Speeding tickets, why?

[gerard vaglio]

Speeding is an interesting topic, so I thought I would start a new thread.

Why do you think people get speeding tickets?

As a 45 year old person, this is what I've noticed about speeding.

If you want to drive fast it's best to do this as close to home as possible for several reasons.

First, you know where the cops park to observe the flow of traffic, they park in the same places almost all the time. It's simple enough to slow down when you reach those spots. An added benefit to this is that the cops get use to seeing your car all the time moving at a responsible speed so they form the opinion that you are a responsible driver. This helps when they eventually see you moving briskly later in the week.They are now more likely to decide you are a safe driver moving briskly as opposed to a reckless speeder.

More importantly, the roads that lead to your home are familiar, you know every dip, blind turn, where cars are likely to slow down and why, any high risk areas, how traffic changes during the day, where people cross. All this information makes you safer at any speed but it becomes increasingly important if you decide to pick up the pace. In the long run, speeding can only be done selectively and you need all this information to do that. While itÕs true that sometimes people do get speeding tickets for no good reason most of the time people get them because they speed consistently over long distances without enough information about the changing environment.

I have no doubt that young drivers can be good drivers but as I've gotten older I've become more aware of my surroundings, patterns and the fact that I share the road with many others.

I havenÕt gotten a speeding ticket in 15 years but now that IÕve commented on the topic IÕm sure IÕll get one tomorrow.

[IROC]

This looks more like a topic for thr OT forum, not 911 technical...

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by gerard vaglio


If you want to drive fast it's best to do this as close to home as possible for several reasons.

CHP are very dialed in to road safety, more so than the actual limit+11/12/13 etc. OHP are toll collectors. all imo.

Generally, east of Mississippi R sucks. A few hrs west of Mississippi R ok to good to very good.

[Superman]

Technical enough, I say.

The WSP used to be absolutely excellent about public safety and motoring safety. Excellent, I say. Well trained, very effective. Unfortunately, all that great training and effectiveness is pretty much down the toilet the past ten or fifteen years. It's been replaced with a revenue focus. Case in point, I got my first citation in at least a dozen years, about 2 or 3 years ago. The car was unmarked with super-dark glass, he baited me by staying in my blind spot no matter what speed adjustments I made and this made me nervous, so when we entered the 60 mph zone I held my speed at 72 hoping he'd give me some breathing room (I was planning to slow WAY down and let him go ahead if he did not release from my right side blind spot), and instantly the lights came on. This was at 6:30 on a Saturday morning with no other cars for MILES, on a 3-lane excellent-surface stretch of freeway.

I'd like to think the WSP chief has a Porsche and reads this. I used to be a HUGE supporter of the WSP. Extremely professional. Now I am quite unimpressed by their new focus.

I'm 47 years old and have enjoyed every aspect of motoring for more than three decades. Safety is one of those aspects.

[TerryH]

Last year, I ended my run of almost 18 years between tickets. The cop was sitting at the bottom of a long downhill grade in town on a road I wasn't that familiar with and he wrote me for 61 in a 55. I was in my work truck, not the Porsche.

I thought it was sort of a cheap shot to ticket folks who might be speeding a little just from lack of attention, but I was cordial anyway. I respect them and what they do because they couldn't pay me enough to do what they do.

I figured the last ticket made up for all the times I actually may have deserved a ticket.

[on-ramp]

the last warning for speeding i recieved was 1 minute away from my house.

[Zeke]

Originally posted by TerryH
Last year, I ended my run of almost 18 years between tickets. The cop was sitting at the bottom of a long downhill grade in town on a road I wasn't that familiar with and he wrote me for 61 in a 55. I was in my work truck, not the Porsche.

I thought it was sort of a cheap shot to ticket folks who might be speeding a little just from lack of attention, but I was cordial anyway. I respect them and what they do because they couldn't pay me enough to do what they do.

I figured the last ticket made up for all the times I actually may have deserved a ticket.

You have a pretty level attitude for 6 over ticket. I guess you're right, though, it was just your time. I watch my speed as much as possible and it's way different between my truck and either Porsche. So, I use the truck almost exclusively reducing my chances. I'm gonna get a ticket in the 911 or Boxster someday. It's unavoidable. Just a tariff for owning a car like a Porsche, I guess.

I do drive in the RH lane on the freeway in the P-cars mostly. This is too keep me in the 60's and low 70's. Out in the hammer lane here in SoCal everyone is doing 80 and talking on the phone. At 70 (5 over), I'm holding up the parade. And, I'd be the 1st they'd get if I moved up to the flow.

Good point about the familiarity thing. I pretty well know the local traps and if I want to do a bonzai run, I prerun it first and keep an eye on any changes before launching a trip thru the gears.

[WilliamJ]

Radar/Laser detectors are worth their weight in gold.
I can't count the number of times they saved my A-- from a potential
ticket. I always use one, switch it from truck to car and back, just to save those 6 mile over etc.
Well worth the $ and trouble IMO.

[JK-81SC]

TerryH,

If you can make it to court, I would fight that ticket. With your spotless driving record, you will get a lesser offense at a minimum. Sometimes the officer won't show for a weak ticket. I got a ticket for not using my turn signal when I moved over to let people merge onto the interstate. I went to court and the officer wasn't there, so no ticket.

