Woman drove 74 in a 35 MPH zone to go pay a ticket, Kennewick police say

Kennewick police caught a 21-year-old woman allegedly going 74 mph on Canal Drive on Monday because she wanted to pay off a previous speeding ticket.

Jasmin Hernandez was on her way to pay off a ticket for going 15 mph over the speed limit near Tri-Tech Skills Center about two weeks before, Kennewick Officer Sebastian Castilleja told the Tri-City Herald.

Her Chevy Malibu allegedly crossed the double-yellow lines into the oncoming lanes to pass slower traffic as she barreled down the road about 9 a.m. on Monday. Castilleja spotted her in the oncoming lanes. Radar reportedly showed that she was going 74 mph in the 35 mph zone, Kennewick police said in a Facebook post.

Officers stopped the Malibu and arrested Hernandez for reckless driving. She was also cited for driving without insurance and a valid license.

It’s not clear why Hernandez felt she needed to get to the courthouse in a hurry. Castilleja said that there is a 30-day deadline to respond to a ticket.

National traffic safety studies show that speeding and other high-risk behavoris can more than double the likelihood of a crash, Kennewick police said.

“Driving at these excessive speeds — especially while passing in oncoming lanes — creates extreme risk not only to the driver, but to every person on the roadway,” Kennewick police said in the Facebook post.