Fuck speed limits, fuck tickets, and fuck quota day (no, I didn't get pulled over)
 

Eariler tonight, on the way from school, I had an unpleasant experience with one of CT's finest (this one was not so fine.) As I approached a common speed trap area in the right lane (slow lane,) I slowed down from 55-60 to under 55 since the 15th and 30th of every month (28th in Feb) are quota days. Sure enough, I looked to the right and saw a silver Crown Vic getitng on the highway. I punched the gas for a second to give him room to merge, and he responded with his own token of gratitude that left no doubt as to whether he had filled his quota. As I set my cruise control to exactly 55, he flipped on his high beams and proceeded to tailgate me. I'm positive that it was an unmarked car and that I just hadn't seen the light bar, becuase as I began climbing the hill after exit 42 (the speed trap zone,) the rest of traffic dropped back as they slowed to about 45 to avoid passing the State Trooper.

Net reuslt: this asshole tailgated me with high beams on for a few miles, and held up traffic at ten mph below the speed limit all because our state PD wanted him to have written more tickets in the past two weeks than he did.

Just so you know where I'm coming from, I don't agree with the existance of speed limits in the first place, I feel that speeding and seat belt violations are illegitimate sources of revenue, and I know that the alleged no-quota system is bullshit because 1: on the 15th and 30th of every month the h ighways fill with state troopers who have no intention of hiding the fact that they're out to write as many tickets as possible, and 2: because the son of a state trooper told me that it's a lie.

These guys need to be assigned to work on real crimes, not be sent out to perform the demeaning task of highway patrol. I've talked to these guys, they're good cops and good people. It's an insult to them and to us to make them write out tickets anywhere other than consturction and school zones, all of which can be handled by a few officers assigned to thsoe spots at the proper times.

Hmm, that would explain seeing nearly 4 cops on a 1 mile stretch of freeway yesterday...

I hate speed limits, the notion of them is rediculous. What cops should pull people over for (in reference to speed) is when someone is driving excessively faster than the flow of traffic. The usually never do, of course....

I just saw this happen the other day. Some idiot swung around me and punched it as I was slowing down for a speed trap. Watching him get nailed made me smile. If traffic is slowing down from 70 MPH to 55 MPH just as it approaches an underpass, there usually is a good reason for it.

Yeah, I hate the idea of tickets being a source of revenue. I don't want everyone driving like freakin morons either, but if I'm doing 80 in a 65 and it's not much faster than the rest of the traffic, it shouldn't be a problem.

Speeding is the number one cause of traffic fatalities, not accidents, fatalities. Most posted speed limits are set around 20mph below what the condition of the road dictates- curves, visibility etc...

I wish that they would focus on gross violators: anyone going more 20 mph over the limit- treat it like they do a DUI. A "real" crime is one that ends in loss of life which speeding can very well do.

I agree that quotas are horrible... any ticket given in the spirit of a quota should be thrown out of court.

Speed limits are in place for a reason. They reign in those that do not possess the sense to control thier vehicles in a safe and reasonable manner, on thier own. I agree with those laws, I support those laws, and I obey those laws. I do not, however, support "quota" enforcement of those laws. I pay for law enforcement. Why is the law being enforced more on "Tuesday", and not as much on "Monday"? I also do not believe that any municipal budget should be reliant upon fines generated from traffic law enforcement, or any law enforcement, for that matter. I feel that this just encourages sporadic enforcement based on the amount of funds available in the municipal coffers.

Let's put that another way and see if you still agree with it:

Speed limits are in place for a reason. They reign in those who, because the U-S driving training system is so pathetic, do not possess the sense to control their vehicles in a safe and reasonable manner, on their own.


I contend that if we trained drivers better and expected them to not only know how to drive, but to actually drive well, speed limits would no longer be necessary, or at the very least, could be a good deal higher.



Keep in mind the reason the Autobahn has fewer fatalities per vehicle mile than the US interstate system does is because German drivers are trained extremely well, and are then monitored. If they drive like idiots, they're getting a ticket that will hurt because it's based on their income - one guy actually got a $20,000 USD fine for tailgating. If they REALLY drive like idiots, their license is gone forever.

Because Germans are expected to know how to drive, and because German driving laws are rigidly enforced, they have the freedom to go faster.

I would agree...to a point. I agree that driving skills are sorely lacking. However, most of that comes from experience. You can't "teach" experience. Those laws are not put in place to protect you. They are put in place to protect me...from you. (you being used in the collective form.)

