What’s the Worst State for Speeding Tickets?

BOLD RIDE

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Posted by George Kennedy

                           

 

You may hear your elders tell you that driving laws in your town or state are “some of the worst in the country.” They could be telling you that to keep you driving safe, or just our of ignorance. The fact is, some states are definitely worse than others, and thankfully we can prove it with math!

 

The fiscally savvy folks over at WalletHub have put together a complex study of which states are the worse for financial penalties. The company looked at 12 key metrics across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. And they found that the worst state for tickets was…Colorado. Illinois came in a close second, tied with Delaware, Arizona and New Mexico.

Though not the outright winner, Illinois has it pretty bad. The home state of the Motor City automatically considers speeding reckless driving, and as a result, it incurs the highest maximum fine (especially for your second reckless offense, which is just your second speeding ticket). The report also cites the frequency jail time issued for a first reckless offense as well as second offense as to why Illinois is, financially, a terrible place to speed in.

Source: WalletHub

The study also found that 75% of states have “absolute” speed limits, meaning just by going over the limit, the state has enough to convict you of speeding. The other quarter of states have laws that allow your to argue in court that the speeding was reasonable. Also, while no states have mandatory jail time, if you are convicted of reckless driving, expect to spend at least a night in jail.

Across the country, the average maximum cost of a speeding ticket is $742. The highest is Washington state, where you could incur up to $5,000 on a single ticket. Kentucky, Mississippi, and New Mexico are all tied for the lowest, with a $100 maximum fine.
Check out the full report to see where your state stacks up for speeding tickets.