Extreme Pedal to the Metal 2024: Iowa’s Fastest Speeding Tickets

We have all felt the 'need for speed' at one time or another when we were behind the wheel, but I doubt that most of us have taken things this far.

The Iowa State Patrol is out with their recap of excessive driving for 2024 and the numbers are mind-boggling.

In all, more than 1,000 drivers (1,069) were clocked doing more than 100 miles per hour in the Hawkeye State last year, and those were just the ones who were caught! July was the speediest month with 139 violators.

There is a bit of a silver lining though. That number is actually down from the past two years, with 1,199 drivers doing over 100 mph in 2023, and 1,112 in 2022.

Amazingly it was the COVID year, 2022, when things really got out of hand as nearly 1,500 drivers in Iowa were ticketed for hitting triple digits on the speedometer. That was during a time when most of us were supposed to be staying home!

So back to last year.

Even though there were fewer tickets issued, the top speeds surpassed 2023. In fact, the fastest five speeding tickets in Iowa in 2024 all locked in at 150 miles per hour or higher.

• 164 mph: January
• 154 mph: July
• 150 mph: April
• 150 mph: October
• 150 mph: November

And while we all have our reasons for putting the 'pedal to the metal', the most novel excuse for excessive speed might have come during the Christmas holiday along Highway 20 in Black Hawk County.

So why is it so important that you slow down?

Drive Smart Iowa reminds us that In Iowa, more than half (52%) of fatal and serious injury traffic accidents in the state are speed-related. Over the past five years, an average of 17 people died or were seriously injured each week due to excessive speeding.