Top 25 Speed-Trap Cities

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North America's Top 25 Speed-Trap Cities For 2011


Officer with speed gun


If you're planning a road trip this long, Labor Day weekend, you might be preoccupied with thoughts of swimsuits, beach umbrellas, and maybe a last-minute oil change. But before pulling out of the driveway, you might also want to consider the location of speed traps, which can turn a quickie vacation into a far more costly affair.

The National Motorists Association (NMA) has compiled its annual list of the top 25 cities for speed-traps in North America (22 of which sit squarely within U.S. borders). Not surprisingly, many of the worst offenders are tourist hotspots, like Orlando, Florida and Las Vegas, Nevada, where drivers are less familiar with the local police force's hiding spots.

Before skimming through the list, however, we should point out that the NMA's list may not be entirely accurate. It was crowdsourced, compiled from data submitted by disgruntled visitors to the NMA's SpeedTrap.org website. Considering the NMA's fiercely libertarian, not-entirely-mainstream position on issues like speed limits, SpeedTrap.org may not draw an especially diverse readership, meaning that its data may be somewhat skewed. For example, this author has never seen a speed trap in New Orleans (#16), but dozens sprinkled throughout Alabama (which doesn't make the list at all). So basically, caveat emptor.

Nevertheless, the NMA's data may be valid to some degree, so we're reposting it here. Whether you're slow-and-steady behind the wheel or, like Mr. Hagar, you simply cannot drive 55, please be safe on the roads this weekend -- and every weekend.

1. Livonia, Michigan
2. Windsor, Ontario
3. Orlando, Florida
4. Las Vegas, Nevada
5. Denver, Colorado
6. Reno, Nevada
7. Tampa, Florida
8. Colorado Springs, Colorado
9. Austin, Texas
10. Sarasota, Florida
11. Portland, Oregon
12. Jacksonville, Florida
13. San Antonio, Texas (Bexar County)
14. Fresno, California
15. Hamilton, Ontario
16. New Orleans, Louisiana
17. Toronto, Ontario (Greater Toronto Area)
18. Houston, Texas (Harris County)
19. Edmonton, Alberta
20. San Diego, California (San Diego County)
21. Indianapolis, Indiana
22. San Jose, California
23. Chicago, Illinois (Cook County)
24. Los Angeles, California (Los Angeles County)
25. New York City, New York

SOURCE

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