Tight Municipal Budgets Now Mean Speeding Tickets For Only 5 MPH Over

The recession may be claiming a new victim: the 5-10-mph "cushion" police and state troopers across the USA have routinely given motorists exceeding the speed limit.

As cities and states scramble to fill budget gaps with revenue from traffic citations, "not only are the (speeding) tolerances much lower, but the frequency of a warning instead of a ticket is way down," says James Baxter, president of the National Motorists Association, a Wisconsin-based drivers' rights group that helps its members fight speeding tickets.

"Most people, if they're stopped now, are getting a ticket even if it's only a minor violation of a few miles per hour," Baxter says. He cites anecdotal evidence of drivers being pulled over at slower speeds.

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veyron1001 - 4/1/2010 2:20:37 PM

+4 Boost

Here is an idea. Spend less. The consumers have to do it why not the govt?

Threepoint1415926 - 4/1/2010 3:25:38 PM

+3 Boost

This is why I've always been a HUGE proponent EVERYONE fighting EVERY ticket they get. If everyone did, it would cost the court more than the tickets are worth in revenue, therefore reducing overall the number of ridiculous, absurd, revenue-generating tickets that cops write. Using the law in this backwards manner is just ridiculous. The government already has the right of taxation, there is no reason to fleece people with fees trumped up as "safety."

thstone - 4/1/2010 7:25:43 PM

+2 Boost

Tickets are not a deterrent for me. I fight every ticket I get in court and even when I lose, $300 ain't that big of a deal when I know that they spent $1,000 in police time and court costs to get the $300.