QuickTake:

If you get pulled over while driving, you had a nearly 50% chance of getting a ticket last year. The likelihood of getting a citation during a traffic stop has been climbing.

Did you get caught in any speed traps last year? Were you given a traffic citation in Eugene when you might have gotten off with a warning a few years ago?

You’re not alone.

Police issued more citations during traffic stops this year than they have in the past five years, according to Eugene Police Department data. Over the past few years Eugene police have steadily stopped more drivers and cited them for speeding, distracted driving or operating unregistered vehicles.

There was a sharp spike in traffic stops during the pandemic, followed by a decline. Now the number of stops has crept up again. Eugene police made a total of 9,832 stops in 2023, 10,684 in 2024 and by the end of 2025, the department completed a total 12,640 traffic stops.

Eugene Police Department spokesperson Melinda McLaughlin said fewer cars were on the road during the pandemic and that seems to have led motorists to engage in riskier driving habits. Researchers noted the phenomenon nationwide.

McLaughlin said the department did not issue a policy or tell officers to increase traffic stops. She attributed the surge more funding and staffing for the traffic team and for operations against drunk driving.

A jump in citations

While the number of stops has gone up, the percentage of stops that resulted in a citation has also risen sharply. 

Traffic stop citation rates are now the highest they’ve been in seven years. In 2025, almost half of all traffic stops resulted in a citation.

McLaughlin said that stems from increased enforcement of cell phone use while driving, driving uninsured and failure to renew vehicle registration. 

In 2024, Eugene police issued 311 citations for cell phone use while driving; in 2025, the department issued 697 citations. Failure to renew a license is another factor behind the citation spike, with 279 citations issued in 2025, compared to the 87 issued in 2024. 

Rob Zako, executive director of the traffic safety nonprofit Better Eugene-Springfield Transportation, says the increase in citations is a step in the right direction to stopping what he calls “traffic violence.” Dangerous driving has gotten out of hand since the pandemic, he said.

“The impression of the public is it’s kind of a lawless area out there,” Zako said. “People can drive however they want to, they can run red lights, they can speed, and there just isn’t much enforcement so they get away with it.”