2015's Strictest and Most Lenient States on Speeding and Reckless Driving

Speed kills. We have all been told that since driver's education class, and yet America drivers routinely exceed the speed limit. Before you underestimate the danger of exceeding the speed limit, consider that in 2013, speeding was a factor in 29 percent of motor vehicle crash deaths. Speeding is costly, too. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that the annual economic cost to society of speeding related crashes is $40.4 billion.

Another important issue is the impact of speeding on fuel consumption. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), as a rule of thumb, you can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph will cost you 7 percent more for gasoline.

Some states are tougher on speeding and reckless drivers than others. To find out which states take the hardest line on dangerous driving behavior, WalletHub compared driving laws in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The results and our detailed methodology - along with expert commentary - can be found below.

WalletHub analyzed penalties for speeding and reckless driving in each of the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia across 12 key metrics. Our data set ranges from what speeds are automatically considered reckless driving to how many speeding tickets it takes to earn an automatic license suspension.

Strictest States on Speeding and Reckless Driving

1        Colorado

T-2    Arizona

T-2    Delaware

T-2    Illinois

5        New Mexico

6        Virginia

T-7    Iowa

T-7    Massachusetts

9        Alabama

10      District Of Columbia

Most Lenient States on Speeding and Reckless Driving

T-40    Kentucky

T-40    Montana

T-40    Nebraska

T-40    New Jersey

T-40    Ohio

T-40    South Carolina

46        New Hampshire

T-47    Mississippi

T-47    Pennsylvania

T-47    South Dakota

T-47    Utah

51        Texas

 

Key Stats

• The average maximum cost of a ticket for reckless driving is $742, with the lowest being $100 (in Kentucky, Mississippi and New Mexico) and the highest at approximately $5,000 (Washington).
• Twenty-nine percent of states use speed cameras to automatically catch and fine violators.
• None of the states has a mandatory jail time for speeding. However, reckless drivers should expect, on average, to spend at least one day in jail for their first offense and four days for their second offense.

Main Findings

• Three quarters of the states have "absolute" speed limits, which means that exceeding the limit is enough evidence for a conviction. But about 25 percent of the states leave room for interpretation with "prima facie" laws - or a "mixed" combination of absolute and prima facie rules - allowing speeders to argue in court that their speed was in fact reasonable.
• None of the states has mandatory jail time for speeding. However, reckless drivers should expect, on average, to spend at least one day in jail for their first offense and four days for their second offense.
• In most states drivers are subject to license suspension under a point system. Your first offense might not get your license suspended, but enough accumulation of points will. On average, point penalties for speeding will get you 27 percent closer to a suspension.
• The average maximum cost of a ticket for reckless driving is $742, with the lowest being $100 (in Kentucky, Mississippi and New Mexico) and the highest at approximately $5,000 (Washington).
• Almost half (49 percent) of states do not automatically cite drivers for reckless driving based on a specific speed threshold or a specific number of mph over the limit.
• Nearly a third (29 percent) of states use speed cameras to automatically catch and fine speeding drivers.

Overall Rank (1=Strictest)	City	Reckless Penalties Rank	Speeding Enforcement Rank
1	Colorado	T - 2	T - 10
T - 2	Arizona	T - 10	T - 2
T - 2	Delaware	1	T - 23
T - 2	Illinois	T - 8	T - 4
5	New Mexico	T - 10	T - 4
6	Virginia	T - 8	14
T - 7	Iowa	T - 24	1
T - 7	Massachusetts	T - 2	T - 31
9	Alabama	T - 10	T - 15
10	District Of Columbia	T - 15	T - 10
T - 11	Arkansas	4	T - 44
T - 11	California	5	T - 31
T - 11	Oregon	T - 19	T - 7
T - 11	Washington	T - 19	T - 7
15	West Virginia	T - 6	T - 31
T - 16	Kansas	T - 10	T - 26
T - 16	Maryland	T - 27	T - 7
T - 18	Indiana	T - 27	T - 10
T - 18	Missouri	T - 41	T - 2
T - 18	North Carolina	T - 15	T - 19
T - 21	Oklahoma	T - 6	47
T - 21	Wyoming	14	T - 26
T - 23	Hawaii	T - 24	T - 17
T - 23	New York	T - 41	6
T - 25	Alaska	T - 19	T - 23
T - 25	Louisiana	40	T - 10
T - 25	Maine	T - 19	T - 23
T - 25	Vermont	T - 15	T - 31
29	Idaho	T - 15	T - 44
30	Tennessee	T - 41	T - 15
T - 31	Connecticut	T - 27	T - 31
T - 31	Georgia	T - 27	T - 31
T - 31	Minnesota	T - 27	T - 31
T - 31	Nevada	T - 24	T - 38
T - 35	Florida	T - 37	T - 26
T - 35	North Dakota	T - 27	T - 38
T - 35	Rhode Island	T - 27	T - 38
T - 38	Michigan	T - 19	T - 48
T - 38	Wisconsin	T - 45	T - 17
T - 40	Kentucky	T - 45	T - 19
T - 40	Montana	36	T - 44
T - 40	Nebraska	T - 37	T - 38
T - 40	New Jersey	T - 37	T - 38
T - 40	Ohio	T - 45	T - 19
T - 40	South Carolina	T - 45	T - 19
46	New Hampshire	T - 27	T - 48
T - 47	Mississippi	T - 45	T - 26
T - 47	Pennsylvania	T - 45	T - 26
T - 47	South Dakota	T - 41	T - 38
T - 47	Utah	T - 27	T - 50
51	Texas	T - 45	T - 50

