By Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media

It is well known fact.

The chances of severe injury or death increases when a crash occurs at a high speed. Speeding was the third leading cause of fatal crashes in New Jersey in 2016, according to the latest State Police analysis.

Yet, tens of thousands of drivers are ticketed for speeding each year.

Last year, a total of 176,060 speeding tickets were issued statewide. That number includes 147, 996 tickets on roads throughout the state, excluding the Garden State Parkway, the New Jersey Turnpike and the Atlantic City Expressway, according to the state Judiciary. Another, 28,064 speeding tickets were written by State Police on the three toll roads.

“The importance of writing speeding tickets not only enforces our traffic laws, but is also a measure used to help reduce traffic crashes and fatalities," said Tracy Noble, a AAA MidAtlantic spokeswoman.

Your chances of beating a speeding ticket are not great.

Of the 147,996 speeding tickets on non-toll roads, 110,032 summonses resulted in a guilty plea or verdict, according to the Judiciary.

Only 366 drivers were found not guilty in court. Another 9,832 drivers had speeding charges dismissed in court by a judge, for reasons such as insufficient evidence. The remaining speeding tickets were either merged with other charges or plea bargained to different or lesser offenses.

The ranking is based on the actual number of tickets issued, it is not a per capita ranking because there is no data available on the number of cars on the roads in each county.

How does your county stack up?

Don't Edit

(File photo)

21. Sussex:

Known it for its rolling mountains and High Point State Park, seen above, Sussex County is criss-crossed by four winding state highways.

Speeding tickets

2017: 1,373 summonses

2016: 1,533 summonses

Most summonses issued in the past five years: 2,116 in 2013.

Don't Edit

20. Salem:

Salem County has the second oldest courthouse in use in the country. This county is home to the southern terminus of the New Jersey Turnpike and I-295.

Speeding tickets

2017: 1,713 summonses

2016: 1,531 summonses

Most summonses issued in the past five years: 1,815 in 2015.

Don't Edit

(B51 Photography | Mark Brown)

19. Cape May:

Cape May's beaches and charming Victorian homes make it a popular summertime tourist destination.

Speeding tickets

2017: 1,868 summonses

2016: 2,283 summonses

Most summonses issued in the past five years: 2,646 in 2013.

Don't Edit

18. Cumberland:

Located on Delaware Bay and originally known for it's oyster industry, agricultural Cumberland County is home to Route 55, a heavily traveled and dangerous highway for crashes.

Speeding tickets

2017: 2,771 summonses

2016: 2,083 summonses

Most summonses issued in the past five years: 2017.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

(Jesse Bair | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

17. Gloucester:

While considered part of the metropolitan Philadelphia area, Gloucester County is also home to farms and Revolutionary War battlegrounds. A section of I-295 and the New Jersey Turnpike almost run side-by-side here.

Speeding tickets

2017: 3,859 summonses

2016: 4,256 summonses

Most summonses issued in the past five years: 4,788 in 2013.

Don't Edit

16. Passaic:

Passaic County is home to the Paterson's Great Falls, silk mills and locomotive building industry in the 19th century.

Speeding tickets

2017: 5,414 summonses

2016: 6,347 summonses

Most summonses issued in the past five years: 2016.

Don't Edit

15. Atlantic:

Atlantic County is the home county of America's iconic resort, Atlantic City.

Speeding tickets

2017: 5,436 summonses

2016: 5,901 summonses

Most summonses issued in the past five years: 6,703 in 2013.

Don't Edit

(Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

14. Ocean:

The Seasides, Long Beach Island and other beaches bring heavy seasonal traffic to Ocean County on the Garden State Parkway and state highways such as Route 37 and 72.

Speeding tickets

2017: 5,602 summonses

2016: 6,068 summonses

Most summonses issued in the past five years: 6,205 in 2013.

Don't Edit

13. Warren:

Warren County has the most western pieces of I-80 and Route 46 passing through Warren County and the Delaware Water Gap National Park.

Speeding tickets

2017: 5,989 summonses

2016: 4,173 summonses

Most summonses issued in the past five years: 2017.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

(Joe Warner | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

12. Camden:

Camden County is home of the state Aquarium and the Battleship New Jersey, and the curving and traffic choked junctions of I-76, I-295 and I-276, all providing access to and from Philadelphia.

