Somehow I feel safer with her going 54 mph in a 35 mph zone.....

...then some of these soccer moms driving a four ton SUV at 35 mph, while they are talking on the cell phone, wrestling with kids, and putting on their eye make-up!

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona: Danica Patrick paid a $196 (140 euros) fine to settle a speeding ticket after the star race car driver was caught going 54 mph (85 kph) in a 35 mph (55 kph) zone last month.

Patrick, the first woman to win an IndyCar race, was due in traffic court on Monday, but a Scottsdale City Court clerk says she paid the fine on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old driver was pulled over by Scottsdale police on Dec. 9 in her hometown while driving a 2007 Mercedes. A year ago, she was ticketed for driving 57 mph (90 kph) in a 40 mph (65 kph) zone in Scottsdale and was ordered to attend traffic school.

Scottsdale court records show the recent tickets are among several she has received in the past three years.

A call to Patrick's racing team wasn't immediately returned.