Speeding Ticket Fun Facts including the Fastest, Most expensive, Etc.

Speeding Tickets are not funny.  They often cause frustration and money to the person receiving them.  On the other hand if could be much worse.   Here are a few fun facts about speeding tickets, enjoy!

The fastest speeding ticket in the world allegedly occurred in May 2003 in Texas. It was supposedly 242 mph in a 75 mph zone. The car was a Swedish-built Koenigsegg CC8S, which was involved in the San Francisco to Miami Gumball 3000 Rally.


The fastest convicted speeder in the UK was Daniel Nicks, convicted of 175 mph on a Honda Fireblade motorcycle in 2000. He received six weeks in jail and was banned from driving for two years.

The fastest UK speeder in a car was Timothy Brady, caught driving a 3.6-litre Porsche 911 Turbo at 172 mph on the A420 in Oxfordshire in January 2007 and jailed for 10 weeks and banned from driving for 3 years.

The most expensive speeding ticket ever given is believed to be the one given to Jussi Salonoja in Helsinki, Finland, in 2003. Salonoja, the 27-year-old heir to a company in the meat-industry, was fined 170,000 euros for driving 80 km/h in a 40 km/h zone. The uncommonly large fine was due to Finnish speeding tickets being relative to the offender’s last known income. Salonoja’s speeding ticket was not the first ticket given in Finland reaching six figures.

There are many competing claims as to the first speeding ticket ever issued depending whether the claim goes by the first traffic violation or the first paper ticket ever issued. Great Britain may have the earliest claim with the first person to be convicted of speeding, Walter Arnold of East Peckham, Kent, who on 28 January 1896 was fined for speeding at 8 mph (13 km/h) in a 2 mph zone. He was fined 1 shilling plus costs.

A New York City cab driver named Jacob German was arrested for speeding on May 20, 1899 for driving 12 miles per hour on Lexington street in Manhattan. In Dayton, Ohio, police issued a paper ticket to Harry Myers for going twelve miles per hour on West Third Street in 1904.

Another early speeding ticket was issued in 1910 to Lady Laurier, the wife of Wilfrid Laurier, Prime Minister of Canada, in Ottawa, Canada, for exceeding the 10 miles per hour speed limit.

Among the most unpopular tickets, a mention is deserved of the small municipality of Segrate arranging to put a speed limit between two near-by traffic lights synchronized such that drivers were forced to either break the speed limit or pass with the red. It took months before the hated machines were eventually dismantled by the Guardia di Finanza.

Retro: Minnesota trooper writes 205 mph speeding ticket

This is an older article but a good one.  Turns out the bike this guy was riding was a Honda RC-51 or RVT1000.  The bike is not capable of going over 200mph.  (Trust me I used to own one)  The speed was determined by using an airplane and a stop watch with markers on the road.  Its a pretty inaccurate way to determine speed especially going that fast..

 

Minnesota trooper writes 205 mph speeding ticket

WABASHA, Minn. (AP) — With a State Patrol airplane overhead, a Stillwater motorcyclist hit the throttle and possibly set the informal record for the fastest speeding ticket in Minnesota history: 205 mph.

On Saturday afternoon, State Patrol pilot Al Loney was flying near Wabasha, in southeastern Minnesota on the Wisconsin border, watching two motorcyclists racing along U.S. Highway 61.

When one of the riders shot forward, Loney was ready with his stopwatch. He clicked it once when the motorcycle reached a white marker on the road and again a quarter-mile later. The watch read 4.39 seconds, which Loney calculated to be 205 mph.  "I was in total disbelief," Loney told the St. Paul Pioneer Press for Tuesday's editions. "I had to double-check my watch because in 27 years I'd never seen anything move that fast."  Several law enforcement sources told the newspaper that, although no official records are kept, it was probably the fastest ticket ever written in the state.

After about three-quarters of a mile, the biker slowed to about 100 mph and let the other cycle catch up. By then Loney had radioed ahead to another state trooper, who pulled the two over soon afterward.  The State Patrol officer arrested the faster rider, 20-year-old Stillwater resident Samuel Armstrong Tilley, for reckless driving, driving without a motorcycle license — and driving 140 miles per hour over the posted speed limit of 65 mph.

A search of speeding tickets written by state troopers, who patrol most of the state's highways, between 1990 and February 2004 shows the next fastest ticket was for 150 mph in 1994 in Lake of the Woods County.  Tilley did not return calls from the newspaper to his home Monday. A working number for him could not immediately be found by The Associated Press on Tuesday.  Only a handful of exotic sports cars can reach 200 mph, but many high-performance motorcycles can top 175 mph. With minor modifications, they can hit 200 mph. Tilley was riding a Honda 1000, Loney said. 

