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Comment by macjohnmcc | Hacker News Reader

In Texas a speeding ticket is a Class C misdemeanor which feels overly punitive to me.

In Texas a class C is the lowest level of misdemeanor, and A is the highest misdemeanor. So a speeding ticket is the lowest level of crime you can commit.

In many (most?) states, basic speeding tickets aren't actually criminal charges, rather some sort of administrative thing. Hence seeing a magistrate instead of a judge.

Speeding can kill other people. Doesn’t seem unreasonable to be some kind of crime? Just like shooting bullets in the air. Probably won’t, but has potential.

Speeding some amount over the speed limit, driving recklessly in other ways, etc. can be a crime. 75mph in a 65mph zone generally isn't. (There's a lot of technical language around this but, as a practical matter, minor speeding offenses result only in a fine.)

Driving while not speeding can also kill people, so that isn't much of an indicator. Every state has penalties to discourage speeding, just not criminal ones for basic speeding. Given that standard road customs are 90% of traffic going at least 5mph over for everywhere but the PNW, I'd say that not making it so that most everyone is criminal is the right call.

Before you speak to the judge you speak to the prosecutor who can decide to add to the base fine of $173 + $25 court fee even if you don't go to court and it is at their discretion to increase the fine. A prosecutor involved for a speeding ticket no matter if you are going 5 over or 15 over is insane.

Wait till you get to Virginia then.

Interesting, to me it seemed that the drivers there were fairly aggressive with speed and lane changes.

Because selective enforcement exists.

Not everyone is being slapped with the same charges.

ahem what is the lowest level of misdemeanor in the United States Of America? For those who do not know it's class A misdemeanor which actually means a felony in most states, not the C.

It is different for every state. My state has a class of offense below misdemeanor, petty misdemeanor. Petty misdemeanors are not considered crimes in my state, the max penalty is a $300 fine.

We also have a special class of speeding ticket for a dumb “parkway” freeway that rich white people lobbied for and received a 45 mph speed limit by state constitutional amendment. Any ticket in this zone for speeding between 45-55 mph is a simple $100 fine that is not even recorded or reported to insurance. This means the speed limit is effectively 55 mph, and an easy way around the constitutional amendment.

This freeway is I35E between downtown St Paul, MN and Mendota Heights, MN.

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