Empty freeways enticing some drivers to hit 100+ mph, CHP says Highway Patrol says citations for excessive speed are increasing

Less traffic on Bay Area freeways has prompted some people to drive at excessive speeds. The California Highway Patrol says it has been citing more drivers than usual for going 100 mph and faster. Less traffic on Bay Area freeways has prompted some people to drive at excessive speeds. The California Highway Patrol says it has been citing more drivers than usual for going 100 mph and faster. Photo: California Highway Patrol Photo: California Highway Patrol Image 1 of / 50 Caption Close Empty freeways enticing some drivers to hit 100+ mph, CHP says 1 / 50 Back to Gallery

If you have traveled on Bay Area freeways in recent days, then you’ve probably noticed a few drivers treating the lightly trafficked lanes like a NASCAR speedway.

The California Highway Patrol has noticed them, too.

“We are seeing a rise in motorists traveling at excessive speeds in the Bay Area,” CHP - Golden Gate Division said Friday in a Twitter post. “We are still out in force and will continue to issue citations. There is no faster way to get a suspended license than driving 100 mph+.”

The tweet included a photo of several speeding tickets, including one for a 2015 Hyundai Sonata clocked at 117 mph.

But even before Bay Area shelter-in-place directives were issued in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the CHP was warning lead-footed drivers to slow down.

In a March 4 Facebook post, CHP - Golden Gate Division noted that highway patrol officers reported a spike in the number of 100-mph+ citations written in the nine Bay Area counties.

“(In) February, an officer assigned to CHP - Hayward Area issued a driver a citation for going 133 mph on I-880,” the post stated, adding that the driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

SPEEDING CITATIONS ON THE RISE 🏎🚓



We are seeing a rise in motorists traveling at excessive speeds in the #bayarea. We are still out in force and will continue to issue citations. There is no faster way to get a suspended license than driving 100mph+! pic.twitter.com/p4o2onjWWR — CHP Golden Gate (@CHP_GoldenGate) March 27, 2020

The post also noted that a CHP – Oakland Area motorcycle officer nabbed two speeders in back-to-back enforcement stops, one traveling 101 mph and the second 111 mph.

In Los Angeles, two drivers died last weekend on freeways in high-speed collisions.

“With no traffic, people are pushing the envelope a little more. The crashes are a little more dynamic, fewer fender-benders,” CHP - San Diego County Patrol Officer Jim Bettncourt told the Los Angeles Times. “Almost every one has an ambulance responding."

Speeding was the No. 1 cause for traffic collisions that CHP officers investigated in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2019, with nearly half of the 38,684 collisions involving motorists driving too fast.



A first-time 100-mph+ speeding conviction in California is punishable by a fine of up to $500 and a possible 30-day license suspension.

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Mike Moffitt is an SFGATE Digital Reporter. Email: moffitt@sfgate.com. Twitter: @Mike_at_SFGate