New Hampshire Man Wants Speed Limits Raised after Being Ticketed

Friday , June 29, 2007

DOVER, N.H. —

A Milton man with a penchant for speedy driving has come up with an unusual tactic for beating speeding tickets — raise the limit.

So far this year, Larry Lemay has been ticketed four times for speeding.

Rather than slow down, Lemay is suing the state Department of Transportation to study traffic and speed limits across New Hampshire, to see whether limits could be raised. Lemay's lawsuit, filed in Strafford County Superior Court, also asks a judge to order the Transportation Department to pay for his legal fees and the cost of the study, an estimated $1,853.

Lemay said he believes many speed limits are set intentionally low so the state can cash in on drivers.

"The state is making a lot of money doing this, and I want it stopped," he said. "It's wrong."

Dave Hilts, the assistant attorney general representing the state, said Lemay's view that higher speed limits would lead to safer driving is shared on the Internet by many speed limit abolitionists, but is misguided.

"Common sense will tell you that going too slow is only a hazard when other people are going much faster," said Hilts. "It's kind of a weird case."

As for Lemay's suggestion that the state sets low speed limits just to catch people with tickets:

"It seems ridiculous to me. I don't know what incentive the state would have to do that," Hilts said. "I've not seen any evidence that that occurs. I don't believe it."