Recession Causes Speeding Crackdown?

The next time you're doing 60 in a 55-mph zone, make sure to look over your shoulder.

According to a USA Today report Wednesday, police around the country may be cracking down on drivers within the traditional 5-10-mph "cushion" of the speed limit, as the recession continues to put pressure on state and local budgets.

"Not only are the (speeding) tolerances much lower, but the frequency of a warning instead of a ticket is way down," James Baxter, president of the National Motorists Association, told the paper. "Most people, if they're stopped now, are getting a ticket even if it's only a minor violation of a few miles per hour."

The Journal of Law and Economics published a study last year finding that traffic citations are issued more frequently during recessions. And researchers from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and the University of Arkansas-Little Rock found a similar link - a 10 percent drop in revenue growth can be expected to cause a 6.4 percent jump in the number of traffic tickets issued, according to the report.

But the National Troopers Coalition, which represents 45,000 state troopers around the U.S., disputes the link.

"I think you'll find (enforcement is) actually the opposite," Sgt. Michael Edes, the group's chairman, told the paper. "A lot of states have cut (trooper) positions or frozen positions. Several states have grounded their aviation unit, so they're not doing as many speed details."