I do like the part about fines based on income, though. Universal punishment. Of course, then the cops would only target those driving a Lexus? If, of course, that it's all about income generation. Good news for us Saturn drivers. ;)

And that's where Germany differs - they give you experience before you get your license. It's an intensive training process, and you can't have a license till you're 18.


By contrast, a driving school in Minnesota got into major hot water with the state because it didn't spend enough time in the classroom to satisfy the state. Instead, the guy got the students out first on a gokart track where he'd dump oil in a corner and the kids had to get out of the spin. Then he stuck 'em in a FWD car with castors for rear wheels so that any turn would induce a spin - they had to learn to control the car through the spin. He put 'em through lots more rigorous training and wouldn't pass them until they knew how to control the car no matter what the conditions were. These kids got out of that school knowing more about car handling than most people who've been driving for 2 decades, yet the state's only response was to nail him for going far above and beyond their requirements.

Germany expects schools to teach their students to drive. The USA punishes schools for teaching students to drive.

I just got a ticket 2 days ago for doing 62 in a 55 zone, so I'm a little sore on the subject...mainly because I don't feel I was driving at unsafe speeds or presenting a danger to myself or others. But that's just me.

i agree that there should be speed limits, but having quotas doesn't do anything but piss people off.

furthermore, if someone is doing 15 over the speed limit, on the high way, i can understand giving a ticket. 10 over? no. 5 over? not a fucking chance. i think if traffic as a whole is moving at a certain speed, moving much slower or much faster than that is more of a danger than breaking the speed limit by 5 mph. cops should focus on those who disrupt traffic flow more than those who break speed limits by a little bit.

Unless it's quota day or a zero-tolerance day (oh shit, we need more money day,) in CT fines start with $198 for 71mph.

Its not the speed that kills you, its the stop. If everyone is going fast, then there shouldnt be a problem.....however when 1 person wants to go 50 and the other goes 80, you get issues. I like the idea of having minimum speed limits, but no maximum speed limit.

i am ALL about having a better driver education system... there are so many idiots on the road that follow the speed limit but are still dangerous. i'd like to see driver's license requirements and training similar to that of a pilot's license. and everyone should have to take a mandatory retest every year after they turn 60.

Do you mind me asking what car you drive MrSelfDestruct? I'm just curious maybe he was heckling you because you might have a flashy car.

They need to put more effort in catching drunk drivers than speeders.

Well, I've voiced my opinion on speed limits before, so I'm not going to go too far into it, but just offer a slightly different perspective.

What about highways that run through cities? The speed limit on the highway while it's in my city is 50. And there's a reason for that: if people are driving faster than about 60, you have absolutely no chance to get on at an on ramp, because they're small and tight. There's no room to accelerate, so you are forced to either A) Pull in front of that Suburban that's doing 95 or B) Stop. Obviously, if one person gets fucked over by people driving too fast and has to stop, it creates enormous traffic problems. I've seen traffic backed up for blocks on a street that connects to an onramp because people couldn't pull on.

More importantly, however, I simply don't have faith that people are smart enough or responsible enough to drive safely. Call me crazy, but when I see 7 accidents in an 8 mile stretch, I'm not convinced that my safety is best placed in those people's hands.

Not all state troopers are like that. Some people in a position of power feel they need to be in control.

I don't know too many people who advocate eliminating or even raising the speed limits in cities. Even the autobahn has speed limits in urban areas. But when you're on that long stretch of I-40 through Texas where the road is practically straight and flat from one end of the state to the other (for those that have never been to Texas, one end of the state to the other on I-40 is about 40 light years ;) ) where you see more cactus than cars, there are no curves or hills, and your forward visibility is limited only by the curvature of the earth, and you're telling me we need limits out there?

Wow and I thought the OPP was bad for that, but I can speed past them and they don't do shit! but the city cops will stop you for going 4 over!

i think that speed limits on motorways are daft, they are far too low (in the uk 70mph)
i think that it breeds a disrespect for speed limits which means that people disrespect them where it counts, ie: in towns.
i honestly feel that if people stopped getting tickets on the motorway for doing 80 instead of 70 then we would pay more attention to the speed limits in towns which i think should probably be dropped to 25 or so instead of 30.

and i thought 62 mph in Canada was high had no idea UK does 70mph.

