Nearly half of American drivers surveyed by CarInsurance.com say they’ve avoided speeding tickets by giving an excuse to a police officer. Those excuses were often truthful, too.
The survey of 1,000 drivers conducted in 2021 found that only 12% of respondents lied when they gave excuses. Other results:
- I haven’t given an excuse to avoid a ticket: 56%
- It was the truth, so I hoped being honest would get me out of the ticket: 33%
- It was a fib this time because I used it before when it was true and it got me out of a ticket: 9%
- Even though it was a lie, I hoped it would get me out of the ticket: 3%
Men and younger drivers are more apt to use excuses to avoid a speeding citation: 69% of women said they’ve never done that, compared to 43% of men.
Only 25% of drivers between 18 and 24 years old said they haven’t given an excuse to get out of a speeding ticket. That’s compared to about three-quarters of drivers over 55 years old who said they’ve never given an excuse to sidestep a speeding ticket.
Most successful excuses to avoid speeding tickets
The most successful excuse to get out of a speeding ticket is a common refrain at traffic stops: “I didn’t know I was speeding.”
- I didn’t know I was speeding: 26%
- Medical emergency: 25%
- Everyone else was going the same speed: 22%
- Late for work: 21%
- I had to use the bathroom: 20%
- Late for an interview: 16%
- Late to pick up or drop my child off: 15%
- I didn’t see the sign: 14%
- Late for court appointment: 13%
- Late for doctor appointment: 13%
- Late to meet friends:12%
- I’m bringing home hot food and didn’t want it to get cold: 11%
- Late to meet partner, husband or wife: 11%
- Late for a date: 10%
- Late for a funeral: 10%
- Late for concert, performance, sporting event, dinner reservation: 9%
Requesting a warning can get you out of a speeding ticket
We’ve found that excuses are a way to avoid a citation. You can also request a warning.
More than one-third (36%) of drivers said they’ve requested a warning. Nearly half of those drivers said they were successful asking for a warning — and didn’t offer an excuse.
Forty-eight percent said they requested a warning without giving an excuse and got out of a speeding ticket. That tack didn’t work for everyone though. Twenty-nine percent said they asked for a warning without an excuse and still got a ticket.
Paul Petti, a retired police lieutenant and director at Police Career and Promotion Services, said there’s nothing wrong with requesting a warning if you’re only going five or 10 miles over the speed limit.
“Done politely, a sincere apology with a request for a warning can be helpful. Remember, however, that officers are often assigned to specific traffic ‘hot spots’ by supervisors and expected to write citations,” Petti says.
Men are more likely than women to request a warning when pulled over for speeding: 52% of men said they asked for a warning, compared to 20% of women.
Men are also more likely to get a warning if they request one. More than half of men said they asked for a warning without an excuse and got out of a ticket. Only 36% of women were successful.
Women were also less successful than men if they gave an excuse and requested a warning. Twenty-one percent of women said they still got a ticket when they offered an excuse and requested a warning. Only 7% of men said the same.
How often are drivers pulled over for speeding?
About half of drivers say they’ve either never been pulled over for speeding or haven’t in about 10 years. Around one-third of drivers say they’ve been pulled over within the past year.
Fifty-five percent of drivers who’ve been pulled over in the past 10 years only got stopped once in that time. Thirty-four percent said two or three times.
Women are much more likely to say they’ve never been pulled over than men. Forty-two percent of women say they’ve never been stopped for speeding, compared to just 15% of men. Those are similar results to the 2020 survey.
Appealing a speeding ticket works
You can appeal the decision if you get a speeding ticket, but we found most people just pay the fine. Only 28% who got a ticket said they went to court to appeal the decision.
The good news for the appealers is that most of them were successful, especially women who represented themselves in court.
- Represented myself, got out of ticket: 43% (55% of women; 40% of men)
- Hired a lawyer, got out of ticket: 35% (22% of women; 39% of men)
- Represented myself, still got the ticket: 14% (19% of women; 13% of men)
- Hired a lawyer, still got the ticket: 7% (4% of women; 8% of men)
How fast do people drive over the limit?
Though just about everyone speeds, most say they don’t drive that much over the limit. Seventy-nine percent of drivers say they drive within 10 mph of the speed limit — though men were more apt to say they floor it at times.
Here’s how fast respondents said they drive:
- 5 to 10 mph over the limit: 52% (52% of both men and women)
- Under 5 mph over the limit: 27% (32% of women; 22% of men)
- 11 to 15 mph over the limit: 14% (13% of women; 15% of men)
- 16 to 29 over the limit: 4% (2% of women; 6% of men)
- 30 or more over the limit: 3% (2% of women; 5% of men)
Why do drivers speed?
Most drivers admit to speeding at least on occasion, but they disagree on why they speed. Many want to keep up with other vehicles, but some aren’t fans of current speed limits.
