Speeding tickets: How do you feel?

[Gina]

Meow may I help you?

[Bad Dog]

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZv-zKdVV-k[/youtube]

Skip to 1:45 for the, ah, relevant part.

Adriene Barbeau.... Humma..Humma.Humma  (Yeah, I know, showing my age)

[dixierose]

I live on the I-95 corridor in GA. The local cops will stop people for busted windshields and for haging taglights out before they stop you for speeding. I have a couple of friends on the force, and they say they don't get drug runners by stopping speeders....

[Evil_Conservative]

Meow may I help you?

I would piss my pants if a cop ever did that to me... lol

[Wineslob]

You don't think speeding tickes and posted speeding signs are not also for the public safety?

Think again:

This is an obvious call to action. Something must be done. We need more laws, more money for enforcement and more citations written - Speed Kills!

Not so fast says a follow up study just completed by National Motorists Association. The study shows the safest period on Montana’s Interstate highways was when there were no daytime speed limits or enforceable speed laws.

The doubling of fatal accidents occurred after Montana implemented its new safety program; complete with federal funding, artificially low speed limits and full enforcement

http://www.motorists.org/press/montana-no-speed-limit-safety-paradox


It is all about money.

[MrsSmith]

I used to hate the idea of speeding tickets...especially since we assumed it was just for money.  Where I grew up, it probably was.  But here, I've seen enough complete morons on the road that I'm really glad when I see a sheriff!!  We've all seen cars run completely off the road by idiots passing where there isn't enough room and even know a few people that were killed in wrecks caused by these same idiots.  If the presence of the cops is enough to slow them down, it works for me.  Some of my happiest driving moments in the last 10 years (since I moved away from Nebraska and down to the area between Kansas City morons, Tulsa morons, Oklahoma City morons, and Wichita morons), have been when I've seen a cop nail one of them.  

BTW, when I've had some idiot blow past me in a no-passing-zone, it's always been when I'm already doing 5 over.

[rich_t]

Don't speed and you won't have to worry about your hard earned money padding the city coffers.

[rich_t]

On the interstate, I'll usually drive 4 mph over the limit. And I'll factor in my speedometer's error (it reads faster than I'm actually traveling), so I stay under the radar that way.

About 2 years ago, I was traveling in Oklahoma and could not slow down fast enough by coasting to keep from tailgating the driver in front of me. (This guy himself was coasting because of the state trooper in the adjoining lane.) The state cop pulled me over and gave me a written warning. I didn't argue.

Touch wood -- it's been more than 13 years since my last speeding ticket. And I don't plan on getting any anytime soon.

I got my last speeding ticket on Dec. 23rd 1986.  I plan on keeping it that way.

I use the hell out of my cruise control.

[thundley4]

Speed zones to need to be enforced in school zones and other areas with high pedestrian traffic, on an open interstate, not so much.

[Danglars]

I got my last speeding ticket on Dec. 23rd 1986.  I plan on keeping it that way.

I use the hell out of my cruise control.

Great gas saver on non-hilly highways.

[Kyle Ricky]

This speaking of city driving makes me think of Atlanta. Until I went there, I thought Pittsburgh was bad. Of course, Miami is also pretty bad.

[Evil_Conservative]

This speaking of city driving makes me think of Atlanta. Until I went there, I thought Pittsburgh was bad. Of course, Miami is also pretty bad.

All large cities are bad.  Las Vegas is better than Phoenix, but it's still horrible here.

[Kyle Ricky]

All large cities are bad.  Las Vegas is better than Phoenix, but it's still horrible here.

Atlanta was the first place I ever been to that had eight lanes (Four on each side - one of them lanes was a commute lane for cars with one or less passengers. The most Pittsburgh here has is six lanes (Three on each side)). The speed limit was 70mph, but people were going between 85 and 90, and the cops were just letting them go.

[thundley4]

Atlanta was the first place I ever been to that had eight lanes (Four on each side - one of them lanes was a commute lane for cars with one or less passengers. The most Pittsburgh here has is six lanes (Three on each side)). The speed limit was 70mph, but people were going between 85 and 90, and the cops were just letting them go.

Atlanta was bad when I went through in the early 80's.  I was too young to know about taking Interstate bypasses,  I took 75 straight through Atlanta.  I also got offtrack once and took I 95 through Baltimore.

[Kyle Ricky]

Atlanta was bad when I went through in the early 80's.  I was too young to know about taking Interstate bypasses,  I took 75 straight through Atlanta.  I also got offtrack once and took I 95 through Baltimore.

When I was there I was on 85 going into the city and then 85 coming out of the city. I was staying in Suwannee (It is between 10 and 15 miles outside the city), where one of my best friends lived at the time. That is a beautiful town.

[Texacon]

The speed limit was 70mph, but people were going between 85 and 90, and the cops were just letting them go.

