Here's looking at you, kid! (Trapster)
Here’s some helpful information for you road warriors out there: The National Motorists Association is making available a list of speed traps throughout North America.
It’s a long list, too, unfortunately.
The list, compiled from two years’ worth of reports from motorists (many of whom learned the locations the hard way!), shows the cities, counties and states with highest number of speed trap locations.
The municipal champ is Livonia, Michigan, with nearly 28 speed traps, per 100,000 residents. That’s significantly more than any other town in the listings. Say “yes!” to Michigan, motorists – just not Livonia. (One more chance to poke fun at an old Michigan tourism slogan; sorry, I couldn’t help myself.)
The most aggressively speed-trapped states are Vermont, New Hampshire, Michigan, Wyoming and Colorado, the NMA says. The math works out to about 9.1 speed traps per 100,000 residents. (Or, per 100,000 jackalopes, in Wyoming.)
O Canada! Among Canadian provinces, Nova Scotia and Ontario are the worst (for speeders) with a rate of 8.7 each.
The speed traps are listed on the NMA’s National Speed Trap Exchange [www.speedtrap.org]. Visitors to the site can register their own speed trap locations, see what locations others have found, and discuss speed topics with like-minded motorists.
The NMA says it posts speed trap locations as a “public service” so motorists can be more “alert” in such areas. The NMA’s position is that higher speed limits would deter law enforcement’s need to set traps.
Trapster: Yeah, there's also an iPhone & Android ap showing speed trap locales.
(Wondering if there is an “ap for that”, like almost everything else? The answer is “yes”, although NMA doesn’t offer it, Trapster does.)
Please note: The speed trap locations are different than the red light camera map mentioned in a previous column.
Here’s the NMA’s list of cities with the most reported speed traps since September 1, 2009:
1. Livonia, Mich. ……………………….. 27.9 speed traps per 100,000 residents
2. Windsor, Ont. ………………………… 17.6
3. Orlando ………………………… 17.2
4. Las Vegas, Nev. ……………………….. 11.1
5. Denver ………………………… 10.9
6. Reno ……………………………. 10.4
7. Tampa ………………………….. 8.9
8. Colorado Springs ……………….. 7.2
9. Austin, Texas …………………………… 6.1
10. Sarasota, Fla. ………………………. 6.1
11. Portland, Ore. ……………………….. 5.8
12. Jacksonville, Fla. …………………… 5.4
13. San Antonio ………… 5.3
14. Fresno, Calif. ……………………… 5.0
15. Hamilton, Ont. ………………………. 5.0
16. New Orleans ………………….. 4.7
17. Toronto …… 4.7
18. Houston …………… 4.0
19. Edmonton, Alberta ………………………. 3.3
20. San Diego ….. 3.2
21. Indianapolis …………………… 3.2
22. San Jose ……………………. 3.1
23. Chicago ………….. 1.9
24. Los Angeles …….. 1.6
25. New York City (5 boroughs) ………….. 0.9
If you think your city, county, state or province should be on this list, remember the ones listed above are only the ones getting reported. So add your two cents’ worth.
Jerry Garrett
August 31, 2011