 

 

 

State	Speeding Automatically Considered Reckless Driving	Type of Speed Limit	Additional Cost of Insurance	Laws in Place Prohibiting Racing on Highway	Does the State use Automatic Speed Cameras	Additional Penalties for Aggressive Driving	How Much Does One Speeding Ticket Count Toward a Suspension	Total Points
Alabama	Not Set	Absolute	23%	Yes	Yes	No	14%	7.5
Alaska	Not Set	Absolute	65%	Yes	No	No	33%	6
Arizona	Over 20 mph	Mixed	17%	Yes	Yes	Yes	38%	10.5
Arkansas	Over 15 mph	Absolute	19%	Yes	No	No	24%	4
California	Over 35 mph	Mixed	28%	Yes	No	No	25%	5
Colorado	Over 25 mph	Mixed	18%	Yes	Yes	No	33%	8.5
Connecticut	Over 20 mph	Mixed	7%	Yes	No	No	10%	5
Delaware	Not Set	Absolute	10%	Yes	No	Yes	42%	6
District Of Columbia	Over 30 mph	Absolute	21%	No	Yes	No	27%	8.5
Florida	Not Set	Absolute	32%	No	No	Yes	25%	5.5
Georgia	Not Set	Absolute	17%	Yes	No	Yes	13%	5
Hawaii	Over 30 mph	Absolute	12%	Yes	No	No	N/A	7
Idaho	Not Set	Absolute	17%	Yes	No	No	18%	4
Illinois	Over 30 mph	Absolute	17%	Yes	Yes	Yes	33%	10
Indiana	Over 30 mph	Absolute	21%	Yes	No	Yes	50%	8.5
Iowa	Over 25 mph	Absolute	22%	Yes	Yes	No	N/A	11
Kansas	Not Set	Absolute	18%	Yes	No	No	N/A	5.5
Kentucky	Over 26 mph	Absolute	13%	Yes	No	No	25%	6.5
Louisiana	Over 15 mph	Absolute	19%	Yes	Yes	No	N/A	8.5
Maine	Over 30 mph	Absolute	12%	No	No	No	50%	6
Maryland	Not Set	Absolute	33%	Yes	Yes	Yes	18%	9
Massachusetts	Not Set	Mixed	23%	Yes	No	No	N/A	5
Michigan	Not Set	Mixed	5%	Yes	No	No	25%	3
Minnesota	Over 30 mph	Mixed	11%	No	No	No	N/A	5
Mississippi	Not Set	Absolute	18%	Yes	No	No	N/A	5.5
Missouri	Over 20 mph	Absolute	17%	Yes	Yes	No	38%	10.5
Montana	Not Set	Absolute	15%	Yes	No	No	13%	4
Nebraska	Not Set	Absolute	11%	Yes	No	No	25%	4.5
Nevada	Not Set	Absolute	22%	No	No	Yes	17%	4.5
New Hampshire	Not Set	Mixed	2%	Yes	No	No	25%	4.5
New Jersey	Not Set	Absolute	3%	Yes	No	No	42%	3
New Mexico	Over 26 mph	Absolute	23%	Yes	Yes	No	30%	10
New York	Over 30 mph	Absolute	12%	Yes	Yes	No	36%	9.5
North Carolina	Over 15 mph	Absolute	33%	Yes	No	Yes	25%	6.5
North Dakota	Over 36 mph	Absolute	17%	Yes	No	No	8%	4.5
Ohio	Not Set	Mixed	25%	Yes	Yes	No	17%	6.5
Oklahoma	Not Set	Absolute	28%	No	No	No	20%	3.5
Oregon	Over 30 mph	Mixed	19%	Yes	Yes	No	N/A	9
Pennsylvania	Over 30 mph	Absolute	8%	Yes	No	No	25%	5.5
Rhode Island	Not Set	Prima Facie	19%	Yes	No	Yes	N/A	4.5
South Carolina	Over 25 mph	Absolute	16%	Yes	No	No	33%	6.5
South Dakota	Not Set	Absolute	21%	Yes	No	No	13%	4.5
Tennessee	Not Set	Absolute	13%	Yes	Yes	No	25%	7.5
Texas	Not Set	Prima Facie	12%	Yes	No	No	33%	2.5
Utah	Not Set	Prima Facie	11%	Yes	No	No	28%	2.5
Vermont	Over 30 mph	Absolute	14%	No	No	No	30%	5
Virginia	Over 20 mph	Absolute	22%	Yes	No	Yes	22%	8
Washington	Over 1 mph	Absolute	26%	Yes	Yes	No	N/A	9
West Virginia	Not Set	Absolute	19%	Yes	No	No	38%	5
Wisconsin	Over 25 mph	Absolute	21%	Yes	No	No	33%	7
Wyoming	Not Set	Absolute	15%	Yes	No	No	N/A	5.5

