The State of Ohio ranks second worst in the country for using traffic law
enforcement to raise revenue, according to the National Motorists
Association.
"It is not exactly a well-kept secret that many traffic laws, enforcement
practices, and traffic courts are more about generating revenue and
political posturing, than they are about traffic safety," Jim Baxter, the
organization's president, said in a prepared statement. "During holidays,
like the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, we're bombarded with messages about
intensified enforcement, 'click it or ticket,' and horrendous fines."

There is some evidence to back up the group's claims. Earlier this year,
Michael Makowsky, an assistant professor at Towson University, and George
Mason University professor Thomas Stratmann released a study of
Massachusetts traffic stops showing that strapped towns and cities were more
likely to issue speeding tickets, particularly to out-of-towners who don't
pay the areas' municipal taxes. Drivers from other towns had a 10% higher
chance of getting a ticket, while drivers with out-of-state plates were 20%
more likely to be ticketed.

Those findings echoed an earlier study by the Federal Reserve Bank of St.
Louis, which found that municipalities issued significantly more tickets in
years after their revenue declined.

"Our results suggest that tickets are used as a revenue-generation tool
rather than solely a means to increase public safety," report co-authors
Gary Wagner, an economist at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and
Thomas Garrett, a researcher at the St. Louis Fed, said of their July 2007
study.

National Motorists Association rankings, from worst to best:
Rank State Rank State Rank State
1
New Jersey
2
Ohio
3
Maryland
4
Louisiana
5
New York

 

I would like to find #50 and move there.

 

I believe it was Montana that came in at #50.

 

Here's the full list:

1) New Jersey
2) Ohio
3) Maryland
4) Louisiana
5) New York
6) Illinois
7) Delaware
8) Virginia
9) Washington
10) Massachusetts
11) Colorado
12) Oregon
13) Tennessee
14) California
15) Michigan
16) Vermont
17) Maine
18) Florida
19) Pennsylvania
20) North Carolina
21) Alabama
22) Rhode Island
23) West Virginia
24) New Hampshire
25) Arizona
26) New Mexico
27) Missouri
28) Texas
29) Oklahoma
30) Nevada
31) Georgia
32) Connecticut
33) South Carolina
34) Iowa
35) Hawaii
36) Arkansas
37) Alaska
38) Kansas
39) Mississippi
40) Wisconsin
41) Utah
42) South Dakota
43) Indiana
44) Minnesota
45) North Dakota
46) Kentucky
47) Nebraska
48) Montana
49) Idaho
50) Wyoming

 

Let's all move to Wyoming. Ummm....Not.

 

I lived in Wyoming for five years in late childhood. Beautiful, quiet place, I'd love to go back!

Seems the cops there have actual criminals to catch instead of speeders....or it's just that the gas industry there has really taken off the last few years, so the local municipalities aren't as strapped for cash as in other parts of the country.

 

wyoming, whats that

 

I heard if you're caught texting and driving the fine is $100.00 statrting today in Cleveland

 

Ohio require that you have your lights on when you have your wipers on. They will enforce this with tickets after about six months.