Driving unreasonably fast (ticket rant)

[Hellefire]

I disagree. Even if you don't get a chance to talk to anybody beforehand, the best advice I ever got was go to court for every ticket. If the cop who wrote the ticket doesnt show up, it's dismissed (well in CA, WA, AK and MI, havent fought tickets in any other states). Even for showing up the ticket price is almost always reduced. I ALWAYS recommend fighting traffic tickets, and I have never seen and didn't realize it was legal for them to add to your ticket price for showing up for the court date that they have to give you and be there for.

Aaron Blair
Foren Star

 

[Umbran]

People can be trusted to drive a reasonable speed given their surroundings and their vehicle's capabilities.

Yeah, just like we can trust them to not do other dangerous things, like drink and drive. Or do motorcycle wheelies on the interstate. Just like we can trust them not to stick knives in each other, or shoot each other, or relieve themselves on electric fences...

Sorry, but the idea that human beings will be reasonable simply doesn't stand up to the historical evidence.

 

[alsih2o]

I got my first ticket in 18 years last week. I was doing 56 in a 40. I had just left class and my head was just elsewhere, I was 1/4 mile shy of where the 55 starts.

There was a major "speed trap", 8 motorcycle cops sitting around a corner with 3 guys with radar guns shooting over a grassy rise. Cop stepped out in traffic and waved me over.

He asked about my last ticket (and laughed when I explained how long ago it was) and asked me about class. He wrote me up for 45 in a 40, saying it would easily be dismissed.

Speed limits are there for a reason. Speeding is more dangerous to the people you share your community with than doing drugs, unsafe sex and owning a firearm combined. It sucks that you feel singled out, but it is a rule.

 

[Krieg]

Yeah, just like we can trust them to not do other dangerous things, like drink and drive. Or do motorcycle wheelies on the interstate. Just like we can trust them not to stick knives in each other, or shoot each other, or relieve themselves on electric fences...

Sorry, but the idea that human beings will be reasonable simply doesn't stand up to the historical evidence.

Sorry but on a large scale yes it absolutely does stand-up. The vast majority of people do act in a reasonable & rational manner. Most people don't urinate on electric fences, or commit assault or drive recklessly.

The problem is that people place judgement on the behavior of the general population based merely on the actions of a very small minority.

Speeding is more dangerous to the people you share your community with than doing drugs, unsafe sex and owning a firearm combined.

Do you have a corroborating a non-speculative source?

The reality is that posted speed limits have little (if any) effect on the average speed of the the flow of traffic. Various studies done have all shown that changing a posted speed limit does not change the speed of drivers and that drivers on roads with similar characteristics drive at about the same speed even if the roads have differing posted limits.

Furthermore the accident rate in states with higher posted interstate speeds is not correspondingly higher than in states with lower posted speeds. For example in 1995 Montana went to having no posted speed limit during daylight hours....in 1999 they reported their lowest traffic fatality rate ever. Over Memorial day weekend in 99 Montana again went to having a posted speed limit. Immediately afterwards the traffic fatality rate began to rise.

Furthermore when the nationwide 65mph limit was repealed in 1995 traffic fatality rates continued to decline at the same rate as they had in the years previous to the law being repealed despite that fact that many states immediately raised their minimum posted speed limits. Likewise when the limit was raised to 65 from 55 in 87 the increase in posted limits did not have a negative effect on traffic fatality rates...they again continued to drop at the same rate as they had previous to the change.

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

Statistics show that driving at higher speeds does not in and of itself increase the risk of the drivers involved.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

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

Actually, I seem to remember that not too long ago the Autobahn has a set speed limit(in some places, at least).

 

[Darrin Drader]

Just like we can trust them not to stick knives in each other, or shoot each other, or relieve themselves on electric fences...

I'm a real bad boy. I can't get enough of that electric fence action.

 

[Krieg]

Actually, I seem to remember that not too long ago the Autobahn has a set speed limit(in some places, at least).

Rural autobahns typically have no speed limits. The major autobahns have no limit for passenger cars between 6AM & 7PM and have posted limits of 120-130kph outside of those times. Trucks and buses do have a speed limit, around 100kph I believe.

There is a growing push in German for imposed limits, but much like the national 55 limit in the early 70's it has more to do with fuel consumption than safety issues.

 

[Ampolitor]

reality check

hmmm unreasonable, well Ive been a cop for 10 years now and Yes speed limits are needed. I just worked on a woman who died last week because somebody thought that he shouldnt follow the sped limit, he blew a tire crossed traffic and killed her.
The speed limit is not set for the driver, its set for the roadway due to materials, pitch, number of access points (driveways). The speed limit is set by the towns and cities for a reason. I love when people complain about tickets, theyre supposed to make you mad and THINK, to slow down so next time were not dragging you out of a car and slapping you on a gurney.

 

[Hellefire]

The speed to fatality connection is due to the speed at which the mind interprets and reacts to a 'danger.' At 65-70mph, in the average person, the brain registers enough of a danger to keep pumping low levels of chemicals into the bloodstream which keeps the brain sharper and the muscles tighter. Of course you get tired from burning those body resources. At 50-55 miles per hour, the average brain does not register a danger, therefore you will pay less attention and get tired more from being bored than from burning body resources, and your mind will have much more of a tendency to wander.

This is entirely off the subject, but I would argue that what is 'reasonable' is closely related to 'common sense', in that it is decided by the people and society at the time. Whatever 50%+1 of the people decide is 'reasonable', is, therefore you can count on at least half of the people to be reasonable by definition.

This last part might ruffle feathers and be leaning toward the political, so I will keep it short. In my mind, anyway, there are two sides of the law. The letter of the law and the spirit of the law. The spirit being, or what it should be in my world being, to protect people from other people. I think victimless crimes should not be crimes, and I think you are responsible for protecting yourself from yourself and it's your own business, but that's another rant. Anyway, with the letter of the law, I see a lot that I think of as idiocy. Technicalities that I find as absurd as some of the ways obvious criminals walk away because of court technicalities. That's a whole new can or worms and I guess I already said more than I planned to. Just, basically, don't hurt other people. Don't put yourself in a place where you have a likelihood of hurting other people. And 99% of the rest is ok with me.

Aaron Blair
Foren Star

 

[Lhorgrim]

Hey Ampolitor,
I thought I was the only cop on these boards. I just passed 10 years on the force on Feb 8th. I'm finally on the downhill slope toward retirement.
If you don't mind, PM me and tell me about your department.

Lt. Col. Jay Newell
Badge #202
Danville PD
Kentucky