Will speeding fines in Ohio increase?

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A bill in the Ohio House that would increase speeding fines for excessive speeding had its first hearing on Tuesday afternoon.    

Under House Bill 111, if someone exceeds the speed limit by more than 30 miles per hour, they will receive an additional $200 fine. 

“We all know that as speed increases, so does the severity of the traffic crashes,” Rep. Rodney Creech (R-West Alexandria), one of the bill’s sponsors, said. “This legislation seeks to deter reckless driving and reduce the number of severe accidents on the roads.” 

“This legislation does not affect current penalties for the vast majority of speeding offenses; in fact, penalties for 96% of speeding offenses would remain unchanged,” Rep. Kevin Miller (R-Newark), a sponsor of the bill, said. “This bill targets the worst of the worst.” 

Generally, under current law, a speeding violation is a minor misdemeanor with a fine up to $150. Miller, who formerly served on the Ohio State Highway Patrol, said Tuesday that, according to OSHP, troopers issue about 250,000 speeding tickets a year; about 4%, or 10,000, are for speeding more than 30 mph. 

“These are the individuals who put our families at extreme risk as they travel our interstate at triple-digit speeds,” Miller said. “Data has consistently shown that excessive speed contributes to many traffic fatalities and injuries.”

Miller said that, for example, speeding by more than 30 mph can mean reaching triple-digit speeds on a highway in a 70 mph zone, putting other drivers “at extreme risk of injury and/or death.” 

“I personally have witnessed the devastation and made those death notifications to folks,” he said. “So, what we’re saying is if you’re going to engage in this extremely risky behavior, then you’re going to risk having a fine that’s $200 more than what the average fine would be.” 

The bill faced little pushback during its first hearing by the Ohio House Public Safety Committee. Rep. Juanita Brent (D-Cleveland) said she worries that “the fines are just not enough.” 

Brent asked what data the sponsors have, from other states with similar laws, that shows higher fines would be effective in Ohio. 

“I’m not sure that that data is out there, we can check and look,” Miller said. “What we’ve done is we have modeled this bill off of highly risky driving behavior, such as speeding in construction zones.” 

A bill to increase penalties for reckless driving in construction zones is also being debated in the statehouse right now. Ohio House Public Safety Committee Chairperson Rep. Cindy Abrams (R-Harrison) said she knows from personal experience that extra fines and tickets can be effective.

“Once you get a ticket for something, I mean, when I was young, I also got a speeding ticket, and guess what? Guess who slowed down? I did,” Abrams said. 

Other members of the committee emphasized that a bill like this needs a strong public campaign to ensure that Ohioans know about it, with the hope that it would work as a deterrent from that type of speeding. 

The legislation does have one exception to the fine in a provision that prohibits the additional $200 fine if a court determines that an offender is indigent, or unable to pay.      

The bill now awaits its second committee hearing.