First speeding ticket in U.S. written 112 years ago Saturday
The American who first got one of those traffic citations, on August 27, 1899, didn’t see any flashing cherry-toppers because the constable writing him up was riding a bicycle on Lexington Avenue in New York City.
The policeman collared the driver for proceeding down the boulevard at the breakneck speed of 12 mph, wantonly disregarding the safety of upstanding citizens. He didn’t have to show his license or registration, as the laws requiting such would not be written for another two years.
Today, over a 100,000 speeding tickets for excessive speed are written daily, usually costing the offender about $150 and an increased insurance premium. Over 39,000 people die in automobile collisions annually in the U.S. In nearly 12,000 of these cases, or roughly 30 percent, speeding contributed to the severity of the accident.
Source: U.S Census Bureau