New List - Worst States for Tickets
 

By MSN Money staff
If you're hitting the road for the holiday weekend, you're probably already prepared to scan the horizon for Ford Crown Victorias lying in wait, speed guns in hand.


Worst states to own a car
But if you're in New Jersey, Ohio or Maryland, you'll want to keep one finger hovering over the cruise control's cancel button at all times. They're the worst places to drive, according to the National Motorists Association, which has ranked conditions in all states (see the full list here) according to these 17 criteria:

Speed traps per capita (the number of speed traps listed on SpeedTrap.org indexed to population).

Does the state have "driver responsibility" fees?

Does the state have mayor's courts?

Does the state authorize the use of roadblocks?

What are the freeway speed limits?

Does the state have red-light cameras?

Does the state have speed cameras?

Are there toll roads in the state?

Is a jury trial available for traffic violations?

Is trial by declaration (asserting a defense in writing without appearing in court) available?

Is the state a member of the Non-Resident Violator Compact?

Is the state a member of the Driver License Compact?

Are radar detectors banned in the state?

Does the state have a primary seat-belt law?

Are there adult helmet laws in the state?

Are there move-over laws in the state?

Is cell phone use while driving banned?


COMPLETE ARTICLE HERE

It unclear to me whether some of these criteria are being considered a positive or a negative for drivers.

there are some that would argue that these policies are good for the safety and welfare of the citizenry. government is nothing more than a mirror reflection of the beliefs and ideals of the people. someone somewhere believes that these policies make people 'safe drivers'.

It doesnt surprise me that a lot of the worst states are out east. between ridiculous taxes and extreme housing costs and corrupt government, this is just a sweet addition to what is piled upon the people there. one day bottom will drop out.....

Agreed - it's one sided criteria. I would like to think that there was some statistical science used in the calculations but........won't think that :rolleyes:

I'm surprised that CT is viewed as fairly lax at #32.

I guess a "no" answer for these three moves it towards the middle.

Does the state have red-light cameras?

Does the state have speed cameras?

Are there toll roads in the state?

At least not yet.

Of course I generally abide by the laws and speed limits when my kids are in the car, so it doesn't really bother me any way. If driving solo I'll set my cruise control at highway speeds +8-10 mph depending on traffic.

Mississippi made red light cameras illegal - freaking out a company that spent thousands installing them.
ARTICLE

Quite the contrary, a lot of politicians do things that are unpopular to their constituents.

A bigger reason for this is simply revenue. If some random state had a law saying all road tickets and drug busts go to schools and housing projects instead of a revenue pot I doubt many local politicians or even state ones would care to pass red light camera rules, handsfree laws, and other unenforceable crimes.

Either way I don't speed. Cops see "yeah! 21 year old in a Benz"! And I'm done.

I'm absolutely not surprised that New Jersey topped the list. I've driven through it on many occasions and they are just plain sneaky there.


One tactic that I definitely took notice of is something that's taken for granted elsewhere. You're driving and you see that someone is pulled over so the natural reaction that everyone does is to slow down as they pass the two/three cars and then speed up back to cruising speed. In NJ they park another officer about 1,000 feet down the road to pick off someone else as they cruise by.....

My end of Jesey isn't too bad....on major roadways patrolled by the SP.:cool:
It's my experience and expectation that they "give" you 70-73 mph in a 65 zone. The SP have had to cut back, and I think highway patrolling is one place they do it here.
Local roadways can be a problem. Some towns just kill you for the money.
Jersey doesn't have red light camera tickets...yet! It's been kicked around in the legislature, but so far so good.
Jersey also had 2 "get out of jail free" passes", meaning a driver can essentially plead no contest and not receive and MV points...only pay a (bigger) fine.
On the bad side, our BAC for DUI is .08%.....very low.
http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/Violations/dui.htm
God forbid you have three beers and a kid on a bike shoots out in front of you! U be screwed.

Speeding tickets are 95% about revenue and 5% safety.

good to know, also a CB turned to channel 19 will pick up truckers who seem to always know where the bears are located with pinpoint accuracy.

Think I would rather get a ticket than listen to CB Ch. 19 :P

whatever, on really really long trips, I've found the trucker talk to be entertaining. especially at night, winding up the diesel, letting the benz breathe a bit, channel 19 is like entering the surreal world of people who live on the road full time.

LOL, exactly what I was going to say. That's one step below listening to talk radio (well, maybe it's only a half a step).