Southern Michigan Sits in the Heart of America’s ‘Speed Trap Zone’

There's no greater sinking feeling perhaps then driving along being a bit - or more than a bit - over the speed limit then seeing a police car along the side of the road. You know they can get you if they want to. What might surprise you is that driving along the southern portion of Michigan you are passing through America's largest 'speed trap zone.'

👇🏼BELOW - THESE HIGHWAYS EXIST ONLY TO LEAVE MICHIGAN👇🏼

A heat map detailing where drivers are most likely to get busted with a speeding ticket puts Michigan right in a hot spot. Or more specifially, right between the two hottest spots in the country.

The data comes from BrilliantMaps and was shared to a forum on Reddit dedicated to maps. Check out the region around Michigan and specifically how it falls right in between the to most speed-trappy areas in the nation, Chicago and Ohio.

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Specifically, the map compares the most speeding tickets against population density. So while there may be more people in, say, New York the amount of speeding tickets is more proportional to the population. In the metros of Chicago and Cleveland the data suggests more tickets are issued in these areas in proportion to the regions' populations.

While southern Michigan has an elevated likelihood of getting a speeding ticket, being between the two hottest zones in the nation means drivers from here are at a greater risk of getting caught just by taking the freeways that lead out of the state.

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Those who have seen the map on reddit were quick to confirm the data - particularly the Ohio bullseye with anecdotal evidence.

Ohio turnpike? Yep, that makes sense.

The sign says 55, and by god they MEAN 55. I hate driving across Ohio.
In the late 70s and early 80s, the entire state of Ohio was known to be a speed trap, especially for out-of-state vehicles. Some things remain the same

There's a tiny town near Cleveland that's responsible for most of this, they have ridiculous speed cameras and will pop you for 27 in a 25

And why Chicagoland?

Chicago proper has speed cameras so that is why Chicago is a hotspot. Funny thing is, if you get off the surface streets and stick to highways as much as possible, you would have to be trying to get a ticket to actually get pulled over.