I have no problem with speed limits except for the fact they are far outdated and currently abused as a way to make money. The speed limits haven't changed much in the last few decades even though automobile technology has changed radically. Back when cars were basically a box with wheels and drove like one, a speed limit of 55 on the freeway wasn't a bad thing. Cars back then didn't turn or brake well and they were designed with less strict passenger safety standards. Today car's are much more improved, even the roads have improved but the speed limit hasn't been updated much. The highest posted limit here is 70 MPH, not bad when compared to 55 MPH but this particular highway is a 8 lane highway (4 lanes each direction) with wide lanes and breakdown shoulders on both sides of the highway. As proven by the flow of traffic the speed limit is far too low, traffic goes the speed limit maybe in bad weather of snow, ice, or rain. And for the really sad part, accidents on that highway occur most often when ppl are trying to do the speed limit because a cop is around or rush hour traffic and ppl are acting like mad manics to get to work in a hurry. So a max speed limit and idiot drivers are the reason for accidents, not so much good drivers driving to fast. Everyone has their own opinion on whether there should be a speed limit and if so what should it be but me personally I believe cops in speed trap zones combined with ill-trained somewhat self-centered drivers are more dangerous to the general public than any thing else on the highway. But my real beef is with the minimum speed limit, 45 MPH around here is way too slow and some old and scared drivers actually ride the limit. Some fall below it, others set cruise control. Either way it goes without saying how dangerous it can be to be doing about 65 MPH and approach someone doing 45. The min limit should be raised as well as the max.

What we need to do is to avoid having entrance ramps less than 5 miles apart. Especially here in New England, people use interstates and limited access highways to hop across town. I'll admit that I do it, but I would support long stretches. To solve teh on-ramp problem, merging lanes should be lengthened to at least 1000' so that even a fully-loaded Yugo can hit 55 before pulling into traffic.

Combine this wiht intensive driver training and drive-right system, and we may have some hope for American highways.

Fuck speed limits and fuck tickets! and yea, i did get a ticket today, so Fuck them! Anyway does anyone know how to get a ticket erased from my record so my insurance doesnt go up. I asked the cop and he said something about some "superivosry watch time" but i forgot what he said. Does anyone know exactly what the name of it is. Its when your watched for a certain amount of time and if you have no tickets or anyting your record will be clean. Thanks for any help.

Tricking people into racing past speed cameras is always fun. Especially the 16 yr old kiddies with high performance cars brought for them by their parents. :thumbsup:

You would hate the town I grew up in, quota day = sit by locations where young adults are and nab them for everything including 'parking too close to the curb'.

Parking too close to the curb is a problem? :confused: Sheeesh where I live if you park too far from the curb you get pinched.

I agree with the raising of the speed limit or set a minuminum, usually the slow drivers that are unresponsive are the ones that cause accidents. The funny things was that I was talking to a friend stationed in germany and I asking him about the autobahn, he said they hardly have any accidents, but when they do guess who causes them? Americans that think they know how to drive. The only thing that pisses me off is when they drop areas on the outskirts of town from about 55 or 45 to 25 to make it into a speed trap. When obviously the area could be a steady 45 all the way into town.

definately......my friend and i were late and tryin to make it into IL before the afternoon chi-town traffic.. Were coming throught the end of southern WI (like outside kenosha area kind of). Were doin like 70 ish (limit is 55). Out of no where the limit drops to 35 because of a "town" (complete bullshit because the town was actually no where near us). So instead of being 15mph over.....we became 35mph over, thus being double the limit and in danger of a felony. We slowed down right when we saw the sign, but had we not seen the sign we could have gotten arrested and not had a freaking clue what was goin on.

I've been pulled over by the same cop in my city 3 times (years ago; haven't been pulled over lately). The first time I was going 40+mph through a hospital zone. He let me go with a verbal warning. The second time I was doing 120mph in a 70-zone, then 70mph in a 55-zone as I turned onto another highway. He caught me, gave me a verbal warning and let me go. The third time was during a speed trap down a residential street; I was going 43 in a 30-zone. I had 2 warrants for previous unpaid non-speeding violations I had forgotten about. A local news camera was present. He looked up my info, gave me a verbal warning, and let me go.

He's my favorite-est cop ever. True shit.

cops should focus on those who disrupt traffic flow more than those who break speed limits by a little bit.

I agree, fuck speed limits and fuck traffic pigs. Traffic piggies are the most useless wastes of tax money ever, but in all honesty, most people aren't coordinated well enough to drive at high speeds... so naturally there are laws in place because the majority of people are morons.

I don't worry bout speed limits most of the time anyway. My radar detector hasn't failed me yet. It's actually very RARE to see a cop when I'm headed to any of my destinations.. but there are city roads that are 25 mph for no good reason when it could easily be 40.

I've always been good at losing cops, though. Not on a chase or anything, but I see when they pull out and I'll quickly haul ass down a side street or go into a crowded parking lot. It's easy to shake em that way.

