Originally Posted by AutoYahoo.com
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
7. Orlando, Florida
Speed traps: 165
6. Denver, Colorado
Speed traps: 165
Colorado, like Texas, has "home rule," where cities don't have to comply with state laws. As a result, traffic on some roadways indicate 35 to 40 miles per hour is safe and yet the speed limit has been set at 25, or 55 is safe and yet the legal limit has been set at 40.
One Denver driver said that many roadways have been designed far bigger than they need to be, which facilitates higher rates of speed. Then they post low speed limits and BAM! They can snag you for a speeding ticket.
And they're tough: They have speed cameras everywhere, that resident said, and they'll even nail you for going an inch over the line at a light.
Jayson Luber, the traffic reporter for 7News at ABC affiliate KMGH, said officers will even wait for drivers riding in the exit lane who dart back into other lanes at the last minute, and nab them for crossing a white line. He said holiday weekends are the worst but police are out in full force year round.
5. Jacksonville, Florida
Speed traps: 175
4. Colorado Springs, Colorado
Speed traps: 186
Remember, Colorado has "home rule," where municipalities don't have to follow state laws, and Colorado Springs takes full advantage of it.
To their credit, they fully disclose how tough they are: They state publicly that drivers will be penalized if they drive 1-4 miles over the speed limit, 5 to 9 miles over, 10 to 19 miles over, 20 to 39 miles over and 40 or more miles over (Literally, they break it down that far). They also state that "one's intent is irrelevant," which means they don't care if you didn't mean to speed, had a broken speedometer or have oversized tires. These situations are "Not a defense to speeding."
Colorado Springs drivers write on Speedtrap.org that often police use unmarked vehicles. And, like Denver, wide roads are often slapped with a 25 mph limit and entering the city from the southeast, one motorist notes, the speed limit drops quickly from 55 to 25.
3. Las Vegas, Nevada
Speed traps: 187
2. Austin, Texas
Speed traps: 189
1. Houston, Texas
Speed traps: 373
