Pack up the kids. Load the car. Brace yourself (and your stomach) for Thanksgiving and all that comes with it: togetherness, turkey and … tickets?

To help holiday travelers avoid speeding tickets, the National Motorists Association (NMA) has prepared a list of the worst speed trap cities across the country. Speed traps have historically been those stretches of road known for lurking police officers with a reputation for handing out high numbers of speeding tickets.

The NMA, which describes itself as an advocacy group for the “interests and rights of North American motorists,” defines a speed trap as “any time the enforcement is focused on revenue instead of enforcing safety,” according to association spokesperson Aaron Quinn. Predictably, law enforcement takes exception to that: “The term speed trap simply isn’t accurate because what we’re doing is preventative as we work in areas with a high frequency of traffic,” said Lieutenant Everette Clendenin, a public affairs officer for the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. “We’re not trapping anyone.”

Located in Raleigh – the city taking top nod on the NMA’s list for speed traps in North Carolina – the N.C. Highway Patrol warns that speed is the leading cause of traffic collisions and fatalities nationwide. “We always, but specifically around the holidays, advise drivers not to risk speeding because it’s simply not worth it,” Clendenin said. “Slow down and live.”

With AAA estimating that 38.7 million people will hit the road for at least 50 miles from home this Thanksgiving, drivers may find themselves in unknown territory — and unknown traffic rules. “People are traveling this time of year to parts of the country they are not so familiar with so this list highlights areas where these traps exist,” Quinn said. “We just want drivers to make it to Thanksgiving dinner without an undeserved ticket.”

Following is the list of the cities by state where the NMA says travelers are most likely to encounter law enforcement with radar:

ALABAMA
Worst speed trap: Montgomery
Dishonorable Mention: Birmingham, Huntsville, Uniontown

ALASKA
Worst speed trap: Anchorage
Dishonorable Mention: Fairbanks, Juneau, Seward

ARIZONA
Worst speed trap: Tucson
Dishonorable Mention: Gilbert, Phoenix, Scottsdale

ARKANSAS
Worst speed trap: Little Rock
Dishonorable Mention: Augusta, Fayetteville, Parkin

CALIFORNIA
Worst speed trap: Fresno
Dishonorable Mention: Fullerton, Los Angeles, San Jose

COLORADO
Worst speed trap: Colorado Springs
Dishonorable Mention: Aurora, Denver, Fort Collins

CONNECTICUT
Worst speed trap: Enfield
Dishonorable Mention: Danbury, Groton, New Canaan

DELAWARE
Worst speed trap: Newark
Dishonorable Mention: Dover, Felton, Fenwick Island

FLORIDA
Worst speed trap: Waldo
Dishonorable Mention: Lawtey, Ocala, Orlando

GEORGIA
Worst speed trap: Pendergrass
Dishonorable Mention: Atlanta, Duluth, Marietta,

HAWAII
Worst speed trap: Honolulu
Dishonorable Mention: Kailua, Kaimuki, Maui

IDAHO
Worst speed trap: Boise
Dishonorable Mention: Idaho Falls, Lewiston, Post Falls

ILLINOIS
Worst speed trap: Naperville
Dishonorable Mention: Carol Stream, New Lenox, Peoria

INDIANA
Worst speed trap: Indianapolis
Dishonorable Mention: Bloomington, Culver, Fort Wayne

IOWA
Worst speed trap: Des Moines
Dishonorable Mention: Ames, Cedar Rapids, Davenport

KANSAS
Worst speed trap: Shawnee
Dishonorable Mention: Leawood, Overland Park, Topeka

KENTUCKY
Worst speed trap: Louisville
Dishonorable Mention: Lexington, Middlesboro, Owensboro

LOUISIANA
Worst speed trap: Woodworth
Dishonorable Mention: Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, Metairie

MAINE
Worst speed trap: Kittery
Dishonorable Mention: Augusta, Falmouth, Portland

MARYLAND
Worst speed trap: Frederick
Dishonorable Mention: Columbia, Hagerstown, Waldorf

MASSACHUSETTS
Worst speed trap: Worcester
Dishonorable Mention: Lowell, Newton, Springfield

MICHIGAN
Worst speed trap: Livonia
Dishonorable Mention: Ann Arbor, Redford, Warren

MINNESOTA
Worst speed trap: Minneapolis
Dishonorable Mention: Bloomington, Elk River, Plymouth

MISSISSIPPI
Worst speed trap: Starkville
Dishonorable Mention: Jackson, McComb, Tupelo

MISSOURI
Worst speed trap: Foristell
Dishonorable Mention: Curryville, Independence, St. Charles

