Venting...ranting...yet another citation!

[nfpgasmask]

I dunno man, 12 over is excessive in my book - not that I don't do it myself...

Man, imo, 12 over on a side street with the potential of kids around, hell a dog, and I would agree, but like I said, this is one of those spots here in Reno that is virtually ALWAYS traffic free (there was one other car on the road where I was going the same approximate speed I think) and surrounded by NOTHING. So imo, the speed I was going felt "normal" to me. Like I said, I was just putting along, I didn't feel like I was speeding, I didn't feel like I was in a rush. It is a perfect example of a spot where the speed limit should be 50, not 40.

Generally speaking, I always go 5-10 over the speed limit. I find that in today's modern world, with modern vehicles, even speed limits of 65 on the hwy is WAY too slow. I think almost all interstates should be 80mph. Maybe I am just a speed demon, but I think the WHOLE THING needs restructuring. I think at very least, speeds in excess of 80 should be restricted to the "fast lane". Middle lanes, maybe 65-70, and right lane for all other traffic.

Why make cars that exceed 70mph EASILY if you are not allowed ANYWHERE in the country to go faster than that on a public road? Its the 8th wonder of the world....oh wait, 9th, Andre the Giant was the 8th....

Bart

[Vendetta]

5-10mph over, "excessive?" Lemme tell ya, you do 65 on the LIE (Long Island Expwy, 55mph limit) and you can expect a tow to show up and start pulling you along!

Natually the cops allow this 65-70ish speed by default, because it gives them license to pull over anyone at anytime without any (other) reason.

It's been years, since I got a ticket, but I'm the epitome of respect on the rare occasion I'm pulled over. That, plus I've got family on the job.

...PS? They generally agree with the consensus here.

[Marlin]

I don't think it should be the actual number of mph over the speed limit that matters, but rather the percentage over. 12 over in a 40 is a lot! I occasionally speed, but 75 in a 70 is not much of a difference. I almost never speed in the VX, 34s make for slow going....lol. On the flipside, it is almost impossible to not speed in the F250, the sound of that big ol turbo spooling up, the cloud of soot if a really get on it, 550ftlbs of torque in your pants. Damn, good thing its hard to get nabbed for hard acceleration, just set the cruise and no worries.

I too have often wondered why there haven't been lawsuits for sports cars. Why sell a car like a Viper that can reach the speed limit in 4 seconds? First high speed death should be a suit against Dodge? If I can sue McDs for hot coffee, sue big tobacco for lung cancer, why not sue car company for fast cars? It does seem pointless.

[Osteomata]

Red light cameras, nothing more than money making for the city, enabled by naive do gooders and alarmists on the local editorial boards:
http://blog.motorists.org/6-cities-t...es-for-profit/
http://www.theagitator.com/2008/03/1...h-mayhem-acne/
http://www.theagitator.com/2010/12/0...-making-money/
http://reason.com/blog/2008/08/12/la...nals-red-light
http://www.officer.com/news/10247476...gned-citations

[Vendetta]

Marlin, Marlin, Marlin.... read your sig, my man. (Not that YOU would sue McD's, but you get what I'm sayin'.)

[Marlin]

Red light cameras, nothing more than money making for the city, enabled by naive do gooders and alarmists on the local editorial boards:
http://blog.motorists.org/6-cities-t...es-for-profit/
http://www.theagitator.com/2008/03/1...h-mayhem-acne/
http://www.theagitator.com/2010/12/0...-making-money/
http://reason.com/blog/2008/08/12/la...nals-red-light
http://www.officer.com/news/10247476...gned-citations

Holy crap, I knew those things were a scam, but damn. There are some good articles in there. My last ticket was over 11 years ago, I ran through a yellow while the road was wet, I figured there was no way to stop safely.

[Marlin]

Marlin, Marlin, Marlin.... read your sig, my man. (Not that YOU would sue McD's, but you get what I'm sayin'.)

HA! Nice try, that was my unclear attempt at sarcasm. I say to hell with the entire judicial system as it exists. There should be no such thing as lawyers. If a law requires a special degree to understand it, then the law needs to be rewritten. If you file a suit that is deemed trivial, the lawyer should have to pay a fee equal to what he was suing for if the judge throws it out. That would greatly reduce our ridiculous law suits.

On a side note....Eff the TSA!!!!

Back to our anti traffic-police thread.

[FlyingV77]

What state has the speed limit of "Safe and Prudent"?

[Riff Raff]

What state has the speed limit of "Safe and Prudent"?

That would be the State of Montana. However, Big-Rig Trucks are limited to 60 MPH.