They'll easily pull you over for going 10 over WITHOUT causing anyone else harm, but they won't pull over the old person that just randomly pulled out in front of you and almost caused a fatal accident, or the retard that's going 10 under for no good reason than to be a slow piece of shit.

I've yet to have a cop fuck with me, but I'm the WRONG person to do that shit to, because I'll fuck with them right back. If some dick was on my ass like that, I'd totally slam on my brakes and make him hit me (it's always the other's fault if they rear end you).

Well i did get pulled over, and by the way...Fuck Tickets, right in the Ear.

I've got a technological argument against most speed limits.

First off, I don't speed in active school zone, and rarely in residential areas, and there are many reasons for this. That said, the highway and freeway limits are completely ridiculous.

These limits were created centered around vehicles and technologies that no longer exist on the modern roadways, the original 55 mph speed limit was to conserve oil for crying out loud! With the addition of federally mandated airbags, crumple zones, ABS systems, lighter vehicles, refined manufacturing, and several other smaller points cars are independently safer and more qualified for high speeds than ever. The limitation to his are the older cars that are in dire need of repair.

Traffic tickets as a means of revenue generation, hell even vehicle registration fees for the most part, has always galled me since it is simply one more way that the government is milking us for more money because of their own unethical and inept practices.

Where I live it's gone so far that the patrolling officers that are supposedly "creating a safer environment through deterence" are such a distraction that they cause traffic jams and even accidents. Nothing like that particular moron that slams from 90 to 65 and crossed 2 lanes in an effort to not get noticed by the cop, regardless of who he just cut off/ran off the road.

However, the simple fact remains that there is a massive and measurable amount of what boils down to disposable income for the governments in enforcing these regulations which equates to the incontravertible truth that they're not going away. No politician is going to willing give up any money, especially not money that comes with the convenient excuse of "they broke the law, they asked for it."

Fastest speed limit around here is 100 kmh (60 mph). That's on the 400 series highways, the closest we have to an interstate. It's fecking ridiculous.

What we need is :

A) Government mandated driver training (ie, no classes, no license) with classes teaching essential skills like collision avoidance and emergency maneuvers

B)Stricter licensing. Half the people on the roads around here should not have their licenses. Everybody fucks up once in a while, but there are those who consistently drive in an unsafe manner, which upsets traffic and begs for a collision.

C) Stiffer punishment for unsafe driving, rather than just fast driving. People who talk on cell phones while driving, eat while driving, drive recklessly or carelessly should be the ones getting the fines, not people like me who go 140 kmh on the 401 while keeping safe.

What do I do to keep safe? Two things. One is situational awareness. I don't trust other drivers, always make sure I have room to maneuver and do not get into bad positions. For that matter I don't let people get into bad positions in relation to me (ie, sitting in my blind spot). The other thing I do is drive predictably. If I'm going to go signifigantly faster than the traffic around me I'm going to make sure that they know what I'm doing well before I do it. I signal all lane changes, avoid passing on the right when possible and stick to one lane. I find that if I take the left lane I can maintain a decent speed and most people will yield the lane to me (which is only polite; I'll do the same if someone comes up behind me and wants to go faster than I choose to).

I also drive according to conditions. I know my car doesn't handle wet or slippery conditions very well, so I adjust my speed accordingly in that sort of weather. I drive like that because I want to keep myself safe. I took it upon myself to learn safer driving practices and learn how to handle my car in case I ever find myself in a tough spot. If everyone learned that sort of thing speeding would be a non-issue.

Unfortunatly, the cynic in me says that'll never happen and we'll be stuck with archaic speed limits for the forseeable future instead.

I don't think RCMP, OPP and QPP has any quota day or zero tolerance policy going on for them. They just nab anybody that is driving excessive speed.

The speed limit is there to protect you from other driver and protect other drivers from you.

Just because in Germany or India or China or wherever, the law demands you gain some experience before getting your full license doesn't mean you're gonna be a real good driver. Everybody is an idiot when it comes to driving. Period. You can be a fucking genius in school and still be stupid when it comes to driving. Even me, my Dad, my brother, my neighbours, everybody, there's no denying it.

Accident happens because of the stupidity factor (Aka Human Factor) and speed limits are in place to make sure that everybody doesn't get too stupid on the road.

Got a ticket? Tough shit, shouldn't be fucking around on the road.
Got a ticket cuz the cop's having a bad day? Tough shit, ain't nuttin you can do about it but bitch or if you're feeling rebellious, try get away from the cops.

