I Got a Speeding Ticket: Why Drivers Speed Without Realizing It

Mastering the Commute: Road Safety & Traffic Tips · Sep 19, 2026 · 10m

I host a podcast about driving safety—and I just got a speeding ticket.

I was driving down a familiar hill in Clermont, Florida, when a sheriff’s deputy clocked me going 57 mph in a 40 mph zone. I wasn’t intentionally trying to speed. In fact, I was already braking. But I was also slightly late, distracted by a work situation, driving a road I know extremely well, and simply wasn’t paying enough attention to how much speed my car had gained.

Then I posted about the ticket on Facebook.

More than 150 comments later, I had accidentally started a debate about speeding, speed traps, downhill…