Suggest OddsLicense and Registration, Please: The Odds of Getting a Speeding Ticket
IStock Photo 9442736 © ncognet0
Nothing ruins a trip like the sight of a police car about to pull you over. One minute you’re blissfully cruising along, and the next you’re miserably watching other cars go by while you wait to find out if the officer will write you a speeding ticket—and how much it will cost you.
And tickets these days are often budget busters. Fines for speeding, the most common offense, can range anywhere from less than $100 up to $1000 for the first offense. In Massachusetts, for example, the base fine for speeding is $100, but that only covers the first 10 mph over the speed limit. After that it’s $10 for each additional mph, so going 85 in a 55 mph zone will cost you an additional $200. And, as in other states, higher insurance fees for the next few years can put the ultimate cost of a single speeding violation at more than $500.
Although most people get pulled over at some point in their driving lives, the chances of getting through any given year without getting stopped are pretty good. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the odds a driver will be stopped by the police in a year are 1 in 11.48. Men are more likely than women to get pulled over, with 1 in 9.43 male drivers getting stopped annually, compared to 1 in 14.66 female drivers.
In the majority of these instances, speeding is the reason for the traffic stop. The odds a driver stopped by the police is stopped for speeding are 1 in 1.84 (54%).
Once a cop pulls you over for speeding, you don’t stand a very good chance of talking your way out of a ticket. The odds a driver stopped by the police for speeding will be ticketed are 1 in 1.37 (73%). Men fare slightly worse than women, with 1 in 1.34 (75%) male drivers getting tickets compared to 1 in 1.44 (69%) female drivers. Regrettably, no data is available on what the magic words are for convincing an officer to let you go with a warning.
Certain car models tend to get pulled over and ticketed more or less often than others, according to the Quality Planning Corporation, a consulting firm that tracks insurance issues. The Hummer H2/H3, Scion tC, the Mercedes Benz CLK63, the Toyota Solara, and the Subaru Outback station wagon are among the most ticketed models, while the Jaguar XJ, the Chevrolet Suburban, the Buick Park Avenue, the Mazda 6, and the Oldsmobile Silhouette are among the least ticketed. Experts say a number of factors affect these lists, including the car’s capabilities, the type of person who drives the car (e.g., age and lifestyle), and law enforcement officers’ perceptions of the vehicles.
Comments (9)
Great article… I seriously enjoyed the whole concept and the write-up.thank you for choosing this topics.
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report abuseOops, sorry! I just noticed how late to the game my comments are on this one!
report abuseObviously, the odds differ based upon where one lives and/or does the most driving. I live in a small southern town (U.S) and the odds of me getting pulled by a local officer or an NC state trooper for *any* reason is way too high for comfort. I'm not joking when I say this. Rural areas are not only speed traps but traffic "enforcement" traps in general.
report abuseI'll refrain from commenting on the lack of education, training, professionalism and 'good ol' boy' corruption & that goes along with it.
A guy that drives 50 in the fast lane is an impediment to traffic, doesn't understand how highways work and is a safety hazard. In other words, a moron.
report abuseanother interesting question is "what are your odds of getting a second ticket"?
report abuseI'm sure that is much more likely, as they have already proven their willingness to drive too fast. The guy who drives 50 in the fast lane will never get a speeding ticket, so the drivers who get two or more tickets per year adjust the ticket per driver statistic upward.
@fireflybuzz - I don't believe we have data on the color of cars pulled over just yet - that would be interesting! Feel free to use the "Suggest Odds" button on the upper right hand corner of this page to do just that. As we add odds statements, you can search the database for "white car" etc.
report abuse@sstair - Good point. While I'm fairly sure that the data was not adjusted for miles driven, that could certainly be a possible contributing factor to the distinction between genders. Odds of being pulled over per mile varies greatly per driver - I don't believe that's something we could calculate for all drivers by simply using these odds - it would require much more data, but it would certainly be a useful odds statement to calculate using your individual driving stats!
Thank you both for your contributions.
Is the gender breakdown adjusted for miles driven? I'm assuming there are more miles driven by male drivers, which would cause them to be pulled over more. Also, can the odds of being pulled over be divided by miles driven, to show the odds of being pulled over per mile driven.
report abuseIs there any stat on the color of the car been pulled over? Does a white car more likely pulled over than a black car, for example?
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