You can get arrested for a bevy of vehicle-related crimes. From driving under the influence to reckless driving, you can find yourself in handcuffs on your way to jail. However, speeding doesn’t typically result in an arrest, unless it’s excessive. So, just how fast do you have to be going to turn a speeding ticket into a jail-worthy crime? A police officer and lawyers share the details.   

Speeding will land you a ticket, but it doesn’t take much to turn that ticket into a trip to jail

Speeding is a moving violation. Reckless driving is a serious, arrest-worthy crime. A 35-year police veteran from Indiana shared his experiences on the differences between a ticket and an arrest. “In Indiana, if you are just speeding and you go 25 mph over the limit, you may be charged with reckless driving even if [it] isn’t articulated that you endangered a specific person. This is a misdemeanor and you could be arrested and booked into jail,” the officer said on Quora. 

Of course, whether or not you go home with a ticket or to jail in handcuffs depends on many factors. For starters, you could be traveling at 20 mph over the posted speed limit. While that’s not 25 mph or more, the officer may charge you with reckless driving based on your behaviors behind the wheel. Let’s say you are weaving in and out of traffic or accelerating hard. A cop may charge you with reckless driving for those maneuvers. And that charge is much more likely to result in an arrest than a simple speeding ticket. 

According to Rosenfeld Injury Law, a driver in Chicago and other Illinois communities can expect their speeding crime to bump up to a Class B misdemeanor depending on the radar figure. Specifically, exceeding the speed limit by 26 mph or more could result in that Class B misdemeanor. And the Class B charge carries a potential trip to jail.

Reckless driving could make the difference

Other lawyers reiterate the gravity of the reckless driving charge. “If you just got a speeding ticket, you can not get any jail time,” a Virginia lawyer said. Violators “face up to 12 months [in] jail, a fine up to $2,500.00, and a loss of license up to 6 months,” the lawyer said on Avvo.

Also, as arbitrary as it sounds, your interaction with a police officer has a lot to do with the extent of the consequences. Beyond increasing the likelihood of getting a warning instead of a ticket, your interaction could help or hinder your court case in the event of a reckless driving charge. The court will undoubtedly refer to your interaction with the police, and a negative exchange could hurt your chances.