Higher Horsepower Cars Are 38 Percent More Likely to Get a Speeding Ticket

Automotive design has evolved to create a fleet of modern cars that produce more horsepower in smaller, lighter packages. With less effort than ever, vehicles are able to pack a punch on the highway, easily accelerating to fast speeds.

This is fantastic for enthusiasts who enjoy hitting the autobahn, but for American drivers, this translates to a greater chance of earning speeding tickets and a rise in insurance rates.

Studies Identify the Risk

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently performed a controversial study of horsepower and speeding based on speed trap cameras and the release of 65,000 Virginia state driver profiles for the purposes of correlating the images with vehicle and driver details. Most people are aware of the fact that the more horsepower that your car pumps out, the greater the chance that you will accelerate past the limit.

However, the IIHS managed to provide a number that illustrates the risk in greater detail. After calculating the horsepower rating for the vehicles caught on camera, the organization ascertained that vehicles with more horsepower are 38% more likely to be speeding by at least 10 miles per hour, which would easily lead to a ticket in a speed trap situation.

The IIHS also noted that “it’s not just sports cars that are packing more power… even mainstream sedans have high-performance capabilities.” These capabilities became necessary as cars have become heavier over the past thirty years, which has led to a 60 percent average increase in overall horsepower ratings during the same period of time.

Not Just Muscle Cars Anymore

Out of the top ten cars most likely to receive a speeding ticket, half of the vehicle models aren’t high-end sports models. Instead, half the list is comprised of smaller, modestly-priced coupes and sedans. This shows that smaller, less expensive models are just as capable of attracting attention as splashy muscles cars, sports cars and exotics.

Considering the fines and increased insurance rates that are a result of speeding tickets, paying attention to your lead-footed ways will reduce the amount of money that you pay for being a motorist. If you do end up having to defend yourself against a speeding ticket, hiring an expert in traffic laws may help reduce the effect on your insurance bill, and in some cases lower the penalty for speeding.

Colgan & Associates, LLC is a trusted law firm that focuses on family law, traffic matters and criminal defense. We represent clients throughout Pennsylvania. We have offices located in Harrisburg, York and Dillsburg, PA.

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