Beware of These Sneaky Speed Traps in East Texas and Throughout the State

The topic of speed on the roadways in Texas can actually be a very contentious conversation. There are laws in place that say you cannot exceed a certain speed depending on which road you're on. Most will follow these laws while others think there are ways to skirt around those laws. One thing all drivers can agree on is that there are certain areas that seem to have purposely been set up to catch people speeding, otherwise known as speed traps. Let's take a look at some of the most notorious speed traps in East Texas and beyond.

Get our free mobile app

Speed Trap in Henderson County

I worked at a small radio station in Malakoff for a couple of years in the early 2010s. I made the trek from Tyler everyday down Highway 31. Part of that trek took me through Brownsboro every day. Brownsboro is a cool little town. As you're entering or exiting Brownsboro on the west side, there is an unusual progression of speeds. It's 35 mph while in town, to 45 mph at the church, then 55 mph after about 300 yards, then 65, then 70 mph before you get to the school. Not to mention the 35 mph school zone in the 70 mph zone when flashing. You would think this would be a natural speed progression but too many get anxious and hit the 70 mph mark in the 55 mph zone.

The same can be said for entering Brownsboro from the West, it's 70 mph coming in, the 35 mph school zone when flashing, back up to 70 mph, it drops to 65 right before the city limit sign, then 55 mph just after the small welcome sign, then 45 mph after about 300 yards and 35 mph after that. It's too easy to miss these marks and be going too fast for that area. It's not uncommon to have an officer sitting either in the church parking lot or on the other side of Highway 31. It's too easy to get tagged there. Luckily, I payed attention in those areas and never got ticket in my daily travels through that area but I saw plenty of people get hit with the radar gun there.

Other East Texas Speed Traps

On social media, I asked what was the worst speed trap in East Texas. That spot in Brownsboro seemed to get the most call outs. The 40 mph section of Loop 323 in Tyler, Coffee City, Wells, Franklin and Diboll got a lot of call outs, too.

Know the Laws, Not the Myths

Yeah, speed traps can be annoying and cost you some money you didn't want to spend but here's the deal, these speeds are set by those local governments for a reason. If you violate those speed limits, the authorities there have every right to stop you and issue a ticket. Doesn't matter if you're going 1 mile over, 5 miles over or 15 miles over the speed limit, you have broken the law and you will have to pay a fine if caught.

If you want to know some of the most notorious speed traps in all of Texas, or across the country, you can go to speedtrap.org, click on the state and then click on the city.