[Audio-Me]

What percentage of those false tickets actually go through when taken to court?

 

[Russ Arcuri]

Quote:

Originally posted by Audio&Me What, is that **** even accurate? Or just bogus "we have high tech devices to catch speed limit violators" ********?

Of course it's accurate. As I said before, it's simple math. Speedometer in police car is tied to radar gun. Police car approaching me (almost) dead on, doing 45 mph. Radar on me indicates object approaching at 105 mph. Subtract 45 from 105 to give my current speed as 60 mph in a 45 zone. Lights and sirens on, police car does a U-turn and pulls me over. Sucks to be me.

Now in reality, there's a very slight error due to the fact that the police car is not approaching me dead on. But it's no different than the (slight) error caused by the fact that radar is never straight on, even when the police car is parked -- they're always off to the side of the road. The error is small enough that it holds up.

Never ask a cop to "see the radar gun." It will just piss them off and they can make it read whatever they want to if you're a smartass anyway. People fighting tickets often bring up some study done a dozen or more years ago showing that radar, if not regularly calibrated, can be off as much as 10% or more. The problem here is that 99% of the people fighting tickets are simply using that statistic to their advantage -- they know they really were speeding. The fact is that most law enforcement have their radar calibrated quite well. If it says you were doing 71 mph and you really did think you were doing 65, chances are it's your speedometer that's off, not the radar gun.

Anyhow, it is certainly NOT anyone else's job to hang out in the left lane doing 55 to keep traffic at the speed limit. More power to you if you want to obey the traffic laws, but hanging out in the left lane when there are people that need to get someplace is total bull-pucky. Get the hell out of the way and let the cops deal with the speeders.

Oh, as to the "cops in NY are trained to estimate speed" comment -- that may be true, but it would be absolutely trivial to have a ticket thown out of court based on an "estimate," unless the estimate was derived through certain procedures. i.e. the cop is driving behind you, and you're pulling away from him even though he's doing 70.

 

[rickcr42]

pulla gun on me and pull the trigger NOW or lose it,
I have a small collection of "almost got rick" guns in a shoebox

 

[zowie]

Quote:

Originally posted by Audio&Me What percentage of those false tickets actually go through when taken to court?

What "false tickets?" Do you mean where a cop estimated the speed? Most of them do result in convictions. The cops stand up and testify about completing speed estimation training courses, getting certifications, how many years they've been enforcing traffic. The driver can only say, "uh . . . I didn't go so fast." Judges also knows the cops generally have no personal interest in seeing the government get a few buck, while the driver has a big personal interest in doing whatever he can to avoid being convicted.

Did you think they didn't enforce speeding laws prior to the advent of radar guns?

 

[rickcr42]

Never was/is about speeding.I speed daily and never have received a speeding ticket in 31 years.
But drive in a reckless manner and you are toast !
At least in my area the men in blue use judgement and not just blindly follow the letter of the law
Police oficers are also people , and do the dirty work for the masses
I could not do it
Hats off to the guys that do the dirty work and only get **** in return

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Dudes! Y'all need to decaf, seriously! I mean, what's with all this cop-hating ****? I have to admit, on the wrong side of the law, I do my everybest to avoid run-ins with them (and that includes passing them -- guaranteed they will pull me over -- has happened every single time I've ever done so...alright, well, both times).

But when you're the one being violated, there is no-one you would rather have around.

You guys sound like the way I feel about taxi-cab drivers and lawyers -- I hate them, except when I need one.

The thing about radar and motion is, the way radar works, the laws of physics yield entirely different equations when the vehicle is in motion, and there is the additional variable of the speed of the detecting vehicle, so the radar would have to have some sort of knowledge of how fast it was going.

BTW, this is also true of the medium of the radar. Of course, the medium of radar is ether, so don't try that "it was windy" defense.

Finally, WRT this whole in-the-way/outta-the-way argument, I side with the outta-the-ways. In cars, this is just plain self-defense -- I would rather have the ******* have his accident someplace else, even in front of me, than on my ass. Accidents suck, even when they are 100% not your fault, do everything you can to avoid ever being in one. That ******** about "go ahead and hit me, I need the money" is just that -- ********. Jerkoffs at the insurance company have one job -- to minimize the amount of money you get. Remember that.

As regards to in person, well, that's just manners/rude. I get out of other people's way. Who knows? They might just have a knife.

 

[MacDEF]

Quote:

Originally posted by kelly I agree that people who drive too slowly are annoying. However, if your issue is with someone driving the maximum legal speed limit IN ANY LANE, your issue needs to be taken up with the lawmakers and politicians you elect, not with the poor guy just trying to get to work without getting a ticket.

Assuming traffic isn't so bad that you have no choice, there are things called cooperation and consideration. If other people are going faster than you, get out of the left lane. Simple as that. I practice what I preach, as well -- if I'm in the left lane, and I glance in my rear-vew and see someone going faster than me, I move out of the way.

Speed limits are really irrelevant when it comes to consideration and cooperation, IMO. Unless someone is obviously driving at an unsafe speed, being stubborn and not letting someone pass you because they're "speeding" is simply rude and inconsiderate (and, who are we kidding, possibly unsafe

).

BTW, this goes for the elevator thing, too. In fact, many elevators and moving sidewalks actually have signs that say "stand on the right, walk on the left." If someone wants to get by, I let them. If I need to get by, I say "excuse me" very politely.

