COLUMBUS, Feb. 15, 2008 (AP): Suburban and urban Ohio counties lead the state in traffic tickets for what the State Highway Patrol considers dangerous speeding.

A patrol analysis finds that between 2005 and 2007, 7,700 motorists were cited in Madison County, just west of Columbus, for driving more than 20 miles per hour above the posted speed limit.

After Madison, the other counties in the top five are: Greene, outside Dayton; Montgomery, which include Dayton; Hamilton, the county that includes Cincinnati; and Warren County, northeast of Cincinnati.

The patrol's superintendent notes that most excessive speed violations occur on interstate highways entering the state's major cities. Col. Richard Collins says speeds and traffic volumes on those roads tend to be the highest.

On the Net: Ohio State Highway Patrol: http://www.statepatrol.ohio.gov/