder why they had the fancy new cars and Jax had the typical old Grand marquis!

[alvinmathew88]

yup i got cited for doing 5 over on 288, and it caused me to be late to my final..

[Jordo!]

Waldo, FL (enroute to, say, Jacksonville) is the fvcking worst.

Waldo, Florida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Triple A used to tell people to just avoid it and re-route. Speeding tickets comprise 3/4ths of their revenue

[JARblue]

Right there with you alvin. Although I was leaving a final and late for work. I merged on MoPac Loop 1 South and the cop was sitting up past a slight bend with just enough view of the on-ramp. Speed limit was 65 and, noting that both lanes were traveling closer to 70 or even 75 mph, I merged at 69 mph. I know that because the cop immediately pulled me over and gave me a ticket for 69 in a 65. I pointed out that paying more attention to merging AT SPEED, which despite being four whole mph over the speed limit, was safer to myself and those around me than not exceeding the speed limit. He wasn't having any of that "reasoning" nonsense.

Then again, I've been pulled over near Enfield @ Exposition for going 48 in a 30 and the cop gave me a very polite warning about lots of cops being in the neighborhood, a ticket for 40 in a 30 (along with expired insurance and registration - was home for spring break), took my friend's one-hitter without giving him a ticket, and wished us a good game of golf. Just goes to show not all cops are jerks.

[Belsavis]

Wow, thanks for the article. I'll add it to the list of things I don't like about driving in Houston...