Some drivers took advantage of roads and highways emptied by the coronavirus pandemic by pushing well past the speed limit, a trend that continues even as states try to get back to normal.

The Iowa State Patrol recorded a 101% increase from January through August over the four-year average in tickets for speeds exceeding 100 mph, along with a 75% increase in tickets for speeds of 25 mph or more over the posted speed limit.

California Highway Patrol officers issued more than 15,000 tickets from mid-March through Aug. 19 for speeds exceeding 100 mph, more than a 100% increase over the same time period a year ago. That includes a continuing spike from May on.

The most likely explanation is drivers taking advantage of more open roads because of the pandemic, said Officer Ian Hoey, a spokesman for the California agency.

The patrol planned a heavy presence over the Labor Day weekend, he said.

“Let’s just slow down a bit and enjoy the day!” the agency’s Santa Rosa division tweeted June 21, along with a photo of a laser speed device recording a car going 127 mph.

In Ohio, state troopers have issued 2,200 tickets since April for driving more than 100 mph, a 61% increase over the same time period a year ago. The highest ticketed speed was 147 mph in the Cincinnati area.

While traffic has decreased 15% from February through July, the number of people driving more than 80 mph on Ohio roads jumped by 30%, according to sensor data analyzed by the state Department of Transportation.

Columbus resident Karen Poltor experienced the trend firsthand last month when three cars raced past her on state Route 315, an expressway through the city.

“They were flying in the left lane and weaving around cars,” said Poltor, who estimated their speed at between 90 and 100 mph. “It was terrifying to watch.”

Ohio authorities are especially troubled that speeds not only picked up in the early days of the pandemic when roads were emptier, but they’ve also continued even as the state reopened and roads became more congested.

“We’ve seen people continue to go those speeds even though there now is more traffic, which makes it even more dangerous,” said Lt. Craig Cvetan, an Ohio patrol spokesman.

July was Ohio’s deadliest traffic month since 2007, with 154 fatalities.

A temporary reduction in traffic enforcement in the early days of the pandemic may have contributed to a sense of invulnerability by some drivers. Some Ohio police agencies — though not the patrol — eased up on pulling drivers over for minor traffic violations to avoid spreading the coronavirus.

In addition, Ohio troopers were spread thin for several weeks as they were called on to help distribute food and later provide security as protests over police brutality and racism erupted following the death in May of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

“When people see less troopers on the roadway or they see less law enforcement out working, there is that tendency for them to start committing traffic violations,” Cvetan said.

Vermont law enforcement officials believe an increase in the number of traffic fatalities recorded to date this year could be linked to fewer police on the road because of the pandemic. So far there have been 43 traffic fatality deaths, up from 21 at the same point last year.

Utah state police saw a 23% jump in tickets issued for going 20 mph or more over the speed limit from March through August compared with the same time period last year. In Pennsylvania, patrol tickets for drivers exceeding 100 mph climbed in March but then stayed high from June through August, jumping 25% during that three-month period.

The government warned drivers to slow down in a mid-July message aimed at pandemic speeding.

“Less traffic has coincided with a rise in speeding in some areas of the country, and that’s a problem because speeding increases the risk of crashes, and can increase crash severity as well,” said James Owens, deputy administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in a public service announcement.

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Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Ryan Foley in Iowa City; Don Thompson in Sacramento, California; Wilson Ring in Montpelier, Vermont; and Lindsay Whitehurst in Salt Lake City.

DES MOINES, Iowa —

The Iowa State Patrol said a driver was clocked going 114 mph on Interstate 35 on Tuesday night during a snowstorm.

According to the Iowa State Patrol Facebook page, Trooper Denny Schnathorst said the driver’s excuse was: “In a hurry to get back to college in Minnesota."

“First responders were busy helping many motorists stranded during this storm- speeding like this is NOT being responsible,” ISP officials said.

A strong winter storm made its way across the Upper Midwest Tuesday, creating treacherous travel conditions, spurring warnings urging people to stay off the roads and more.

Interstate 35 was covered in ice and snow Tuesday night and troopers report they responded to 91 crashes and helped 372 motorists in the storm between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.

The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for parts of Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Illinois.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Silento, the Atlanta rapper known for the hit single and viral dance "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)," was arrested and charged with murder in the shooting death of his cousin, authorities said.

The 23-year-old, whose real name is Ricky Lamar Hawk, was arrested Monday after police investigated the death of his 34-year-old cousin, Frederick Rooks, according to a statement from the DeKalb County Police Department.

Police responded to a call about a shooting on Jan. 21 and found Rooks with multiple gunshot wounds lying on a road in the Atlanta area suburb of Panthersville, according to an incident report from DeKalb County police.

Rooks was pronounced dead at the scene, the report stated.

Security camera footage from nearby homes captured at least one gunshot before several vehicles fled the scene at high speeds, according to the report.

Police said in a statement that Silento was later identified as a suspect.

Investigators have not yet determined a motive for the shooting.

Silento was booked into jail on Monday and is currently being held there on a murder charge, jail records show. Authorities charged him with felony murder.

CNN has reached out to representatives for Silento.

Silento has faced several run-ins with the law in recent months.

Last October, the rapper was arrested in Atlanta after driving 143 mph in a 65-mph zone, according to a DeKalb County Police Department incident report. He was given citations for reckless driving, speeding, failure to maintain lane and improper stopping, jail records show. The charges are still pending, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Related video: Rapper Silento charged with felony assault

He was charged in September in Los Angeles with threatening two people with a hatchet. Prosecutors said that he reportedly walked into a stranger's unlocked home on Aug. 29 and attempted to hit two people with a hatchet before one of them disarmed him.

Silento pleaded not guilty, and the case is still pending, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County sheriff says the rollover that seriously injured Tiger Woods was “purely an accident” on a downhill section of road known for crashes.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva says that stretch of road "has had quite a few accidents over the years," and that "this stretch of road is challenging," he added.

During a Facebook live press briefing Wednesday afternoon, Villanueva said there will be a cause determined for the accident, but Woods will not face a reckless driving charge.

"We don't contemplate any charges whatsoever in this crash. This remains an accident, accident is not a crime," Villanueva said.

The speed limit on that section of road is posted at 45mph, and Villanueva said "that is the maximum" and that depending on the conditions, drivers may need to go slower. The sheriff says they do not know how fast Woods was going and they hope to learn that after assessing data from the vehicle.

Harbor-UCLA Medical Center’s chief medical officer says Woods shattered bones in his lower right leg in multiple locations, with additional injuries in the ankle and foot.

A statement on his Twitter account says he was awake and recovering.