Is This the Fastest Speeding Ticket in Michigan History?

Driving Fast is Part of Michigan's Culture

"Drive fast, take chances." It's something a friend of mine says as a farewell. The irony of that goodbye is that neither of us has any desire to flex our gas pedals. But that doesn't mean that there aren't diluted souls in Michigan who want to test the limits of mortality and metal by seeing how fast they can push limits. This line of thinking led me to wonder what the fastest speeding ticket in Michigan history was.

Michigan's Fastest Speeding Ticket

My first call was to the Michigan State Police (MSP) and Lieutenant Rene Gonzalez, who shared that they don't track that kind of data. Lt. Gonzalez did share that as recently as 2024's Statewide Speed Enforcement Month (July), funded by the Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP), an MSP Trooper cited a driver for traveling at 137 mph on I-96, a 70 mph zone.

The driver received a ticket for 67 miles over the limit, a pricy ticket, but the exact number depends on the county the ticket was written in.

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According to an April 2020 article in the Detroit Free Press, while 137 in a 70 mph zone is scary, that's not even close to the speeds drivers attempted during the pandemic. A driver on I-75 was cited for driving at 180 mph, 110 mph over the posted 70 mph limit, on April 19, 2020. The driver was fined, according to Monroe County's Traffic Fine and Costs Schedule, $180.

The True Cost of Speed in Michigan

I asked Lt. Gonzalez what the cost of speeding was beyond fines and court dates, and without a nanosecond of thought, he said, "Life. Speed kills." He went on to explain that the hazards of speeding far outweigh the benefits. While there's a chance hitting the gas pedal might get you there a couple of minutes earlier, the risks far exceed the rewards.

Oh, and if you thought Michigan drivers loved speed, we are one of the states with the lowest number of speed-related traffic fatalities in America. Keep scrolling to see which state has the highest and lowest number and where the Mitten State ranks nationally for speed-related fatalities.