 

To understand the total cost of speeding to society and what can be done to reduce its occurrence, we consulted a panel of traffic safety experts. Below are the observations of one of them.

Questions

1. As traffic worsens in many cities, drivers' tempers get shorter. What can states do to reduce road rage and aggressive driving?

2. Average highway speeds are much higher now than in the days of the national 55 mph speed limit. How has this affected efforts to reduce fuel consumption?

3. What road design & traffic calming measures have been shown to be effective at reducing speeding?

4. Young drivers have a harder time resisting the temptation to drive fast. What steps can states and parents take to help new drivers learn safe driving habits?

 

Francois Dion Ph.D

Senior Development Engineer at Partners for Advanced Transportation Technology (PATH), University of California, Berkeley

As traffic worsens in many cities, drivers' tempers get shorter. What can states do to reduce road rage and aggressive driving?

This is a difficult problem to tackle, as road rage may also be affected by cultural changes, such as the rise of a more self centered culture, which can lead to a decrease in courtesy and civility. In many cases, tempers get shorter because we do not know what is happening, why there is congestion.

A practical solution to help reduce temper flaring has been to provide motorists with more information about road conditions ahead, such as travel times to reference points, location of incident ahead, etc. Since motorists know what to expect, they tend to remain calmer. However, the provision of such information is often constrained by the limited number of means to disseminate information, few freeway electronic signs for instance.

Average highway speeds are much higher now than in the days of the national 55 mph speed limit. How has this affected efforts to reduce fuel consumption?

My understanding is the 55 mph national speed limit was imposed as a means to reduce fuel consumption after the fuel shortage crisis of the mid-1970s. The problem with this law is that it was largely disregarded, and was seen as an annoyance and impediment to economic activities. Gas prices have probably been a more effective influencing factor to improve vehicle fuel consumption, as price spikes have pushed motorists to buy smaller cars or more fuel efficient vehicles. The 55 mph was probably more effective in reducing accidents and fatalities, slower speeds means less severe accidents, than at reducing fuel consumption.

What road design & traffic calming measures have been shown to be effective at reducing speeding?

Various measures have been used effectively:

• Installation of speed bumps on residential streets,
• Conversion of intersections into roundabouts (traffic circles), as these forces vehicle to slow down to negotiate an intersection,
• Narrowing street width or lane width through curb extensions, or the installation of chokers (small curb extensions at selected locations), to make the road look like a more constrained environment.
• Reducing the number of lanes on an arterial, for instance, going from a 2-lane configuration in each direction to a 1-lane configuration per direction with bike lanes or added parking space. This is known as "road diet" and has attracted significant attention from cities in recent years.
• Converting one way streets into two way streets.

Young drivers have a harder time resisting the temptation to drive fast. What steps can states and parents take to help new drivers learn safe driving habits?

In this case, I think that education is the key. Young drivers need to know the risks associated with speeding. Since they have a lack of driving experience, it is difficult for them to fully appreciate the risks, accident and injury risks to themselves or others, not to mention potential high monetary costs associated with accidents. Graduated licenses, where younger drivers have few demerit points, also probably help.