MONTANA
Worst speed trap: Missoula
Dishonorable Mention: Darby, Havre, Joliet

NEBRASKA
Worst speed trap: Omaha
Dishonorable Mention: Bellevue, Grand Island, Lincoln

NEVADA
Worst speed trap: Las Vegas
Dishonorable Mention: Henderson, Pahrump, Reno

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Worst speed trap: Manchester
Dishonorable Mention: Nashua, New London, Somersworth

NEW JERSEY
Worst speed trap: Paramus
Dishonorable Mention: Bridgewater, Monroe Township, North Brunswick

NEW MEXICO
Worst speed trap: Albuquerque
Dishonorable Mention: Cuba, Las Cruces, Rio Rancho

NEW YORK
Worst speed trap: Brooklyn
Dishonorable Mention: Batavia, Rochester, Staten Island

NORTH CAROLINA
Worst speed trap: Raleigh
Dishonorable Mention: Charlotte, Greensboro, Wilmington

NORTH DAKOTA
Worst speed trap: Grand Forks
Dishonorable Mention: Fargo, Thompson, Washburn

OHIO
Worst speed trap: Columbus
Dishonorable Mention: Akron, Canton, Lindale

OKLAHOMA
Worst speed trap: Caney
Dishonorable Mention: Moffet, Moore, Kiowa

OREGON
Worst speed trap: Portland
Dishonorable Mention: Beaverton, Eugene, Springfield

PENNSYLVANIA
Worst speed trap: Horsham
Dishonorable Mention: Feasterville, Harrisburg, Warrington

RHODE ISLAND
Worst speed trap: Providence
Dishonorable Mention: Johnston, Pawtucket, Warwick

SOUTH CAROLINA
Worst speed trap: Greenville
Dishonorable Mention: Columbia, Gaffney, Society Hill

SOUTH DAKOTA
Worst speed trap: Sioux Falls
Dishonorable Mention: Rapid City, Wagner, Yankton

TENNESSEE
Worst speed trap: Nashville
Dishonorable Mention: Memphis, Piperton, Smyrna

TEXAS
Worst speed trap: Houston
Dishonorable Mention: Arlington, Austin, Estelline

UTAH
Worst speed trap: Sandy
Dishonorable Mention: Roy, Salt Lake City, West Valley City

VERMONT
Worst speed trap: Wilmington
Dishonorable Mention: Barre Town, Island Pond, Norwich

VIRGINIA
Worst speed trap: Virginia Beach
Dishonorable Mention: Chesapeake, Emporia, Norfolk

WASHINGTON
Worst speed trap: Bellingham
Dishonorable Mention: Black Diamond, Ritzville, Seattle,

WEST VIRGINIA
Worst speed trap: Summersville
Dishonorable Mention: Charleston, Gauley Bridge, Hurricane

WISCONSIN
Worst speed trap: Rosendale
Dishonorable Mention: Appleton, Milwaukee, Waukesha

WYOMING
Worst speed trap: Thermopolis
Dishonorable Mention: Cheyenne, Jackson Hole, Rawlins

Article by Rebecca Heslin, USA Today

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. 12/12/07 — Sheriff’s deputies dressed as Santa’s elves cited more than 100 speeders on Orange County roads Wednesday in continuation of a program some have called unfair.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office continued their Operation ELF: Enforcing Limits and Fining speeders on the Alafaya Trail Wednesday.

Here’s how it works: a sheriff’s deputy dressed as an elf clocks cars using a radar gun then dispatches a motorcycle deputy to pull them over and issue the driver a ticket.

More than 130 tickets were written in just over two hours.

The highest speed was recorded at 79 mph in a 45 mph zone.

In the past, some motorists said using a holiday icon to enforce the law did not seem right.

“That’s specifically why we didn’t use Santa Claus,” Ken Wynne of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said in an earlier report. “We didn’t choose a nativity scene. We chose an elf. An elf is known for their impish behavior. If you’re going to speed in Orange County, you never know who’s going to be on the street corner.”

Grinch Targets Drivers

Recently, a costumed officer dressed as Dr. Seuss’ Grinch character handed out about one traffic ticket per minute for hours in Orange County.

The Seuss-costumed officer nabbed drivers traveling on Orange Blossom Trail near Holden Boulevard Wednesday.

There were so many people running red lights and committing traffic violations that costumed officer said he had little time to rest, Local 6’s Laura Diaz said.

“We averaged about one a minute and we’ve been out here for about 50 minutes,” Orange County sheriff’s representative Wynne said.

Some drivers said their ticket was not fair.

“I think I’m being ticketed wrongly,” a motorist told Local 6 after being pulled over.

Story from local6.com news.

For help with a traffic ticket in Florida visit TrafficTicketUSA.