What To Do If You Get Caught Speeding

by Jim on October 25, 2022

The most common tickets issued by police officers in most states in the United States are speeding tickets. As a driver in the United States, it is important to know what to do if you are issued a speeding ticket.

When a law enforcement officer gets you to pull over for speeding, you first need to stop, stay calm, take a deep breath, and get ready to interact with the police officer. Find a safe spot to pull over, take out your driver’s license, registration, and insurance, and prepare to follow all instructions. This approach will help establish a positive rapport.

What happens if you get caught driving above speed limits?

The law enforcement officer will issue you a speeding ticket if he feels you are driving above the legal speed limit. A paper ticket, also called a citation, will be given to you on the spot where the officer pulled you over. The next thing to do is obey the instructions, or you’ll face harsher consequences.

When the camera catches you

The speeding tickets issued to drivers who the police caught driving above speed limits or running the traffic stop on camera vary by jurisdiction and the location of the camera. Drivers may receive a verbal warning, a small penalty fee, or fees worth several hundred dollars to settle.

Depending on the location, some drivers may receive more costly tickets than others. These locations are red zones for speeding and include:

Construction zone
School zone

Speeding tickets issued in these locations can be far more costly than the usual fee.

What to do if you’re caught speeding?

If you get caught speeding, these tips can be helpful.

1. Appeal the speeding ticket

You can choose to appeal the police officer’s decision if you get a speeding ticket, but most people decide to pay the fine. About 28% of people who got a speeding ticket said they went to court to appeal the decision.

Interestingly, most people who made appeals were successful, particularly women who represented themselves in a traffic court.

I escaped a speeding ticket by representing myself — 43% (40% of men; 55% of women)
Got out of a speeding ticket by hiring a lawyer — 35% (39% of men: 22% of women)
I still got the ticket after representing myself — - 7% (8% of men: 4% of women).

The 42% of people who said they made appeals by hiring a traffic lawyer were happy with the hiring. 91% said they felt the cost of hiring was worth it.

What was the lawyer’s fee?

Above $700 — 35%
From $500 to 699$ — 11%
From $300 – $499 — 23%
From $100 – $299 — 35%
Below $100 — 27%

2. Find relevant excuses to getting out of a speeding ticket

Let’s see some relevant excuses for getting out from a speeding ticket.

I didn’t notice I was driving above the speeding limit — 26%
I had a medical emergency — 25%
Everyone else was driving at the same speed — 22%
Running late for work — 21%
I had to use the restroom — 20%
Running late for a job interview — 16%
Late to pick up or drop my kid in school — 15%
I didn’t notice the sign — 14%
Late for an appointment in court — 13%
Late to meet up with friends — 12%
I’m returning home with hot food and didn’t want it to get cold — 11%
Running late to meet partner, wife, or husband — 11%
Late for a funeral — 10%
Late for a date — 10%
Late for a dinner reservation, sporting event, performance, or concert — 9%.

3. Pay the ticket

On average, a speeding ticket costs $150. However, depending on speeding violations, it can go up to $2,500 or more. The cost of a speeding ticket issued by a police officer usually varies, depending on how far you exceeded the speed limit, location, and more. You can simply admit guilt, pay the ticket and move on with your day.

Remember to stay inside your car with the seat belt on during a traffic stop until the police officer asks you to step out.

4. Take a driver improvement course after the ticket.

You can plead guilty and apply for entry into a local traffic school around you or take a defensive driving course to acquire knowledge and the tools necessary to avoid getting into such situations in the future.

When you enroll in a traffic school and take these courses, you stand a chance of cutting down car insurance costs or even getting your speeding ticket thrown out; what’s important to note is that you should avoid speeding in the future, or you’ll get a speeding ticket again.

How often are drivers stopped by officers for speeding?

Half of the drivers say they’ve never been pulled over by a ticketing officer or haven’t been stopped for speeding in the last ten years. Nearly a third of drivers also say a police officer has pulled them over within the past year.

In the past ten years, fifty-five percent of the drivers who have been pulled over stopped only once. Thirty-four percent said two or three times.

Most times, women are more likely to say they’ve never been pulled over than men. Forty-two percent of women say police officers haven’t asked them to pull over for driving above the speed limit, compared to about 15% of men. Those results are similar to the survey conducted in 2020.

What level of speed is considered too fast?

Almost everyone indeed speeds at some point when driving; most say they don’t drive too much above the speed limit.

Seventy-nine percent of motorists assert that when driving, they don’t exceed ten mph of the speed limit — but men were more likely to say they floor it sometimes.

5 – 10 mph more than the speeding limit — 52% (52% of both women and men)
Below five mph more than the speeding limit — 27% (22% of men; 32% of women)
11 – 15 mph above the speeding limit — 14 % (15% of men; 13% of women)
16 – 29 more than the speeding limit — 4% (6% of men; 2% of women)
30 mph or more above the speeding limit — 3% (5% of men; 2% of women).

Why do drivers speed?

Most motorists admit to driving above the speed limit occasionally but differ in their reasons for speeding. Many motorists want to maintain speed with other moving vehicles on the road, but some don’t party to current speed limits.

48% say they want to keep up with the traffic flow and avoid running over. (This figure is the same as that of 2020).
17% say they want to reach their location on time (This figure is a decline from 34% as of 2020)
10% say speeding limits are very low (This figure is down from the 20% recorded in 2020).
8% say they think it’s safe to drive at 29 mph or below over the speed limit on most occasions. (This figure is down from the 18% recorded in 2020).
8% say they were distracted by the traffic and didn’t know they were speeding.
7% say they think it’s okay to drive above the speeding limit, irrespective of how much.

How often do drivers speed?

Most speeding drivers say they don’t go over the speeding limit by so much or do so unintentionally.

34% say they almost always exceed the limit, usually 5 miles.
31% rarely say, usually because they don’t know when they go over the limit or didn’t see the limit change.
20% say they drive above the limit sometimes if they pick up their child from school or meet up with an application.
15% say they almost always drive above the limit, usually by 11 miles or more.

What’s the impact of speeding tickets on car insurance costs?

It can be pricey when you get a speeding ticket. You can pay the fine, but your car insurance will also rise.

North Carolina has the record for the highest vehicle insurance rate increases for drivers who get a speeding ticket for driving within the range of 11 to 16 mph above the speed limit. On average, drivers in North Carolina caught speeding between 11 to 16 mph above the speeding limit pay 50% higher than the normal rate.

In some states, insurers usually charge much higher rates depending on your speed. For example, in Michigan, on average, insurance companies charge a 29% higher rate for drivers who get caught going 11 to 26 mph above the speed limit.

Compare this rate to a driver above 30 mph over the speed limit. Insurers in Michigan hike up rates by an average of 70% for those drivers.

Meanwhile, drivers in California, on average, pay about 43% more for driving above the speed limit, whether 11 mph or 30 mph more than the limit.

Your insurance company will consider the impact of speeding on your vehicle insurance costs. In addition, the number of tickets plays a role in rates. Multiple speeding tickets in three years can make you a "high-risk driver." Drivers with two or more tickets are usually charged an average of 43% or higher. That could increase the rate increase for one ticket by two folds.

Final thoughts

Generally, going above the speeding limit and getting pulled over is a regular highway occurrence. What is important is your manner of approach to the situation. Ensure you obey the police officer’s order to pull over, don’t argue or make any sudden movements, and follow the necessary procedure to prevent harsher penalties as resistance can make the situation worse.