LoganSnake - a logical fallacy, specifically a hasty generalization (aka leaping to a conclusion). You can't apply your friend's case to everyone who drives above the speed limit, because there are those out there for whom the initial statement holds true. Your friend who does 70 in a 40 zone is clearly not as bright as he thinks he is, but that's not to say that every person on the planet is an idiot.

70 in a 40 is clearly excessive anyway - and even if we DIDN'T have speed limits, I'd hope a cop would pull them over. Most 40MPH zones are reasonably tagged, as they are in urban or suburban areas. It's doing 75 in a 60 that can be a little ridiculous.

Yes, but it is not only for stupid drivers, but other stupid beings as well. Including animals that jump into the roads, other drivers, people crossing the road, etc... Also got to consider if something does happen when you are speeding how hard it is for you to avoid. Sorry as someone who used to speed, and had a deer jump out in front of me on a highway, I understand the need for limits. If it takes 5 minutes longer it is worth your life (yet alone pain, suffering, damage, etc..).

And talking about stupid people I saw some moron weaving thru traffic on Friday he ran someone off the road. Yes the law is here to protect us from other stupid people (which I feel is probably 90% of the drivers out there)

It seems a lot of you have an unfair prejudice against law enforcement officers in general. That's to be expected. Nobody likes to be told that they are wrong, and that's a police officer's job on a daily basis. Police officers do catch reckless drivers. They can't sit at every stop sign and wait for laws to be broken, just like they can't sit on every stretch of every highway and catch people breaking the speed limit.

You might be the best driver in the world, but you can't speed up your reaction time if you are greatly exceeding the speed limit. Sure, you can probably drive your vehicle safely at 100 MPH on an empty stretch of road, but how are you supposed to avoid the deer crossing the road or the furniture that fell from the back of someone's truck (yes, it has happened)?

Guess who has to walk up to your vehicle after it's been wrecked because you were being stupid and has to look at the bloody remains of your family and friends. That's right: Police officers. There are bad apples in every profession, but these guys have a tough job and they only enforce the law for your own safety.

Well, since this thread has been brought back from the dead...let me just remind you that at any speed above 40mph, your chance of suffering a fatality is hugely increased. From 65 to 75 to 85, you're almost equally likely to die. Why not allow motorists to continue at a more comfortable speed if safety really is not an issue?

Most drivers feel the most comfortable at around 75mph on the highway. American highway systems are build for this speed in mind - after all, no designer was ignorant enough to believe that every motorist would go the posted speed limit. Highways are intended to be safe at speeds far faster than what's posted. I've studied it greatly, and it's almost certain that, if limits are abolished, most speeds will average around the 75mph mark.

Increasing speed also decreases speed variance; that is, the speed at which cars pass each other. This is the most likely time for a crash - if the cars get out of each other's way sooner, then this time will decrease. Now, if other distractions were decreased, such as the mom talking on the cell phone, listening to the kids, and playing with the DVD player all at the same time, then saftey would be far more assured than keeping speed limits at the antiquated mark of 55mph.

Pennsylvania has recently increase the speed limit on the Turnpike to 65mph all along the route (before it was 55 in Philadelphia and raised to 65 outside of the city). Guess what? Less people are speeding, and even fewer people are speeding by a gross margin (85+). Surprise? Not really.

In lieu of my less-than-friendly posts before, I'll just mention that I agree with the above. I still see the physics behind it; the statement that its not the speed that kills you, its the collision holds quite a bit of water. You're right in saying that the largest cause of accidents is the speed variance. The quoted distances it takes you to stop at 65, 75, 85.. they matter less when everyone is doing 75 or 85. Yep, my stopping distance is triple what it would be at 20 mph slower.. but so is everyone elses. I still hold that the largest safety hazard on the road is those driving uncomfortably slow.. they cause emergency lane changes, locked up brakes, and ultimately accidents -- even for the people obeying the posted speed limit.

I've never been one to obey the letter of the law, only the spirit: I see the reason for the speed limit, but that does not it is necessarily the only safe way to navigate a stretch of road. There are times when a stretch of 75 mph highway must be navigated at 45 due to weather, just as there are days when it is so barren that 85 can be navigated still under the "reasonable and prudent" clause of most reckless driving laws. Posted speed limits are designed for every vehicle, from semi to sports car.. with "standard" weather in mind. Any variation in these variables, to me.. allows for stretching it.. in both directions. To me, there's a clear line between safely driving (above the speed limit) and rercklessly driving. You can recklessly drive 20 mph under the limit.