Speeding / Traffic Ticket Blues

[Soulstation1]

As my brothers in NWA would.say

FTP

[AndrewHill]

Pardon me, but I dont know what "FTP" means

[Free For All]

Pardon me, but I dont know what "FTP" means

I think it's "f*ck the police".

[Jim Alfredson]

I thought it was File Transfer Protocol

[Soulstation1]

Free Tasty Pastries

[AndrewHill]

Okay, can someone narrow that down for me?

[Soulstation1]

WTF is going on in the United States

This stupid MFer in .Phoenix shot and killed a man setting up a camera van on the side of the road

They somehow got pics of his car as he left the scene

[James]

Not that dodging a ticket should be motivation for supporting your local PD, I can't help but think that my "I Support the Officers Association" sticker has gotten me out of a couple of close calls. Needless to say, if you've done something really reckless or if you're caught seriously over the limit that little sticker aint gonna help much.

[Soulstation1]

I was driving down an alley the other night to the store

A wild cat jumped from the fence and attacked the car and rolled under the car

He didn't survive

[Shrdlu]

The point really is that our law/court system has shifted from a justice system to a money making system. They just want to grab anyone who has any money left over and drain more out of them by any means possible.

That's why I have 0% respect for it all now. It has come a long way from the way it was when I was a kid.

Just to repeat what I said earlier, I'm not suggesting that we go at 70 down Main Street or past a school. I still do my best to be courteous and use common-sense.

[Dave James]

The point really is that our law/court system has shifted from a justice system to a money making system. They just want to grab anyone who has any money left over and drain more out of them by any means possible.

That's why I have 0% respect for it all now. It has come a long way from the way it was when I was a kid.

Just to repeat what I said earlier, I'm not suggesting that we go at 70 down Main Street or past a school. I still do my best to be courteous and use common-sense.

Agreed. Out here in Orygone, I have noticed the cops pulling over way more cars than I can ever recall and I've lived here all my life. I think the belt tightening in government and the need to develop alternative sources of income has something to do with this. As Bill Clinton used to say, "It's the economy, stupid."

Up over and out.

[robviti]

complaining about getting a speeding ticket is bullshit, imo. you break the law, you pay a fine. how does the fact that you don't get caught every time you break the law prove the law is unjust, or that the motives of those who enforce the law are suspect or worthy of criticism? if money is needed to help run a state or local government (which provides you with valuable services), why not go after those who make a conscious decision to break the law? what kind of protection do they deserve?

before someone accuses me of having a holier-than-though attitude, let me say that i receive my fair share of speeding tickets. when the officer asks, "do you know why i pulled you over?" i answer "because i was speeding." no excuses, no sob stories. and i usually get a ticket, which i deserve. why not try answering that question with "because the law is a money making system" and see how far you get.

another thing i don't like is those commercials from law firms that offer to "get the i.r.s off your back" or "stop them from hounding you" by settling your debt for less than you actually owe. wake up folks! don't want the i.r.s. on your back? pay your fucking taxes like the rest of us! geez, and you guys think it's psychologists like me who also make excuses why someone's not responsible for their actions.

[ejp626]

complaining about getting a speeding ticket is bullshit, imo. you break the law, you pay a fine. how does the fact that you don't get caught every time you break the law prove the law is unjust, or that the motives of those who enforce the law are suspect or worthy of criticism? if money is needed to help run a state or local government (which provides you with valuable services), why not go after those who make a conscious decision to break the law? what kind of protection do they deserve?

Well, it is hardly so black and white. There are plenty of places where the speed limit jumps around for the sole purpose of catching outsiders breaking the speed limit. And right or not, traffic engineers have lots of experience backing up the fact that people subconsciously know what the safe driving speed of a road is, and then speed limits are almost always set 10 mph below this.

Or how about the fact that Chicago just dropped the number of outstanding tickets you get before getting booted (which means much higher fees to take care of this) from 5 to 2. Well, they are breaking the law by not paying their fines. Except you can easily be given three parking tickets in a single night in Chicago -- and certainly have no way to pay them off. Plenty of drivers are at fault, but that doesn't change the fact that municipalities have become money-grubbing entities that seem more or less at war with their residents and even moreso with outsiders.

[Soulstation1]

Radar guns are checked before the shift and after

If the gun fails after the shift would they drop all tickets for the day

I.seriously doubt it

Also the radar gun should have a date /time stamped on it with your speed

There is no proof that the speed on the gun is yours other than the cop's word

[robviti]

There are plenty of places where the speed limit jumps around for the sole purpose of catching outsiders breaking the speed limit.

i wasn't aware of this, and i'm somewhat skeptical that this is the reason for the limit change. however, i have no doubt that a cruiser is going to park where the limit is reduced. that only makes sense if you're trying to catch or stop people from speeding.

