CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Drivers were caught speeding less in Wyoming last year but those who got nabbed were going faster than usual.
Citations for speeding fell 15% in 2020 but there were 29% more citations for people driving over 100 mph (160 kilometers per hour), according to the Wyoming Highway Patrol.
Highway traffic was down during the coronavirus pandemic but the drivers out there “felt that they could be going faster,” patrol Capt. David Wagener said.
Law enforcement gave out nearly 1,500 citations in Wyoming last year for “excessive speeding,” defined as going 15 mph (24 kilometers per hour) or more above the posted speed limit.
That was over 300 more tickets for excessive speed than the number issued in 2019, the Casper Star-Tribune reported.
Driving too fast, especially in foul weather, is a leading factor in Wyoming’s serious accidents. More than 1,600 such crashes in Wyoming in the last decade involved excessive speeding.
