Caught Doing 100 MPH or More in Missouri: Charges, Penalties and What to Do

Short answer: Missouri has no separate statute for driving over 100 mph. What happens instead is that you get charged with careless and imprudent driving under RSMo 304.012 rather than speeding. That turns a three point traffic ticket into a criminal misdemeanor carrying four points, up to six months in jail, and a fine of up to 1,000 dollars. If there was a crash it becomes a class A misdemeanor with up to a year in jail.

Is there a specific law for driving over 100 mph in Missouri?

No. Some states have written extreme speed into their statutes with automatic felonies at a set number. Missouri has not. There is no number in the law that flips a speeding ticket into something worse.

What exists instead is prosecutorial choice. The officer who stops you at 103 in a 70 can write you a speeding ticket, or they can charge careless and imprudent driving. At triple digit speeds they almost always choose the second, because the speed itself is treated as proof that you were not driving in a careful and prudent manner and were not exercising the highest degree of care.

So the answer to what happens at 100 mph in Missouri is not found in a speed statute. It is found in whether the officer decides your driving was criminal.

What are the penalties?

Because the charge is careless and imprudent rather than speeding, the penalties are criminal:

• No accident: class B misdemeanor. Up to six months in jail, a fine of up to 1,000 dollars, and four points on your licence under state law.
• Accident involved: class A misdemeanor. Up to one year in jail and a fine of up to 2,000 dollars.

Four points is half the eight points that trigger a licence suspension in Missouri over an eighteen month window. If you already have points on your record, a single triple digit stop can put you over the line on its own.

Jail is unusual for a first offence with no injuries and no alcohol. It is not off the table, and judges in some courts take extreme speed considerably more seriously than others.

Why a speeding ticket and a 100 mph stop are not the same problem

People treat these as the same thing with a bigger number attached. They are not.

A speeding ticket is an infraction. You pay it, points go on your driving record, your insurance notices, and life continues. There is no criminal record.

Careless and imprudent driving is a misdemeanor conviction. It shows up on a criminal background check, not just a driving record. Employers see it. Licensing boards see it. Anyone running a check for a rental, a job or a professional registration sees it. That is a different category of consequence entirely, and it is permanent unless it is later expunged.

Insurance reacts differently too. Carriers read careless and imprudent as a marker of a high risk driver rather than a lapse of attention. Premium increases of fifty percent or more at renewal are common, and they persist for three to five years.

Can a 100 mph charge be reduced?

Sometimes, and it is harder than an ordinary careless and imprudent case. Prosecutors who will readily amend a 50 in a 35 are noticeably less willing when the number starts with a one.

What helps:

• A clean driving record with nothing recent on it
• No accident, no injuries, no property damage
• No alcohol or drugs in the stop
• The charge being filed in municipal court rather than state court
• Genuine issues with how the speed was measured or whether the officer had a clear observation

What hurts: a crash, injuries, a passenger in the car, racing another vehicle, prior moving violations, or a speed so far above the limit that the prosecutor is unwilling to be seen reducing it.

The realistic goal in a strong case is an amendment to a non moving violation carrying no points. In a harder case it may be a reduction to a lesser moving violation, which still avoids the misdemeanor conviction even if some points remain. Both outcomes are materially better than pleading to the original charge.

What to do if you have been stopped at over 100

Do not simply pay it. On a careless and imprudent charge, paying is pleading guilty to a misdemeanor. There is no version of this where paying the fine is the quiet, easy option.

Do not miss the court date. This is a criminal charge, and failing to appear can produce a warrant. That becomes a second problem sitting on top of the first.

Write down the details now. Where the officer was positioned, whether they were moving or stationary, what the traffic and weather were like, how long they followed you, what was said. Speed measurement is a technical area and these details decide cases.

Find out which court you are in. A municipal charge carries two points on conviction rather than four. If your citation is in state court, whether it can be moved is worth asking about early.

We handle careless and imprudent charges throughout St Louis County, St Charles County and Franklin County, including triple digit stops on I 44, I 64 and I 70. If you have a court date coming up, send us the ticket and we will tell you honestly whether an amendment is realistic.

Frequently asked questions

Is going over 100 mph a felony in Missouri?

Not on its own. Speed alone is charged as careless and imprudent driving, which is a misdemeanor. Felony charges enter the picture only where there is serious injury, death, or other aggravating conduct.

Will I lose my licence for going 100 mph in Missouri?

Not automatically. A state law conviction adds four points, and suspension follows at eight points within eighteen months. Whether you lose your licence depends on what is already on your record.

Can I go to jail for driving over 100 mph in Missouri?

It is possible. A class B misdemeanor carries up to six months, and up to a year if there was an accident. Jail is uncommon for a first offence without injuries, but the exposure exists.

Does a 100 mph ticket show up on a background check?

If it was charged as careless and imprudent and you are convicted, yes. It is a criminal misdemeanor conviction and appears on a criminal record check.

Should I get a lawyer for a 100 mph charge?

Given that the charge is criminal rather than an infraction, and that the usual outcome for people who handle it alone is a guilty plea to the original charge, it is worth at least getting it looked at before your court date.

About the attorney

Azra Ahmad, Founder & Managing Attorney

Azra focuses on estate planning, elder law, personal injury and traffic law for families across the St. Louis area. She earned her JD from Saint Louis University School of Law, is licensed in Missouri and Illinois, and is a member of The Missouri Bar, WealthCounsel and ElderCounsel. Before law, she worked as a speech-language pathologist with children and seniors.

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