Question Asked: When Was the First Speeding Ticket Issued?
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Jun 23rd, 2008 |
Great question, thanks for asking.
It took quite a bit of research to find the answer to this one, but I believe I’ve got a pretty solid answer here.
The year was 1904, the place was Dayton Ohio. The ticketed person was a man by the name of Harry Myers. He was cited for driving a blistering 12 miles per hour down West Third Street. You read that right, twelve miles per hour. People walk faster than that now.
This above, is the first recorded incident of a written paper speeding ticket. However, there were other offenses for speeding, before 1904.
May 20th, 1899 Jacob German (a New York City cab driver) was arrested for speeding. He was also driving 12 miles per hour, down Lexington street in Manhattan. He was imprisoned in the East 22nd Street station house. He didn’t have to surrender his registration and license, as those weren’t required by law until 1901 in New York.
Ironic that it was a New York cabbie, huh?
Just out of my own curiousity, I looked up what the fastest speeding ticket ever issued was (with or without arrest of the driver). All sources point to Texas in May of 2003. Supposedly the driver was going 242mph in a 75mph zone. The car he was driving was a Swedish-built Koenigsegg.
There’s no record of how much the fine was, but if you use today’s logic ($10 per MPH over the speed limit), the ticket would have been $1670. Doesn’t seem like such a big fine to be able to say you hold that record.
Other answers you may find useful:
- What Are The Secrets To Parking In Manhattan?
- What Is The Best Way To Travel From Boston to New York City and Vice Versa?
- What Is The Current Land Speed Record?
- What’s the Fastest Boat Speed?
- What Is The Highest Wind Speed Ever Recorded On Earth?
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One Response to “When Was the First Speeding Ticket Issued?”
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June 23rd, 2008 at 3:46 pm
I have a follow-up question for you: who holds the record for the most number of speeding tickets, and how many have they gotten?