If more people would try to have a cooperative outlook on life instead of an antagonistic outlook, situations like the above would be easily remedied (and there'd be fewer heart attacks

).

 

[redshifter]

another pet peeve:

people who stare at me. when i'm riding the bus to work or whatever, it really pisses me off when some boob sits there staring at me the whole time. i'm not THAT interesting looking, am i (then again this IS seattle, so....

)?

the other side of the coin is when people get pissed at me because i'm wearing headphones and/or sunglasses. What? i've had people really lose it when they ask me something and i don't hear them because DUH! i'm wearing headphones. get a ****ing clue! i usually wear some kind of sunglasses/eye protection all the time these days (i had a very bad eye injury last year, almost lost my left eye), and when some people can't see your eyes or where you're looking they really lose it (rude comments, glaring, etc.). generally if i catch someone staring or being nuts about my head gear i'll give them THE LOOK and usually they're so flustered they stop.

 

[rickcr42]

I live in a rural area
FKN CAT ! Just stepped on the keyboard and eliminate ten lines !!!!!!!!!!!
So..............as I was saying before the interruption,
I leave my house about 7:30 every morning and join the wolf pack.
That is 25 to 30 cars nose to tail going 55 in a "posted" 35 zone ,curves.turns.twisties,water on both sides ,A FKN ADVENTURE

But get one knucklehead in the mix , afraid to drive and we stack up 75 deep
AND ALL PISSED
WAY PISSED
How dare you intrude upon our daily cruise to work !
Some folks just have no damn class/brains or both
Lead-follow
OR GET THE FK OUT OF THE WAY

[size=medium]JEEZ[/size]

 

[kelly]

Quote:

Originally posted by MacDEF Assuming traffic isn't so bad that you have no choice, there are things called cooperation and consideration. If other people are going faster than you, get out of the left lane. Simple as that. I practice what I preach, as well -- if I'm in the left lane, and I glance in my rear-vew and see someone going faster than me, I move out of the way. Speed limits are really irrelevant when it comes to consideration and cooperation, IMO. Unless someone is obviously driving at an unsafe speed, being stubborn and not letting someone pass you because they're "speeding" is simply rude and inconsiderate (and, who are we kidding, possibly unsafe ). BTW, this goes for the elevator thing, too. In fact, many elevators and moving sidewalks actually have signs that say "stand on the right, walk on the left." If someone wants to get by, I let them. If I need to get by, I say "excuse me" very politely. If more people would try to have a cooperative outlook on life instead of an antagonistic outlook, situations like the above would be easily remedied (and there'd be fewer heart attacks ).

What are the limits of safe speed? If the legal posted speed limit is not that limit then what is? 10 over? 15 over? I've been... wait, no. Let's say hypothetically I had been 20 mph over the speed limit (75 in a 55) and moving faster than the vehicles in the center lane. Would I still be required to drive faster because the person behind me would rather I drove 90?

 

[Audio-Me]

Rick, when there's light traffic, I love leading those packs, especially at night, highbeam hour.

Although I only do 50 in 35 zones. 60 in 40, 70 in 50.

Speed limits are ****ing stupid. I bet the states purposely make the speed limit 10-20mph under the actual maximum safe speed. Why? To piss people off, knowing that they will still speed, thus more tickets = more money.

My cans get stared at too, doesn't bother me, the clueless looks on their faces is rather funny.

 

[rickcr42]

speed limits are set to the lowest common denominator ,as in those marginal drivers who YOU KNOW have no skills
And for some insane reason they do not have the sense to pulll the fck over and let the driverrs have at it.
AND WHY IS THE TEST SOOOOOOOOO EASY ? HMMMMMMMMMM ?
My take is make this **** hard and lower the drinking age.
I have no problem with drunks walking into trees,but

I DO

Have a problem with those who have no skills and no experience grabbing a six and maybe taking my ass out

 

[gaineso]

Ya' know, I really thought I had an attitude about driving. I'm beginning to see that some of you are some of the ones I have that attitude about.

When traffic is heavy, I-295 across the Buckman Bridge at rush hour, it's time to chill. Leave 5 minutes earlier and get there in one piece.

However, open road, especially Interstate, don't get wild but cruising 10 over is about right. or maybe 15. Just be somewhat reasonable dealing with others. My primary gripes on open road, trucks and Damnyankees. Both get in the left lane and go slow.


WHEN I GET OLD, I"LL MOVE UP NORTH AND DRIVE SLOW!!!!

A little common courtesy will go a long way and maybe even save some crumpled sheet metal and bloody roads.

 

[MacDEF]

Quote:

Originally posted by kelly Let's say hypothetically I had been 20 mph over the speed limit (75 in a 55) and moving faster than the vehicles in the center lane. Would I still be required to drive faster because the person behind me would rather I drove 90?

I can only tell you what *I* do in that situation: find a safe spot to switch to the middle lane, let them pass, then move back into the left lane and continue. Everyone's happy.


This also reminds me of people who drive slowly on one-lane, curvy roads (Mulholland, Big Sur, Yosemite, etc.) and back up traffic. These roads have "turn-outs" for a reason: to be a considerate person and let the people who can/want to go faster than you pass. Yet people just don't have a clue and continue to back up traffic.

I guess when I think about it, all the pet peeves I've posted here belong in a single category: people who are inconsiderate or uncooperative drivers (whether on purpose or because they're clueless LOL)

 

[rickcr42]

So mac ,wadooya REALLY thin about J . Winter