Picture this: you're driving along a Texas highway. It's late, there's not a lot of traffic, and you aren't really paying much attention to your speedometer. Suddenly, flashing lights explode from the road behind you. You look down and realize for the first time that you were doing 80 when you should have been doing 70. What happens now? You've been caught speeding in Texas-it's not the end of the world, but it can be expensive and inconvenient.

Dangers of Speeding

Why is speeding such a big deal? Texas police officers issue tickets to speeders because speeding is dangerous. To explain why, here is a quick physics lesson: The faster an object is moving, the more distance it will travel before it comes to a complete stop. For example, if you are going 40 miles per hour in a car, it will take you at least 126 feet for your vehicle to come to a complete stop after you apply the brakes. Read more...

Dealing With a Speeding Ticket

Basically, you have 3 options when you get a speeding ticket in Texas: pay the fine, which is an admission of guilt and results in a conviction; plead not guilty and attempt to defend yourself against the charge or request to attend traffic school to have the speeding citation dismissed. You can only attend traffic school once per year, and there are other eligibility requirements as well. Read more...

Defensive Driving/Traffic School

Defensive driving can help protect your driving record and your insurance rates. If you are eligible to get your Texas speeding ticket dismissed by going to traffic school, you must request to do so either in court on your court date or in writing beforehand. Read more...

Driver Points

If a citation for speeding ends up on your driving record, it counts as 2 points if you did not cause an accident and 3 points if your excessive speed did lead to an accident. Read more...

How Police Determine Speeding

How do the police know how fast you're going, anyway? Today, there are a number of methods that a police officer can use to measure your speed. The most common way cops catch speeders is to use a radar device. Radar uses radio waves that shoot out of the device and bounce off of a moving object, such as your vehicle. Read more...

How To Beat a Speeding Ticket

Depending on your situation, there are a couple of different options that can help you beat your Texas speeding ticket. Once a year, you can request to have a Texas speeding citation dismissed if you take a state-approved defensive driving class. Driving University offers an online, state-approved defensive driving class that you can take for citation dismissal from home. Read more...

Speeding Ticket Fines

The amount you'll pay for a Texas speeding ticket is set by the municipality you were ticketed in. The citation itself may have fine information on it, or you may need to contact the court to see how much you are required to pay. All municipalities use a scale to determine how much to fine you, based on how many miles per hour over the speed limit you were going, but the scale is different for each locality. Read more...

Texas Speed Limits

The Texas State Transportation code § 545.352 defines lawful for speeds for various types of roads.  Inside a city or town, 30 miles per hour is assumed to be a safe and lawful speed, unless you are driving in an alleyway. Then, the speed limit is 25 miles per hour. Once you get onto a numbered highway and away from urban and residential areas, the speed limit jumps to 70 miles per hour. Read more...

What To Do If You Got a Speeding Ticket

When you get a speeding ticket, the officer will generally advise you of what you are being ticketed for, give you the ticket to review and have you sign it. Signing the ticket is not an admission of guilt; it simply certifies that you received the ticket and were advised of the charges against you. Read more...