[djmcmath]

Jim -- that blind-spot thing has to be some kind of cheesy WSP baiting routine, 'coz I've seen it too. I was driving home from work late on a Saturday night, exhausted after doing another 20 hour day in the shipyard and I see these headlights just loitering in my blind spot. I'm thinking it's some d*** kid messing around, so I tweaked my speed around a bit -- up 5, down 5, just to see what he'd do (60 zone, no other traffic in sight). He stayed right on me.

So I figured that pretty much confirmed it -- some d*** kid, playing some d*** game late on a Saturday night -- it's a Navy town, we get that kind of thing. I waited until the speed limit dropped from 60 to 50, and instead of braking, I downshifted and used the e-brake to drop speed from a little over 60 to like 45 in the flash of an eye ... and the lights came on.

WTF? I confess that I wasn't very polite. Seems like words to the effect of "I thought we taxpayers paid your salary to enforce actual laws, not harrass innocent motorists. I figured for sure you were some d*** kid playing some stupid game."

[ChrisBennet]

Originally posted by djmcmath
Jim -- that blind-spot thing has to be some kind of cheesy WSP baiting routine, 'coz I've seen it too. I was driving home from work late on a Saturday night, exhausted after doing another 20 hour day in the shipyard and I see these headlights just loitering in my blind spot. I'm thinking it's some d*** kid messing around, so I tweaked my speed around a bit -- up 5, down 5, just to see what he'd do (60 zone, no other traffic in sight). He stayed right on me.

So I figured that pretty much confirmed it -- some d*** kid, playing some d*** game late on a Saturday night -- it's a Navy town, we get that kind of thing. I waited until the speed limit dropped from 60 to 50, and instead of braking, I downshifted and used the e-brake to drop speed from a little over 60 to like 45 in the flash of an eye ... and the lights came on.

WTF? I confess that I wasn't very polite. Seems like words to the effect of "I thought we taxpayers paid your salary to enforce actual laws, not harrass innocent motorists. I figured for sure you were some d*** kid playing some stupid game."

Well, give us the dialog! What did the cop say he pulled you over for?
-Chris

[afterburn 549]

I am with you all...the WSP used to be good..but I think they have been told to up the $$$ I see the same rude drivers making the same RUDE things everyday and they are ignored....I know what goes on out there as we own a big truck.....(semi).....and for them to write one for 6 over if C.S.When we take into acct. calibration on the radar and error on speedo .Is stupid.
I just wish everyone that got a speeding ticket would go one court higher and block the whole system.

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by djmcmath

-- some d*** kid, playing some d*** game late on a Saturday night --

my 911 gets the attention of the smoked window HP Camaros/etc that jerk me around. When big rigs are doing the speed limit there's a reason.

[Craig 930 RS]

Cogit ergo zoom.
I think therefore I go fast.
----------------------------------------------------

Know your route
Know all hiding/revenue spots
Pick a good time of day for the least traffic
DON'T be a rude bastard in traffic
V-1

PLANNING.

[Paulporsche]

djmcmath,

I don't understand. You were doingjust over 60 in a 60 zone and then dropped quickly to 45 in a 50 zone. What did he ticket you for?

[djmcmath]

Originally posted by ChrisBennet
Well, give us the dialog! What did the cop say he pulled you over for?
-Chris

It was actually a female officer, not that it makes a difference.

"License and registration, please?"
-I handed it to her.
"Where you headed tonight?"
-Home, to bed.
"Been drinking?"
-Only coffee, and lots of it.
"Do you know why I pulled you over?"
-I haven't the foggiest.
Then she proceeded to list off 2 or 3 oddities in my driving that had made her think I was drunk. She claimed I was weaving, albeit inside my lane, around the corners (I thought I was driving the line -- outside of lane at start and end, inside of lane at the apex), speed changes between 2 and 5mph over the limit, then (gasp) the sudden speed drop at the end. That sudden speed drop was what really gave it away, she said. Drunk people have a hard time controlling their speed, she explained.

At that point, all of my self-control disappeared. Normally, I'm strong enough to keep from being openly cynical in the face of professionals, but I had been giving all my strength to try and get a boat to sea in order to protect and defend democracy (or whatever), hadn't had the time or the energy for a beer in who knows how long, and this stupid chick had the balls to accuse me of drunk driving -- to criticize my driving at all, how dare she, while hanging in my ****** blind spot like some kind of idiot? Don't you know that's a serious safety violation? I don't think I cursed at her, but I know I wasn't restraining any emotions.

After I unloaded on her, she looked a little upset. I got a terse "You're more coherent than I expected. Drive safe." Whatever.

Yeah, I know there's good cops out there. I know that good cops recognize stupid drivers and responsible drivers outside of speed difference. I know that cops routinely put their lives on the line to defend an ungrateful populace. But _way_ more often than not, I see the WSPs doing stupid crap like this.

Dan

[randywebb]

Well, I'm glad the "stupid chick" didn't hose you down with Mace....

If you are serious about this, you can file a complaint with the WSP. The key point is that the officer was hanging in your blind spot for a prolonged period. And don't mention gender.

[afterburn 549]

called "public protest"and you should do it for her safty and our sanity

[Bob's Flat-Six]

What's the hurry, What's everybody hurrying for ?

A line from an old Leon Russel tune.

[ianc]

What's the hurry, What's everybody hurrying for ?

To get there.

ianc