The Broken Speedometer Phenomenon: Consequence Avoidance and Arbitrary Outcomes

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Last Modified
  • May 15, 2019
Creator
  • McAdon, Sarah
    • Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Political Science
Abstract
  • Over 1.2 million speeding citations were resolved in the North Carolina court system between the years 2013 and 2017. Out of all the individuals in this study who were convicted of a lesser charge than their original charge, 94% of observations resulted in a broken speedometer conviction. This study examines the legitimacy of the broken speedometer conviction, looking at concepts of arbitrariness, capriciousness, and consequence avoidance. While race, gender, and age do play a role in the type of conviction an individual receives, this study finds that the judicial district a case is heard in, as well as the specific judge on the bench, are the most influential factors in determining an individual's harshness of outcome. Additionally, the type of attorney an individual hires has a significant effect, with self representing individuals receiving the worst outcomes, and individuals with retained attorneys or court-appointed attorneys receiving more optimal outcomes. There are significant disparities across the state in the ways individuals are sentenced in speeding citation cases, especially when taking into consideration factors that individuals cannot control. The results of this study provide support for the idea that speeding citation rulings in North Carolina are both arbitrary and capricious, as individuals attempt to avoid consequences and judicial officials rule in inconsistent ways.
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Advisor
  • Baumgartner, Frank
Degree
  • Bachelor of Arts
Academic concentration
  • Political Science
Honors level
  • Honors
Degree granting institution
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Graduation year
  • 2019
Language
  • English

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