And the reason for that is the flow of traffic. If it's moving and moving safely why cause a problem. Speed isn't the problem. Left lane driving and speed differential is the problem.

KC

[Texacon]

You don't think speeding tickes and posted speeding signs are not also for the public safety?

No ma'am I don't. In school zones or residential areas I might agree but otherwise it's simply revenue.

There are few other crimes where the cops hide and allow a crime to be committed when public safety is supposedly involved. Think about that for a minute. If a cop can stop a crime where someone could be harmed why not do that rather than let the crime happen then cite you.

Wonder if a cop would stand aside and let a potential bar fight develop or would they intervene before it got out of hand?

Just a thought.

KC

[obumazombie]

I may be picking nits, but speeding is a code violation, a misdemeanor, not technically a violation of statute law. You cannot be arrested for simple speeding. This is one argument I hate hearing that it's "breaking the law'.

[Evil_Conservative]

I may be picking nits, but speeding is a code violation, a misdemeanor, not technically a violation of statute law. You cannot be arrested for simple speeding. This is one argument I hate hearing that it's "breaking the law'.

You can be arrested for speeding... just ask my brother-in-law who was going 30mph over the speed limit in his redneck Camaro.

[obumazombie]

You can be arrested for speeding... just ask my brother-in-law who was going 30mph over the speed limit in his redneck Camaro.

30 over in many states is no longer simple speeding, it opens the infraction to interpretation of recklessness, and possibly fleeing.

[Gina]

I may be picking nits, but speeding is a code violation, a misdemeanor, not technically a violation of statute law. You cannot be arrested for simple speeding. This is one argument I hate hearing that it's "breaking the law'.

You are justifying it.  If you are willing to think that you don't have to follow a simple law or "code violation" then you are just going to think you can move on up in the severity of law breaking.

And about left lane driving..........Pfffft!  if one is doing the speed limit in the left lane then that is lawful.  It's your job to figure out how to pass.    Can't stand a SOB getting on my ass when I am already breaking a code violation and think I am getting out of their way.  I don't like to be an accessory to a code violation.

[franksolich]

You wouldn't have short sections of road where the speed limit is reduced for no apparent reason.

Oh, but usually there is a good reason, although not an apparent one.

The highways out here are pretty empty, and so there's no competition for "getting ahead" of the other guy.

Once in a while one will come to a straight, endless, stretch of highway where the speed limit's abruptly reduced from 60 mph to 50 mph or even 40 mph.

One at first thinks, "WTF?"

It's usually because the winds are known to (usually) be really strong on that particular stretch, and can blow a car off the road.  It's for one's own safety.

I also think that, at least here in Nebraska, an ancient law which used to pertain but which doesn't anymore, should be restored; that of after sun-down, the maximum speed-limit is ten miles lower than the posted speed limit.

And then during deer-crossing season, it should be no more than 45 mph.

I'm one of these rare people around here who's never hit a deer; I've come close however, and if I'd been going 60 mph (the actual usual speed-limit), I wouldn't have had the time to evade.

I'm in a hurry just as much as the next guy, and sure, driving endless expanses can be boring.

But on the other hand, how much time am I really saving, by going 45 miles to the big city, at 60 mph instead of 55 or 50 (I drive according to conditions on the road, up to but not past the speed limit).  Thirty seconds?  Forty seconds?

[Gina]

favorite is when someone blows past me and I turtle up doing the speed limit to the light and it turns green right when I get there and I pass them 

[Texacon]

And about left lane driving..........Pfffft!  if one is doing the speed limit in the left lane then that is lawful.  It's your job to figure out how to pass.    Can't stand a SOB getting on my ass when I am already breaking a code violation and think I am getting out of their way.  I don't like to be an accessory to a code violation.

No ma'am.  That is incorrect in a lot of states, Texas included.  State law says the left lane is for passing only.  If you are not actively passing a vehicle and you're in the left lane you can be cited.

Also, if you are forcing people to pass you on the right you are forcing them to break a law.  You are not supposed to pass on the right.

When you are driving in the left lane people can't see around you so they don't know if you are passing or if you are simply driving in the left lane.  That's why our sterring wheels are on the left side of the car.  I seriously can't figure out why anyone would WANT to drive in the left lane.  What's the appeal??  The only reason I've been able to come up with is it makes them feel powerful stacking traffic up behind them.  Is there another reason I'm missing?

KC

[NHSparky]

Here's my take on it--I've seen places where a speeding ticket is $5 per mile over the limit.  I've seen it where back in the day in Nevada anything under 75 was a $5 "energy waste fee."  I've also seen it where 16 in a 15 school zone was STARTING at $400, not including the school (another $150) to keep the ticket off your insurance.

If it's a ticket that gets reported but with minimal to moderate fines, that is okay (I'd say anything under $100 for 10 mph over is legit.)  It's when the ticket STARTS at $250 that it becomes bullshit.