In the year 2024, law enforcement authorities in Rhode Island issued 292 tickets for alleged driving at speeds of 100 mph or above. This included an incident where a woman was charged for speeding at an alarming 132 miles per hour. Engaging in such high-speed driving introduces a host of evident dangers, such as diminished reaction times and the inability to navigate around unexpected road obstructions.
For instance, the driver might encounter a tow truck partially occupying the road while offering assistance to another vehicle. Maneuvering around such obstructions at such high speeds can be a problematic task, as pointed out by a spokesperson from AAA Northeast. In 2024, this scenario came close to reality 292 times, as validated by data featuring drivers who were caught allegedly going over the 100 mph mark.
The presented figures, however, fail to provide a comparative perspective on three-digit speeding violations in other years. The spokesperson from AAA Northeast declared their immediate reaction to these numbers as disbelief, emphasizing that such a tally of high-speed transgressions is ‘way too many’. Following is a deeper dive into the data and circumstances surrounding these high-speed traffic violations.
The Judiciary’s account indicates that a total of 278 counts of over-speeding beyond 100 mph were reported in the last year. Detailed information about these citations, however, is limited due to confidentiality restrictions. These limitations extend especially to the 14 tickets that were provided to underaged drivers during the same timeline.
One notable citation from the pool of 278 was issued to a woman named Kayleigh Gobern who dared to drive at a dangerous speed of 132 mph on January 3, 2024. As a consequence of her reckless behavior, her license was suspended for half a year, according to available online records. The subsequent financial toll taken on her crossed the $900 mark, including fines, as noted by the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal.
In 2024, the duration of spring and summer saw the highest number of high-speed driving citations issued. Nevertheless, winter also saw their fair share, with 69 tickets issued, while indifferent to the changing weather, the fall wrapped up with 55 speeding tickets of its own. This data came to light after an examination of the court records of 27 arbitrarily picked cases.
The same records reveal that the driving licenses of 15 individuals caught for extreme speeding were suspended as a result. In two isolated instances, as disclosed by online records, only retraining was mandated, with one such verdict following a trial where the defendant was found guilty. Another case, interestingly, suffered only a financial slap on the wrist, with no suspension or mandatory retraining.
However, it is also critical to highlight that no prosecution was initiated for four particular cases per the records. Five more drivers were awaiting the legal outcome of their cases at the start of the following year, 2025. Within these samples, the speeds exhibited by the drivers ranged between 100 mph and a staggering 117 mph.
The repercussions of hitting the 100 mph or more mark in a 65-mph zone in Rhode Island are not taken lightly. Offenders may face fines starting from $350 and extending upwards, depending on their speed. For those pressing the pedal 11 miles beyond the highway’s speed limit, a minimum fine of $205 is established by legislation.
Moreover, the laws also empower the authorities to consider a license suspension period of 30 days for first-time offenders. In the documented instances of high-speed driving last year, the Rhode Island State Police appeared to play a key role. Over and above that, the largest number of tickets for speeds breaching the 100 mph barrier were issued by the State Police.
According to records maintained by the State Police, this constituted as many as 233 citations for drivers reaching or exceeding 100 mph. The numbers stand as a chilling testimony to the dangerous levels that some drivers are willing to reach, endangering not just their safety but also those of other road users and pedestrians.
Given the concerning data and the risks associated with such high-speed transgressions, it is apparent that more preventative efforts may be required. Coupled with effective law enforcement, this can help mitigate the occurrence of such dangerous situations in the future. The hope is that such instances of high-speed driving get curbed as time progresses, for everyone’s safety.
While the severity and risk of such actions are universally recognized, the observed numbers show that the message is yet to resonate fully. With persistence and combined efforts, we can hope to see a significant dip in such occurrences in the coming years. Until then, law enforcement agencies continue their vigilance to ensure safety on the road.
The post Alarming Number of Triple-Digit Speeding Violations in Rhode Island Marked 2024 appeared first on Real News Now.
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