Noticing more speeders? So are state troopers, as speeding tickets rise 68% in Kansas

If you have noticed more speeders than you remembered sharing the road with prior to the coronavirus pandemic, you are not alone. State troopers in Kansas and surrounding states are, too.

“A year of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the fastest year on the roads in recent memory,” the Kansas Highway Patrol said Monday in a news release.

State troopers have seen a 68% increase in traffic tickets for excessive speeding, and Kansas is not alone.

The KHP joined with four other states to caution against excessive speeding, with citations as reported by state police up 89% in Arkansas, 108% in Iowa, 82% in Missouri and 70% in Nebraska. The increase coincides with the start of the pandemic, officials said.

“Each state tracked the increase of excessive speeding in different ways, but every method told the same story: A year that felt incredibly long was also the fastest on the roads in recent memory,” said the news release from KHP spokesperson Lt. Candice Breshears.

Those states, along with Kansas, comprise Region 7 of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“Over the last year there has been a common theme while speaking with out law enforcement partners in neighboring states: the increase in excessive speeding,” Col. Herman Jones, the KHP superintendent, said in a statement. “KHP is proud to partner with our neighboring states in reminding motorists of the dangers of excessive speeding and the need for us to all work together to make our state and region safe.”

This story was originally published March 16, 2021 at 2:28 PM.