[tjh]

http://www.miketodd.net/encyc/speedlimits1.htm

[RickOKC]

What bothers me so much about this subject is the feeling of complete betrayal. It's the expectation that the people I should trust the most (how I was raised) are now trying their damnedest to shake me down. Somehow "serve and protect" has mutated into something that feels more like "nitpick and extort." Yeah, enforce the law, but do so without the sneaky little traps and concentration on mindless minutia. I no longer trust an officer when he's driving behind me. I feel as if I'm being stalked as he waits for me to make any miniscule mistake so I pull off the road as soon as possible (hey, I can always buy a soda somewhere and enjoy it later even when I don't want one "right then.") I have a big problem with another imperfect being waiting to pounce on some minor imperfection in my driving.

Disclaimer: Haven't been pulled over in well over a decade; haven't had a ticket in about 2 decades.

[Ldub]

That would be the State of Montana. However, Big-Rig Trucks are limited to 60 MPH.

I knew that some day, if I lived long enough, Riff & I would eventually agree on something...

X 2!!! I love Montana, one of the most sensible states in the country IMO.

Guard rails on the side of the road on winding mountain pass roads? Oh hell no, they just put little white crosses where people have died. Though I see a conflict with the separation of church & state in that action... It DOES make you think about pushing the limit more than a guard rail.
At least some measure of natural selection is left in play...

I received a speeding ticket there in my misspent yoot...it co$t me $5.00 to go 90+ mph that day. The officer called it an "energy conservation penalty".

Of course this was in the long ago, mid-late 70's, near as I can recall...

It's been a long time since my last ticket, at least 7 yrs. Getting older & fatter has some advantages...

I just ain't in that big of a hurry any more.

And Bart, it coulda been lots more worser...

You coulda got one of these instead...

[Hiredgoon]

We all take risks every day, and they range all over the spectrum, based on every circumstance you can imagine. Our ability to judge for ourselves whether we are taking a risk that has a high percentage of paying off in our favour is a pretty sacred thing, and I totally get the irritation at having someone else--like Law Enforcement--tell me that I've made an error in judgement; at the end of the day, a speeding ticket is just that. I gambled and lost. It could have been much worse; the loss could have been hitting someone else, or flying off the road and into a tree--for any number of reasons--and really, a fine is a small price to pay. It just adds one more calculation to what's on the table.

The natural tendency is to get mad at Law Enforcement--don't get me wrong, I am constantly feeling put upon by them myself, I'm not arguing their case at all--but despite the fact that manufacturers make vehicles that go 180mph, and that I feel confident driving at XXmph under set conditions, no one else is making me drive over the posted limit. That's on me. I just take it as a lesson learned and try to be more conservative with my choices. Or at least be sneakier about it.

My major incentive to drive slower--in this particular case--is that between the rising price of fuel and the fact that the VX, as much as I love it, is a ridiculous gas hog, I just can't afford the costs. So I do my best to leave for where I'm going a little earlier, plan to be home a little later, avoid places where I will get hung up in traffic, and enjoy not having heart palpitations every time I see a police car.

Just my two cents.

[rowhard]

these motorcycle cops sit in spots like this, where they KNOW people will speed a little Bart

co-workers son was just done for 3 over, it's called revenue generation

[Moncha]

Normally, I don't even get involved in matters like this... Being from the enforcement side, I think I can help a bit. Lots of opinions out regrarding cops and doing there job just to screw over people. Well if the officer isn't out there, he gets complaints that he's not doing his job. Yes, he should be out solving "real" crime but, there are breaks between the action so..... Then there is the assigned traffic cop. What do you think he's gonna do. The officer's job is to enforce the laws that were decided upon by the people. Folks like to say that they didn't vote for that law, correct but the majority did vote for the representatives that drive the system. (sorry if you were on the loosing side)

Yes, fines and penalties are for generating income for the county, city, or state. When making a particular law, it's a fact that a percentage of folks won't abide (no matter the circumstance) thus, ensuring a revenue. No county, city, or state can survive on taxes alone so there must be alternative streams. Fines and penalties are an example.

Now, back in my patrol days, my rule was "5 you're fine, 10 you're mine" save for school zones and construction zone, zero tollerance! I can only speak for my agency but, it was left to the descretion of the officer on the out come.

As for safety, I love to go fast the same as the next guy but, there are factors that come into play as well. Area conditions (weather, lighting, side growth, etc.), traffic density, human population density, critter population density, road contidition (pot holes, turns and bends, visability, etc.), then the most important, the unknown (red ball therory, deer jumps, blown tire, etc.) When driving on public roads, its a gamble, in my 15 years as a paramedic and 13 years as a cop, I've seen a good share of those with a loosing hand. "Do you feel lucky?"

I was always told to enforce by the spirit of the law, not the letter... Many more options on both sides. Unless the officer is a complete jerk (of his own accord) don't shoot the messenger. They do empathize, they just have a job to do.