And right or not, traffic engineers have lots of experience backing up the fact that people subconsciously know what the safe driving speed of a road is, and then speed limits are almost always set 10 mph below this.

sorry, but without some facts to support this contention, i doubt people subconsciously or instinctively know what speed to drive at. one reason for my skepticism is the fact that your driving experience has a lot to do with your car (i feel more comfortable driving faster in my dad's mercedes than i do in a compact car). i think another factor is the individual's personality, and the speed at which other cars are traveling (ever notice how the guy you're passing tends to speed up slightly if you're passing him slowly?). i'm more inclined to believe that some speed limits might be set lower because most people tend to drive 10 mph faster than the posted limited. if you set it 10 mph lower, the average person will be driving at the speed you want them to. it's like that friend who always arrives 1/2 hour late. if you tell him to meet you 30 minutes earlier than you intend to show up, both of you arrive at the same time!

Or how about the fact that Chicago just dropped the number of outstanding tickets you get before getting booted (which means much higher fees to take care of this) from 5 to 2. Well, they are breaking the law by not paying their fines. Except you can easily be given three parking tickets in a single night in Chicago -- and certainly have no way to pay them off.

actually, such drivers are breaking the law twice: first by violating the parking laws, and second by not paying the fine within the 21(?) days allowed. and someone who easily gets 3 tickets in one night? hell, i'd tow the jerk's car, since he obviously thinks the laws that apply to you and me don't apply to him.

Plenty of drivers are at fault, but that doesn't change the fact that municipalities have become money-grubbing entities that seem more or less at war with their residents and even moreso with outsiders.

here's the part i really don't understand - "money-grubbing," "money-making bullshit," etc. who thinks the police, the courts, or anyone else is profiting personally from such behavior? perhaps police officers get some kind of recognition or credit for catching more traffic violators (i.e., doing there job more frequently), but does anyone here think they get a percentage of the take? that money goes to pave and plow the roads, put out fires, run the schools and school buses, put officers on the street to help keep the peace - all things that benefit me, you, and most everyone else. the alternative? want to pay more taxes?

i'm in no way defending illegal or deceptive practices by the police, the courts, or the municipalities. that kind of shit has to be exposed and corrected. but if i fail to pay attention to posted speed limits, or if i disobey the law because i don't want to miss the first set at my favorite jazz spot, then who's responsible? me, that's who. and the good thing about that? i have some control over the situation. i haven't received a speeding ticket in the last 2-3 years because i stay close to the limit. sometimes i have to use cruise control to do it, because i have a nice car with a 6-cylinder engine that rides comfortably at fairly high speeds. the bottom line is i've changed my behavior and can see the positive results (more money to spend on jazz!).

there are many injustices in the world. i just don't think that someone who has the ability to obey the law and knowingly breaks it can claim injustice when he's caught. frankly, i'm surprised at one member's attitude on this issue given his habit of telling others that they'll be damned if they don't follow the holy laws he subscribes to. it smacks of hypocrisy to me. just ask yourself, "how would jesus drive?"

[robviti]

There is no proof that the speed on the gun is yours other than the cop's word

you know how many times i've been caught speeding with radar that i wasn't speeding? zero

[Matthew]

The point really is that our law/court system has shifted from a justice system to a money making system. They just want to grab anyone who has any money left over and drain more out of them by any means possible.

That's why I have 0% respect for it all now. It has come a long way from the way it was when I was a kid.

Just to repeat what I said earlier, I'm not suggesting that we go at 70 down Main Street or past a school. I still do my best to be courteous and use common-sense.

Agreed. Out here in Orygone, I have noticed the cops pulling over way more cars than I can ever recall and I've lived here all my life. I think the belt tightening in government and the need to develop alternative sources of income has something to do with this. As Bill Clinton used to say, "It's the economy, stupid."

Up over and out.

I've gotten three speeding tickets in my life, and my "favorite" is the one I got going through Portland. I was one of three cars waved over to the side. Now, I don't want to accuse the cop of having a prejudice, but I did notice something unusual about the three cars... we all had license plates from a certain state that's to the south of Oregon. I'm just saying.

Edited May 30, 2009 by Matthew

[robviti]

I've gotten three speeding tickets in my life, and my "favorite" is the one I got going through Portland. I was one of three cars waved over to the side. Now, I don't want to accuse the cop of having a prejudice, but I did notice something unusual about the three cars... we all had license plates from a certain state that's to the south of Oregon. I'm just saying.

they weren't all chryslers, were they?

[Soulstation1]

Over the weekend

A lady who was DUI was in the back of the cop's crown vic and someone slammed into the back of the car and was burned to death

Happened down the street from where I live