Driving unreasonably fast (ticket rant)

[Krieg]

I do drive aggressively, however, when someone is acting like an idiot. When someone zooms up behind me in a school zone, I will cut them off in a heartbeat. When someone tailgates me (read that: I cannot see their headlights in my rearview mirror), first I will slam on brakes, speed back up, then slow down to 5-10 mph.

I'm pretty certain that does behaving irresponsibly & dangerously on your own part does nothing to help the situation.

 

[Michael Morris]

Been awhile since my last ticket, as well. Granted, I never go more than 5-10 over the posted limit. No one is in that much of a hurry.

I do drive aggressively, however, when someone is acting like an idiot. When someone zooms up behind me in a school zone, I will cut them off in a heartbeat. When someone tailgates me (read that: I cannot see their headlights in my rearview mirror), first I will slam on brakes, speed back up, then slow down to 5-10 mph.

I met someone who killed a man by doing that to a tailgater. He served 3 years in jail for vehicular manslaughter. Think about that for a moment next time someone tailgates you.

 

[Aeolius]

Think about that for a moment next time someone tailgates you.

Technically, they are "following too close". Besides, the driver's handbook tells you to reduce speed, when someone is close behind you. Granted, I do try to see if they're on a cell phone, first. Those folks won't see the brake lights in time.

 

[Darrin Drader]

I met someone who killed a man by doing that to a tailgater. He served 3 years in jail for vehicular manslaughter. Think about that for a moment next time someone tailgates you.

In the state of Washington, anytime someone rear-ends another, the person farthest from the front is automatically responsible for the entire accident. I actually agree with that law. Every driver should leave a safe amount of distance between himself and the vehicle in front of him - even if the person in front is driving moronically slow. Of course there are a few road rage jerk offs who try to take advantage of the law by passing another driver and then slamming on the brakes in an effort to get the car they passed to rear-end them. I had one person try to pull that on me one morning on the way to work, and to this day I have no idea what his issue with me was. He pulled that on a multi-lane freeway and I hadn't even seen the guy on the road before. He could have just been a fraudster. Thankfully my brakes work well.

 

[Michael Morris]

Arguing legal semantics isn't much help at a funeral guys. The fact the guy went to jail wasn't my point so much as he killed someone trying to "teach a lesson." Do you want to risk having that on your conscience? If so, brake for tailgaters.

 

[Warrior Poet]

In Germany the traffic fatality rate on the Autobahns is considerably lower than in the US despite having no posted speed limit.

Though some of the Autobahn is not posted, there are sections that are posted, and have limits. I'm not positive (you can check the German Ministry of Transportation website), but I think there's an "understood" limit for most of the Autobahn at about 140 km/hr, or so (but I'm not positive). I've got to go to lunch, but if I get a chance, I'll try and look it up later.

Warrior Poet

 

[Hitokiri]

Whether or not speeding actually contributes to an accident, you can hardly argue that survival rates decrease as your speed increases. I've always looked at speed limits not so much as preventative measures, but as a last safety measure for when the preventative measures fail. I'd much rather end up crashing at 55 mph than 90 mph, I think most of the cars I've driven would fly apart if they hit something at 90 mph

That being said, if you speed, you're taking the chances with the cops. You can't be a victim of circumstances if you just stay at or below the speed limit. I speed routinely, especially on the freeway, and if I ever get a ticket, it'll be because I decieded not to follow laws, not because of some cracked up conspiracy theory. If you really don't agree with posted speed laws in your area, then start contacting your city council or legislator and try to get it changed, whining about it on public forums accomplishes nothing.

 

[Pielorinho]

Moderator's Notes:

Venting about getting a speeding ticket is fine. Discussing the underlying rationales for speeding laws is inherently political. Can we veer away from that?

Personally in this situation, Lurker, I would've pulled a barnstorming maneuver: given that the cop was probably doing a redline, I would've gotten a +8 bonus to my driving check.

Daniel

 

[ph34r]

If you really don't agree with posted speed laws in your area, then start contacting your city council or legislator and try to get it changed, whining about it on public forums accomplishes nothing.

Teh win!

 

[Darrin Drader]

Teh win!

Oh, so speaking in a public forum, raising awareness, and examining the issues accomplishes nothing. OK, whatever. Might as well shut down the entire messageboard since obviously this place is just a big waste of bandwidth.