Good News, Mainers Are Getting Fewer Speeding Tickets

The Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles reports that speeding violations were the lowest they've been in a decade in 2014.

The Bangor Daily News reports that Maine drivers are receiving significantly less speeding violations than they did just 10 years ago. That's good news for Mainer's wallets and driving records but BDN wanted to know why the drop?

The stats look like this, in 2006, there were 64,873 speeding violations given that led to convictions whereas in 2014, there were only 40,129. The Bangor Daily News interviewed various law enforcement agencies and asked why there would be a nearly 25,000 ticket difference in less than 10 years. The responses varied:

WARNINGS: Officers are using their discretion and offering up more warnings to drivers rather than citing them.

EXPENSIVE FINES: Fines in the State of Maine range $263-$1000 depending on how significantly over the speed limit a driver is going when stopped. Officers understand that fines can lead to significant hardship for families, and have been using discretion in that area as well.

LESS FATALITIES: Statistics show less driver fatalities due to speed over the past few years and that's also a contributing factor to officers using discretion

The Bangor Daily News details their findings here.