Kathy Swanson of the state Office of Traffic Safety said unless Tilley was wearing the kind of protective gear professional motorcycle racers wear, he was courting death at 200 mph.  "I'm not entirely sure what would happen if you crashed at 200 miles per hour," Swanson said. "But it wouldn't be pretty, that's for sure."

Read the original Article here:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2004-09-21-speeder_x.htm

Factors that determine your Car Insurance Rates

New article on Newsday about car insurance rates.  It seems other than age, a driver's driving record with tickets and accidents is the best indicator of how high their premiums will be.

Factors that determine car insurance bill
By: Tim Cadet- Tribune Media Services

Calculating an insurance bill involves many factors and knowing what they are could help you avoid costly rates. Your age, driving record, where you live and the car that you drive are the biggest factors that determine your premium. Insurance companies predict the likelihood of you having an accident based on statistics they've collected over many years.  If your premiums seem high, the insurance company probably considers you to be someone more likely to be in an accident. It's crucial to shop around, as different insurance companies' premiums can vary widely.

Do you want coverage that only pays for repairs to damage that you've caused? Or do you want a policy that protects you from everything that may come your way, including court fees? The cost of insuring your car will depend on many factors:  Price quotes will vary: It's easy to say you want everything covered, but if you've been in an accident or two, or collected some speeding tickets, complete coverage may be expensive. Premiums will vary based on driving history and age, so don't be upset if your rate differs from someone you know.

Look for discounts: You can save money if you have a clean record, have no recent accidents, get good grades, buy a new car or serve in the military. These deals vary by provider so it will likely require extra research on your part. Don't worry; it could pay for itself.  Don't be shy: It's OK to ask the insurance representative a lot of questions. Some insurance agencies will cover custom repair parts and reimburse you for your rental car, roadside assistance and even injuries to your pet. Make sure you ask if these are available.

Insurance add-ons
If you are looking for a policy that's customized for you, many insurance providers offer coverage for specific needs. Insurance companies offer many different add-on packages, such as rental car reimbursement, roadside assistance and even coverage for when your car just plain dies. If you have only one car, you may want to consider a rental car reimbursement package. Remember, these kinds of packages will raise your premiums.

No-fault insurance
Some states have a no-fault auto-insurance law that is intended to lower premiums by preventing lawsuits between drivers. These states require personal-injury protection to cover bodily damages and lost wages, and these will raise your premiums.

States with no-fault insurance
Florida Hawaii Kansas Kentucky Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota New Jersey New York North Dakota Pennsylvania Utah

Source: Insurance Information Institute

How to save
Check for discounts: Driver discounts are available in various categories; for example, if you are safe driver or in the military, you may be eligible for a discount. If you have not been in an accident for a few years (the number of years can vary by insurer), you also may be eligible for a discount. If you take a defensive-driving class or become a member of a organization such as an alumni group, your provider may recognize you as someone who is less likely to have an accident.

Choose a higher deductible: The deductible is the amount of money you'll pay out of the total amount of repairs needed after an accident. A higher deductible will help lower your monthly rate, but remember, if you're in a crash, you may have to pay a large sum out of your own pocket down the road. A $1,000 deductable means your insurance company won't pay anything until repairs exceed $1,000. Choose a deducible that won't hurt your wallet, either now or in a crash. A lower deductible may be better for someone who doesn't drive often and has some money to spare.

Drive safer: Improve your driving habits, and you will find yourself saving cash. Driving less often, avoiding traffic violations and living in less-populated areas can help lower your premiums.

Look into one-stop shopping: Many insurance companies have policies for almost everything: cars, homes, motorcycles, boats, RVs, ATVs, even pets. Consider whether you want to add more vehicles or your home to your policy. You can usually save money by insuring multiple items through one provider.

Groups with lower premiums
Trends in driver behavior are used to help determine the likelihood of a policy holder having an accident. Over the years, certain vehicle and driver attributes have shown to be safer, leading to less harm being done to passengers.  Vehicle characteristics - New vehicle - Daytime running lights - Anti-theft system - Antilock brakes - Motorized seat belts Driver characteristics - Good student (meets grade-point average set by the provider) - College student who doesn't bring the car to school - Being married - Being over 25 - Living in a less-populated area - 55 years old and retired - 65 years old or older and drives only one-quarter of the vehicle's mileage - Owning a vehicle used only on a farm

Groups with higher premiums
The following vehicle and driver attributes are often associated with higher insurance rates:
Vehicle characteristics - Performance model (such as a Subaru WRX or Nissan 370Z) - Commonly stolen cars - Poor crash-test scores from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Driver characteristics - Young (16- to 19-year-old drivers are considered the highest risk) - Multiple tickets or traffic violations - Multiple accidents - Lives and works in a city - Many hours of driving per day