Key findings:
- Delaware, Hawaii and Vermont worst states for speedy drivers.
- Texas, Nevada and Arizona best states for speedy drivers.
- States with lower average speed limits have higher rate of speeding tickets.
- States with higher average speed limits have lower rate of speeding tickets.
- Average speed limit in the country is 67.7 MPH.
Most drivers on the road have the instinctual feeling everyone around them is driving too slow. Some are slow drivers, but in most cases drivers are simply following the speed limit. The right lane is there for those who want to follow the speed limit and the left lane is for those who want to push the speed limits. However, the right and left lane speed limits can differ greatly from state to state. Pushing the limits in the left lane in one state to another can vary by 20 MPH. Going 80 MPH in the left lane in one state is perfectly legal and in another state will land you a speeding ticket.
For those drivers with a lead foot, some states are going to be more generous, while others will be more costly. We here at QuoteWizard analyzed speed limit data from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices to see which states had the highest and lowest speed limits. We then paired speed limit data with QuoteWizard speeding ticket data to compare the rate of speeding tickets in stats with high and low speed limits.
Overall rankings are a differential comparison of speed limit and speeding tickets ranking, where states ranked highest have the largest negative difference of comparison. Example: Delaware has -46 ranking difference and Hawaii has a -42 ranking difference. Compared to Texas +45 ranking difference and Nevada +43 ranking difference.
After ranking all 50 states on average speed limits and rate of speeding tickets we found that drivers in states with low speed limits tend to have a higher rate of speeding tickets. Conversely, we found states with higher speed limits had a lower rate of speeding tickets.
Ranking worst states for speedy drivers
| Rank | State | Avg Speed Limit | Speed Limit Rank | Speeding Ticket Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware | 55 | 49 | 3 |
| 2 | Hawaii | 60 | 43 | 1 |
| 3 | Vermont | 60 | 43 | 4 |
| 4 | Washington | 65 | 33 | 8 |
| 5 | Oregon | 62.5 | 38 | 14 |
| 6 | Alaska | 55 | 49 | 29 |
| 7 | Ohio | 67.5 | 25 | 12 |
| 8 | Missouri | 65 | 33 | 20 |
| 9 | South Carolina | 70 | 13 | 2 |
| 10 | Iowa | 62.5 | 38 | 27 |
| 11 | Minnesota | 67.5 | 25 | 15 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | 60 | 43 | 34 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | 65 | 33 | 26 |
| 14 | Georgia | 62.5 | 38 | 31 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | 70 | 13 | 7 |
| 16 | Indiana | 62.5 | 38 | 33 |
| 17 | New York | 60 | 43 | 38 |
| 18 | Maryland | 67.5 | 25 | 21 |
| 19 | Alabama | 67.5 | 25 | 22 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | 70 | 13 | 11 |
| 21 | Connecticut | 60 | 43 | 41 |
| 22 | Kentucky | 65 | 33 | 32 |
| 23 | Idaho | 72.5 | 5 | 5 |
| 24 | Kansas | 72.5 | 5 | 6 |
| 25 | Illinois | 62.5 | 38 | 39 |
| 26 | New Jersey | 60 | 43 | 44 |
| 27 | Virginia | 70 | 13 | 16 |
| 28 | Nebraska | 70 | 13 | 17 |
| 29 | Tennessee | 70 | 13 | 18 |
| 30 | West Virginia | 67.5 | 25 | 30 |
| 31 | Utah | 75 | 4 | 10 |
| 32 | Colorado | 70 | 13 | 19 |
| 33 | Wyoming | 80 | 1 | 9 |
| 34 | Maine | 72.5 | 5 | 13 |
| 35 | North Carolina | 70 | 13 | 23 |
| 36 | Florida | 67.5 | 25 | 42 |
| 37 | Pennsylvania | 65 | 33 | 50 |
| 38 | North Dakota | 75 | 4 | 24 |
| 39 | Arkansas | 67.5 | 25 | 45 |
| 40 | Mississippi | 70 | 13 | 35 |
| 41 | California | 67.5 | 25 | 47 |
| 42 | Montana | 72.5 | 5 | 28 |
| 43 | South Dakota | 80 | 1 | 25 |
| 44 | New Mexico | 70 | 13 | 37 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | 70 | 13 | 43 |
| 46 | Louisiana | 72.5 | 5 | 36 |
| 47 | Michigan | 72.5 | 5 | 40 |
| 48 | Arizona | 70 | 13 | 49 |
| 49 | Nevada | 72.5 | 5 | 48 |
| 50 | Texas | 80 | 1 | 46 |
Methodology
QuoteWizard analyzed interstate speed limit data in each state from National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices. We then ranked each state on the average interstate speed limit to compare with QuoteWizard speeding ticket data by state. Final rankings are a differential comparison of speed limit and speeding ticket rankings. States ranked highest were found to have the largest negative difference of speeding ticket rank compared to speed limit rank.
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