ahHH! speeding ticket!

air-cool-me · 01:06 AM

I hate the bull**** speed limits they put in place just to catch people.

I hate having out of state plates

I hate having out of state drivers license in a college town that hates the college students

I hate people in a position of power that are smug.

I hate tickets

i hate "45 in a 35 speed greater then R & P"

I hate the speed measurement device called the "golden eagle 2"

I hate the fact that I cant get mad at the cop because he did nothing Wrong.

AND most of all.. I hate how i sound like a typical whiny young person blaming everyone else when I was the one working the gas peddle and no-one was holding a gun to my head.

Makes me want to kick my own ass.

usaa please be gentle

Rick V · 04-10-2006, 12:44 AM

sounds like someone needs to switch to decaf!
It happens dude.

djmcmath · 04-10-2006, 02:24 AM

First ticket? USAA will be good to you. Second ticket hurts, though.

SlowToady · 04-10-2006, 06:48 AM

Yea, I know how that feels. Whoever thought that a purple Camaro with 20" chromes and tinted windows parked on the shoulder would be a cop? Surely not I. 2 minutes later, I had my first speeding ticket. To top it off, the Sec. of State of IL sent me a letter saying if I get another ticket before I turn 21, they are going to pull my license. But they can't do anything about the guy who made an illegal lane change, hit me, and then took off.

At least State Farm didn't raise my rates.

bryanthompson · bryanthompson's Garage

Wow, I almost posted an identical thread about 5 minutes ago! This cop, I'm not even kidding, was standing *behind a tree* and clocked me at the speed limit change from 35 to 25, so I got one for ten over. Nevermind the fact that there were cars passing me at the time. I'll be taking the STOP class...

Anyway, yeah. All of a sudden I see a cop walking out from behind a tree pointing at me and I knew he got me.

air-cool-me · 04-10-2006, 07:37 AM

na... this is NOT my first one...

but why cant he pull over drunks instead of waiting at the speed limit change to nab people?

island911 · 04-10-2006, 07:42 AM

easy MONEY

legion · 04-10-2006, 07:53 AM

It always amazes me how aggressive cops are at enforcing speed limits...but reckless driving or driving too slow get little to no attention.

I stand by my statement that it is easier to point your arm out a window than do real enforcement that would actually lead to safer roads.

Where do you live SlowToady?

Oh, and I got 3 tickets in 13 months a few years ago...not a budge in my rates.

pbs911 · pbs911's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by legion
It always amazes me how aggressive cops are at enforcing speed limits...but reckless driving or driving too slow get little to no attention.

I stand by my statement that it is easier to point your arm out a window than do real enforcement that would actually lead to safer roads.

Most patrol / traffic cops have the easiest job in the world. Working 3-4 days a week, with mandatory overtime, and 3-4 days off. Every job should be so easy and so well paid.

I don't buy that "they put their lives on the line" BS either. When is the last time anyone heard of a cop being the victim of a crime? Real people are the victim of many, many more crimes than the police. Cops are also the ONLY citizens permitted to carry a weapon of their choice nationwide. The ordinary people are left defenseless, without immunity and without a paid legal defense. Does anyone really think the cop is more at danger in a neighborhhod like Compton or Watts than the ordinary person? Last I looked, many more regular people were victims of crimes than cops in these areas.

island911 · 04-10-2006, 08:15 AM

Oh Paul, you're going to get it for that!

The Co. line is; Cops are the Best. or, They put their lives on the line for your SAFETY.

PAy no attention to their special rights, behind the curtian . .. er, Badge.

You are to cease and desist any independent thinking immediately.

bryanthompson · bryanthompson's Garage

easy money... no kidding. I drove by the intersection again about 5 minutes later and he had a Explorer pulled over. I waved at the cop and the guy as I passed

tobster1911 · 04-10-2006, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by legion
... lead to safer roads.

This is my biggest gripe with the speed limits. They sell the speed limit enforcement to old ladies and soccer moms with "We are making the roads safer".

I content that in reality it has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with revenue. I can even prove it...

When you get a speeding ticket and go in to court, they most the time offer you a plea bargain. The offer is VERY telling of the true motive. In my ample experience I have NEVER had an offer that would reduce the monetary fine, instead they offer to lower/drop the points against your license. They say they are just trying to help you because your insurance rates will go up.

Now if the measure of your "danger" as a drive is counted in points on your license, would it not be more in the interest of safety to not lower the points but instead lower the fine if they truly are trying to "help" you out.

I don't know how they can sell the "safety" BS to anyone.

Christien · Christien's Garage

While you're right, it was your own fault, it still doesn't negate the frustration of the whole situation. Cops are supposed to be there "to serve and protect" - it's frustrating when that gets flipped around to "annoy and tax".

legion · 04-10-2006, 09:33 AM

You know the saying "when your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail"?

I've always thought than many police view the public as "perps" they just haven't caught yet...

pwd72s · 04-10-2006, 09:55 AM

What's a "golden eagle 2"???? Laser? Radar? A TSD device?
More info please...

Tervuren · Tervuren's Garage

Almost all the speed traps I have seen, are placed BEFORE the speed limit drops. There is only road I know they look for speeders where they are within 1/4 mile of a change down, and due to the road, I can agree with that. You go through a stop light, jsut before a bridge a few hundred feet down, changes to 35MPH, after the bridge, you have side roads and driveways constant, 55MPH would be a madhouse to get in and out of those houses.

An internet freind, was pulled doing 43, right at the sign change from a 35 to 15MPH zone. The cop wrote him for the 35 zone, even though he should of written him for a 15.

Dude76 · Dude76's Garage

I was handed my first ticket last week. I was away from home, and did not realize a speed change from 60 to 50. I checked on the way home and the 50 MPH speed zone was 6 tenths of a mile long, not even an entire mile! Anyway I was doing 67 and was handed a ticket for 17 mph over the limit. $125 bucks out of my Porsche piggy bank. Needless to say I am pissed!

legion · 11:59 AM

There is a section on Rt. 59 where the speed limit drops from 45 to 35 on only one side of the road.

3/4 of the roads in Bloomington have no speed limit signs on them at all (yet the unmarked streets go from 25-45), yet there are usually cops using radar to teach people the "hard" way.

RoninLB · 04-10-2006, 12:33 PM

"they put their lives on the line"

last time I looked at historical records there are around 50 PD killed per year and about 100 FD killed per year.

djmcmath · 04-10-2006, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by air-cool-me
but why cant he pull over drunks instead of waiting at the speed limit change to nab people?

I've been pulled over twice for drunk driving (hadn't had a drink in several days in both cases) and harrassed for half-an-hour. The first time, her only justification was that my speed had wavered several mph (no cruise control). The second time, his only justification was that I hadn't signalled a turn.

They were both "doing their jobs." The problem is that we, as the taxpayers, don't want them doing harrassing innocent drivers. So how do we feed back to their bosses that they're wasting our money? How do we, as the driving populace, explain to the Police Department what laws we want enforced?