Speed Limits Artificially Low - Economics May Be A Contributing Factor
After receiving a speeding ticket, people often tell us that the area where they were pulled over is a "speed trap." An article in the Detroit News seems to give added credence to that argument.
Four years ago, Public Act 85 was passed into law requiring municipalities in Michigan to conduct speed studies to determine the proper speed limit of its roadways. According to Lt. Gary Megge, head of the Michigan State Police Traffic Services Section, most cities, villages and townships have not complied with that requirement. In support of Megge's assessment, the Detroit News reportedly reviewed 10 randomly selected Metro Detroit roadways identified as "speed traps" by the National Motorists Association and allegedly found that no speed studies have been conducted along those roadways in accordance with PA 85 since its inception.
Megge believes that one likely reason for the noncompliance is that communities want the revenue that is generated by issuing speeding tickets and that failing to conduct the required speed studies allows the municipalities to keep enforcing their speed limits that are "artificially low" according to Megge. Megge is quoted to have said "I think money is part of it and I find it reprehensible that communities aren't following the law."
Speeding tickets cost you money and the points could result in the loss of your driver's license and thousands of dollars in increased insurance premiums. If you have a speeding ticket or moving violation of any kind, call us at Freedman & Freedman. We defend traffic tickets vigorously on a daily basis.