- To keep up with flow of traffic and not be run over: 48%
- To arrive on time: 17%
- Speed limits are generally too low, in my opinion: 10%
- I think it’s safe to drive 20 mph or less over the limit on most occasions: 8%
- Distracted by traffic, daydreaming, etc. and don’t realize I’m speeding: 8%
- I think it’s safe to drive over the speed limit, regardless of by how much: 7%
How often do drivers speed?
Most of those who speed say they don’t drive that much over the limit — or do so by mistake:
- Almost always, I usually go 5 to 10 miles over the limit: 34%
- Rarely, usually because I don’t notice I’m over the limit or didn’t see the limit change: 31%
- Sometimes, if I’m late for an appointment or to pick up my child, etc.: 20%
- Almost always, I usually go 11 or more miles over the limit: 15%
Where do drivers speed?
Most drivers say there are places and instances where it’s OK to speed, such as on the highway. However, residential streets are not the place to put the pedal to the metal.
Here’s where and when drivers said it’s OK to speed:
- On the highway/freeway: 64%
- When it’s sunny with dry roads: 25%
- On residential streets: 8%
- When it’s rainy and roads are wet: 6%
- On any street at any time: 6%
- When it’s snowing: 6%
- When roads are flooded: 4%
- When it’s icy: 4%
- Anytime with any weather conditions: 1%
- When kids are in the car: 1%
What percentage of other drivers speed?
Most drivers admit to speeding — and they also think the vast majority of other drivers exceed the limit, too. Here are the percentages of drivers who speed, according to respondents:
- 80% of drivers speed: 19%
- 70%: 19%
- 90%: 17%
- 60%: 12%
- 50%: 12%
- 100%: 9%
- 40%: 5%
- 30%: 3%
- 20%: 2%
- Less than 10%: 1%
- 10%: 1%
What to do if you get pulled over for speeding
Most drivers have been pulled over. It’s often how you react to getting stopped that’s vital to whether you get a warning or a hefty ticket with massive insurance hikes.
1. Be polite and keep your hands in sight
When pulled over, Petti suggested that people remain positive, keep their hands in sight and don’t make any sudden movements. That includes not quickly moving to get your license and registration.
“Don’t forget – a little niceness and human-to-human courtesy goes both ways and is appreciated,” Petti said.
Even if you still get a ticket, an officer may lessen the charge if you’re polite. For instance, Wirth said Oklahoma charges drivers at least 2 points for driving 11 or more miles over the speed limit.
Speeders clocked going less than that don’t get points on their license, so police don’t report it to insurance companies.
“If you question the motives of the officer and demand to see the radar because the officer is obviously hiding something or playing games, that generous offer may be rescinded,” Wirth said.
2. Don’t argue with the police officer
James M. Wirth, an attorney with Wirth Law Group, P.C., in Tulsa, Oklahoma, suggested drivers don’t argue with officers.
“To win an argument with a traffic officer, you have to be in court in front of a judge. So, if your goal is to avoid court, there is no upside to arguing and a definite downside,” Wirth says. “Officers regularly give people breaks, but only with the hope that people will appreciate it for what it is, generosity on the officer’s part. If you demonstrate an attitude of entitlement, you negate the officer’s only incentive to cut you slack.”
3. Sign the ticket to appear in court
If you get a ticket, Wirth also recommended that you sign the ticket promptly. Signing the ticket doesn’t admit guilt. Instead, it’s a promise to either pay the fine or appear in court. Not paying a ticket could result in an arrest to ensure that you appear in court, Wirth says.
“There is probably nothing more aggravating for an officer than trying to convince a skeptical driver that he/she really is acting in their best interest when trying to convince them to sign and that he/she isn’t being a jerk by saying that if you don’t promise to appear in court, I have to arrest you,” Wirth says.
Officers may hand out dozens of tickets in a month, but if you’re a problem, the officer will likely remember you — and make sure to attend your hearing.
“You don’t want to do anything to make your traffic stop more memorable or that would motivate the officer to make sure to show up for your traffic trial,” Wirth says. “Act like a jerk and you can bet the officer will perfectly recollect the traffic stop and the time and date and time of your trial.”
How much do speeding tickets increase car insurance costs?
Getting a speeding ticket can be pricey. You pay the fine — and your car insurance rates also rise. Depending on the insurer, rates can rise anywhere from 18% with Allstate to as much as 61% with Geico after a speeding ticket.
Your insurance company factors how much speeding will increase your car insurance costs. Among the six top insurers, CarInsurance.com found the following rate increases after a speeding ticket:
- Allstate: 18%
- Farmers: 42%
- Geico: 61%
- Nationwide: 52%
- Progressive: 33%
- State Farm: 17%
- Travelers: 50%
- USAA: 22%
Methodology
CarInsurance.com in March 2021 commissioned Op4G to field a survey asking 1,000 drivers about their speeding habits. In 2024, CarInsurance.com pulled rates from Quadrant Information Systems for 40-year-old male and female drivers with full coverage insurance with 100/300/100 liability limits and $500 comprehensive/collision deductibles. The Auto Problems Report comprises data from 51 states, 548 cities, 1,467 ZIP codes, 202 companies and 5,000,736 car insurance quotes.
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