AAA's new Consumer Pulse survey says it plainly: 40% of Floridians admit to speeding. Four out of ten. Common. Casual. Costly.

And here's the part we often miss. Nationally, drunk driving contributes to about 30% of traffic deaths. Speeding? Roughly the same -- just a hair lower. Nearly identical. Yet speeding rarely carries the same stigma. That gap matters.

Florida lost 3,396 people in traffic crashes in 2023, according to recent statewide tallies. That's 15 deaths per 100,000 people and a 1.42 death rate per 100 million miles traveled. Big state. Big exposure. Bigger stakes.

Speeding citations aren't a perfect proxy for dangerous speed, but they show where enforcement -- and risky behavior -- cluster. Recent analyses of citation counts consistently point to the same core group near the top: Duval, Palm Beach, and Orange counties.

Note: Other counties surge year to year -- Lee County, for example, has seen sharp rises -- so the exact podium can shift. But Duval, Palm Beach, and Orange are steady fixtures near the top.

Same neighborhood. Different public perception.

Expect a premium jump -- often in the 20%-30% range for a standard speeding violation -- with higher increases for 15+ mph over the limit or younger drivers. It varies by carrier, your record, and exactly how fast you were going. But the trend is consistent: tickets echo on your bill for years.

Pro tip for readers: Call two local agents for quotes on a "clean, age-35 driver" scenario -- one at 9 mph over, one at 19 mph over. Seeing the dollar delta makes it real.

AAA's message is blunt. Speeding hits as hard as drunk driving. Our culture treats them differently. Our outcomes don't.

So we shift. As drivers. Parents. Neighbors. We make five extra minutes normal. We make "keeping up" a cop-out. We make speed a safety choice, not a reflex.

Because those extra 7 mph? They don't buy you time. They buy you risk. And Florida's already paid enough.

Resources Used: newsroom.acg.aaa.com/speeding-hits-as-hard-as-drunk-driving/

Florida's Most Ticketed Lanes: What Duval, Palm Beach, and Orange Reveal About Speed, Safety, and the Price " Live Insurance News