Drivers face instant $200 fine & license suspension under crackdown plan – fees double depending on where you’re caught

DRIVERS have been slammed with a new safety regulation that could cost rash drivers big time.

Those who aren’t careful could face a $200 fine and a license suspension — and fines are doubled in some areas.

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Ohio lawmakers are targeting reckless drivers by introducing a serious punishment for speeding, as reported by Fox’s Ohio affiliate, WJW.

In February, Representatives Kevin Miller and Rodney Creech introduced the bill that would issue a $200 fine for drivers caught going 30 miles per hour or more over the speed limit.

Drivers who speed in work zones will see fines doubled.

This fine would be paid on top of the original speeding ticket.

Not only that, drivers who speed could be issued four points on their driver’s license.

In Ohio, accumulating 12 points or more on your driving record in two years can result in having your license suspended.

Usually, drivers who are caught speeding are issued a fine, charged with a misdemeanor, receive driver’s license points, or even jail time.

The penalty for speeding often depends on what state you’re in.

For Ohio drivers who are worried about paying the hefty fine, officials have said courts should consider waiving the fee.

According to a report released by an insurance agency, Insurify, Ohio is ranked among the top three states with the most speeding tickets.

In 2024, 7.8% of Ohio drivers were found to have a speeding ticket on record, according to the report.

To put it in perspective, the national average is 4.1%.

In 2025, the Ohio State Highway Patrol has already cited 1,337 instances where drivers were going 30 miles over the speed limit.

The previous year, over 1,700 drivers were driving 30 miles over the limit.

How to fight a speeding ticket

According to a legally reviewed post, there are five effective strategies to fighting a speeding ticket if it was wrongfully issued.

1. If pulled over and issued a ticket, drivers can argue or dispute a driver’s personal opinion. When issuing a speeding ticket, an officer is required to write their opinion and come to an “objective” conclusion. If the ticket was written based on that judgment, it can be contested. An example would be if you were going 75 mph in a 65 mph zone because others were traveling at the same speed, you could argue that it would be more dangerous to travel at 65 mph.
2. You can dispute the officer’s presentation of evidence. If you were ticketed for something like running a stop sign or making an illegal u-turn, you can’t contest that if an officer saw you, but you can call things into court like eyewitnesses, diagrams, or photos.
3. Argue that the ticket was issued by a “mistake of fact.” This is tricky, but a “mistake of fact” is a mistake made by a driver about a situation that was beyond their control, or if a driver legitimately did not know they were violating the law. For example, you were driving in two lanes because the lane markers were so worn down that you could not see them.
4. You could say circumstances justified your driving. You could say you were speeding to pass a possibly drunk driver, or avoiding an accident by rapidly changing lanes. However, the argument won’t work if there’s proof you continued to speed after passing.
5. Similar to the above, it could be argued that speeding was necessary to avoid harm. The key is to argue that if you weren’t speeding, you or someone else could have been harmed.
6. Consult a traffic attorney, if all else fails. Many have free consultations to decide whether or not there’s a case.

Source: FindLaw

In total, Ohio’s highway patrol has issued 33,940 speeding violations this year, already.

This number is quickly catching up to last year’s total — 41,948 violations.

Other states have already begun implementing new rules and regulations to deter drivers from speeding.

In Des Moines, Iowa, motorists were warned about mobile speed cameras that were installed across the city last year.

There was a transition period until December 2 where drivers were given time to adjust to the new laws.

But as the new year started, Iowa officials started to issue monetary penalties.

Officials hope these laws will help keep pedestrians and drivers safe on the road.