Speeding tickets

2017: 6,281 summonses

2016: 6,242 summonses

Most summonses issued in the past five years: 8,460 in 2013.

Don't Edit

11. Hunterdon:

The home to Lambertville's quaint downtown, farms and vineyards, Hunterdon County is traversed by I-78 and Route 202 and 206.

Speeding tickets

2017: 7,017 summonses

2016: 5,766 summonses

Most summonses issued in the past five years: 2017.

Don't Edit

(Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

10. Mercer:

Mercer County is home to the state capital in Trenton and I-195, I-295 and the New Jersey Turnpike, in addition to Routes 1, 130 and 206.

Speeding tickets

2017: 7,097 summonses

2016: 6,838 summonses

Most summonses issued in the past five years: 2017.

Don't Edit

9. Union:

Union County is home to Kean University and police here have their hands full with busy Routes 22, 24, the Parkway, the Turnpike and I-78 and I-278.

Speeding tickets

2017: 8,148 summonses

2016: 8,125 summonses

Most summonses issued in the past five years: 8,627 in 2013.

Don't Edit

8. Somerset:

Home to the rolling hills of Watchung Mountains and Trump National Golf Club, Somerset County is where I-78 and 287 and Route 202, 206 and 22 meet in the middle of the county.

Speeding tickets

2017: 8,381 summonses

2016: 5,777 summonses

Most summonses issued in the past five years: 2017.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

(Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

7. Essex:

Newark Airport and the Prudential Center are located in Newark, the states largest city in Essex County. The county has I-78 and 280 and Route 10, 21, 22 and 24 in its boundaries.

Speeding tickets

2017: 8,660 summonses

2016: 8,839 summonses

Most summonses issued in the past five years: 11,238 in 2013.

Don't Edit

6. Burlington:

The Brendan Byrne and Wharton State Forests comprise a significant part of Burlington County's land. It also has the Turnpike, I-295 and Routes 130, 70 and 72 all passing through it.

Speeding tickets

2017: 9,324 summons

2016: 10,606 summons

Most summons issued in the past five years: 2016.

Don't Edit

(Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

5. Hudson:

Home to the states Gold Coast on the Hudson River waterfront, urban Hudson County also is a traffic magnet.

Speeding tickets

2017: 9,447 summonses

2016: 8,433 summonses

Most summonses issued in the past five years: 2017.

Don't Edit

4. Morris:

George Washington really did sleep here and he made his headquarters in Morristown during part of the American Revolution. The county is where I-80 and I-287 meet and is home to several busy state highways.

Speeding tickets

2017: 10,650 summonses

2016: 8,587 summonses

Most summonses issued in the past five years: 2017.

Don't Edit

(Larry Higgs | NJ Adavnce Media for NJ.com)

3. Bergen:

Bergen County was the first settlement of European explorers in 1660 and was the first suburban settlement for many urban dwellers in the 1950's and 1960's, thanks to the George Washington Bridge.

Speeding tickets

2017: 12,022 summonses

2016: 10,884 summonses

Most summonses issued in the past five years: 13,009 in 2013.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

2. Monmouth:

Monmouth County is the gateway to the Jersey Shore and beachgoers use the Garden State Parkway, Routes 9, 35, 33 I-195 and numerous state highways to get there.

Speeding tickets

2017: 13,103 summonses

2016: 13,221 summonses

Most summonses issued in the past five years: 2016.

Don't Edit

(John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

1. Middlesex:

Rutgers, the state university is located in Middlesex County. The county is also home to the Turnpike and the Parkway, I-287 and nine state highways.

Speeding tickets

2017: 13,841 summons

2016: 13,921 summons

Most summons issued in the past five years: 18,944 in 2013.

Don't Edit

(Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Read More

What were the leading causes of fatal crashes in 2016?

Street safety campaign to launch after uptick in pedestrian deaths on Hudson County highway.

Jersey City joins "Vision Zero" traffic safety campaign.

Safety advocates call for state wide Vision Zero program to eliminate traffic deaths.