If you get pulled over for speeding, it's going to cost you. How much it costs you depends on where you get stopped. "News 4 Investigates" compiled information on speeding tickets from more than 130 communities across the St. Louis metro area and what we found is quite surprising. Some jurisdictions will fine you three times as much as others for going the same amount over the speed limit. If you get ticketed for driving 10 miles over the speed limit in Kinloch or Calverton Park, the ticket will cost $50. Those communities had the lowest costs for tickets.
But if you're careless enough to drive 45 in a 35 in Wellston, your ticket runs a whopping $162.50.

Why is Wellston charging so much for speeding tickets? Ask the police chief and he'll tell you that he doesn't set the amount, he just enforces the law. Ask the municipal court judge in Wellston and he'll tell you that it's the city council's job to set the amount. Ask the city council why Wellston is #1 on the list of highest priced speeding tickets and they'll tell you the city council members that served before them, set the amount and that the mayor should speak for the city. But, if you call the mayor about this topic, don't expect him to return your call. After sharing with Wellston officials how their speeding tickets compared to other communities, we were told they'd be re-examining their list of moving violation fines.

We compiled the speeding ticket amounts from local municipalities in three different ways. To see the list alphabetically, click here. KMOV Traffic Tickets Alphabetical.xls
To see a ranked list for 10mph over, click here. KMOV Traffic Tickets +10.xls
And to see a ranked list for 15mph over, click here. KMOV Traffic Tickets +15.xls

Some cities post the cost of speeding tickets on their website. There is a Missouri Courts website that lists all municipal courts in the state and is a good place to start, if you want to find your city's list of moving violation fines or the phone number to contact your municipal court with a question.

2 Comments

rachele anderson said:

i got a ticket in manchester and it cost me $264--and I had no priors--it was 15 mph over the limit.

November 13, 2008 9:02 AM

Helen Snyder said:

Simple solution .. Don't Speed .. and this includes those humongous Semi's. Any town with a piece of an Interstate highway can get rich .. just ticket the Semi's .. they don't think speed limit laws apply to them.

November 16, 2008 7:06 PM

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