COLUMBUS, Ohio — Troopers in Ohio have been writing fewer speeding tickets on the rural stretches of interstates where the speed limit increased to 70 mph almost a year and a half ago.
The monthly average of speeding tickets has dropped about 7 percent — from 4,933 in the 5 years before the change to 4,571 citations a month since the new speed limit took effect, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
The biggest drop has been on Interstate 70, where monthly citations are down about 25 percent.
Across Ohio, troopers have written slightly more speeding tickets than they have a year ago. They've handed out almost 380,000 speeding violation last year.
A spokesman for the State Highway Patrol said it was too early to draw conclusions.
“We've not become any less aggressive in our enforcement campaigns to keep people safe and keep roadways safe,” said Lt. Craig Cvetan.
The severe winter in 2014 likely resulted in fewer speeding tickets because drivers tend to go slower, he said. The number of tickets was higher in previous winters when the weather wasn't as treacherous, the newspaper reported.
The speed limit increase for commercial trucks probably was a factor, Cvetan said.
Ohio raised the speed limit for cars and trucks to 70 mph on some rural interstate highways in July 2013. Those changes affected 570 miles on parts of Interstates 70, 71, 75, 76, 77 and 90.
The decrease in citations suggests drivers haven't increased their speed, said John Bowman, spokesman for the National Motorists Association.
