Drivers must take extra precautions when out on the roads, as extreme speeding now carries a felony conviction. Local and national lawmakers maintain a priority to keep all drivers on the road safe, and part of this responsibility requires a preoccupation with stamping out speeding and distracted driving behavior on the road. With drivers failing to take personal responsibility to follow the laws of the road to protect other road users’ lives, authorities are forced to come down hard with severe penalties if convicted of behavior.
The struggle to stamp out extreme speeding
When it comes to preventing unlawful driving behavior, a major challenge authorities face is enforcing a sense of personal responsibility on road users to take it upon themselves not to break the laws of the road. In the case of speeding, it is a road law that is regularly broken due to the fact that it is accompanied by a relative risk perception by drivers. Whether you are speeding five or fifty miles over the speed limit, however, both carry a positive correlation of increased risk of serious injury and fatality.
Further, it is difficult to enforce speeding laws when law enforcement is not present on the road. To counteract this, many states are now implementing automated camera technology to assist local authorities in catching speeding drivers who continue to break these safety interventions.
On top of automated camera technology, states are also increasing the severity of associated speeding convictions, with higer fines and even the risk of jail time now on the line. San Fransicio recently implemented automated speeding camera technology across 33 locations, with fines reaching heights of $500 if you are convicted. The new speeding fines were implemented from August, with fines staggered as follows, depending on the severity with which you broke the law:
- $50: 11-15mph over the speed limit.
- $100: 16-25mph over the speed limit.
- $200: 26mph+ over the speed limit.
- $500: 100mph+ over the speed limit.
Extreme speeding now carries a felony conviction
Recently, Florida House Bill 351 went into effect, whereby, from July 1 of this year, extreme speeding not only carries a criminal offence, but also a $500 fine and/or 30 days in jail. Excessive speeding is defined as anything over 50mph and 100mph. Additionally, if you are caught speeding over 50mph, you will have to attend a mandatory court hearing.
“Excessive speeding is a formula for failure because it drastically increases the potential for tragic consequences,” Florida’s Orange County corrections chief Louis A. Quinones Jr. said in a statement.
Florida has been particularly hard on drivers who continue to break the law. Just in time for Halloween, if you are caught with front-facing red, blue, and red-and-white lights installed on your car, you will face a fine of up to $5,000, as well as a third-degree felony charge and five years’ worth of jail time.
October brings news penalties for speeding and other unlawful behaviors
Also in Florida, drivers will also face increased penalties for obscuring their license plates. It is vital that your license plate remains legible on the road in order for authorities to identify your vehicle with ease. While it has always been illegal to obscure your license plate in Florida, as well as across all states, a conviction for this behavior is now classified as a second-degree misdemeanor.
These increases in penalties, while sometimes difficult to keep track of, are essential for the safety of all road users. Increasing the severity of penalties associated with these illegal practices provides an increased likelihood that drivers will not break the laws of the road. Further, it highlights how authorities are taking a zero-tolerance approach to breaking the laws of the road, showcasing that protecting lives on the road remains a top priority of authorities and lawmakers.
