Strictest and Softest States on Speeding: Where Does Yours Rank?

The characters in the extraordinarily popular “The Fast and the Furious” movies look awfully cool on screen, street racing and performing derring-do at breakneck speeds. But in real life, “Fast and Furious” star Paul Walker was killed in 2013 when the Porsche he was riding in crashed while traveling an estimated 93 mph in a 45 mph zone. On July 17, 20-year-old Jose Luvianos Jr. was killed on Chicago’s Lower Wacker Drive while participating in illegal street racing with his best friend, 18-year-old Ivan Sanchez, who is now charged in Luvianos’ death, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Related: DUI Fatalities Continue Decades-Long Slide

The cause of these deaths is so common it’s got its own cliche: Speed kills. And like some cliches, it’s a cliche because it’s true. Speeding is blamed in roughly 10,000 driving fatalities each year in the U.S., and accounts for roughly a third of all such deaths, according to the federal Fatality Analysis Reporting System. While drivers make their own choice to speed, it’s up to lawmakers and law enforcers to do what they can to prevent it. And some places are stricter than others.

Personal-finance website WalletHub.com conducted a study to find out which states were the toughest on speeding and reckless driving. Researchers compared driving laws in all 50 states and District of Columbia, and ranked the states accordingly.

Speeding impacts everyone, beyond the physical dangers posed by lawbreakers to themselves and those around them. There are economic and environmental costs, too, WalletHub noted.

“The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that the annual economic cost to society of speeding-related crashes is $40.4 billion,” researchers reported. “Another important issue is the impact of speeding on fuel consumption. According to the Department of Energy, as a rule of thumb, you can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph will cost you 7 percent more for gasoline.”

According to WalletHub’s key findings: three-quarters of states have absolute speed limits, meaning that exceeding the limit is enough for a conviction; 29 percent use speed cameras to automatically catch and fine violators; and the average maximum cost of a reckless-driving ticket is $742, with the lowest being $100 (in Kentucky, Mississippi and New Mexico), and the highest being $5,000, in Washington.

Below are WalletHub’s 10 strictest and 10 softest states when it comes to speed enforcement. See if your state ranks among the best or worst:

Strictest

1. Colorado

2. Arizona

3. Delaware

4. Illinois

5. New Mexico

6. Virginia

7. Iowa

8. Massachusetts

9. Alabama

10. District of Columbia

Softest

1. Texas

2. Utah

3. South Dakota

4. Pennsylvania

5. Mississippi

6. New Hampshire

7. South Carolina

8. Ohio

9. New Jersey

10. Nebraska