Every once in a while I’ll hear some moron spout off: “I’m so sick of Cops pulling people over for speeding. (or setting speed traps) They should be out doing their job and catching the REAL criminals!”
Listen morons. Anybody who has a reasonable grasp of logic could surmise that when Cops pull people over for minor traffic violations, it often leads to bigger arrests such as drugs, weapons, pending warrants etc.
Besides that. Traffic laws were made for a reason. I don’t always agree with them and admitably I sometimes do go a little bit over the speed limit myself. I know however, when I do this, I’m breaking the law and if I get caught I’ll pay the fine.
The one thing I WONT do is bitch about what A-holes Cops are for… Well…
Every cop who has pulled me over has been curteous and professional (now that I am an adult) and I respond in kind. The last ticket I got (about 6 months ago) the cop was so nice that I wrote a letter of commendation to his commander, despite the fact that he gave me a ticket. He pointed out what I had done wrong. I conceeded that he was correct. He gave me a ticket. I thanked him. He thanked me for not giving him any trouble. We went our seperate ways. I paid the ticket.
I do think speed traps are sometimes set in places that make them a bit of a cash grab. That being said, the “why don’t cops get out and catch criminals” wingnuts completely lose their shit when photo-radar comes to town, so fuck 'em.
Right – they set the speed traps in a place where lots of people speed. Be kind of stupid to set speed traps where people are already obeying the law. There’s one street I drive to work every day that’s infamous for having speed traps on it. Guess what? I don’t speed on that street anymore, in case there’s a speed trap.
If you mean places where a lot of people speed - isn’t that the point, to reduce speeding in places where it’s common? The road in front of my apartment is one such place: long wide road (2 lanes each way plus a center lane), and 25 mph limit. I’ve seen several cars pulled over for speeding this year, and I’m thankful for it. There seem to be fewer people who are obviously speeding (like 40+ mph), and as a result I feel safer crossing the road while walking my dog.
That’s not really what most people think of as a “speed trap”. Speed traps are usually set up by some tiny little town on the route of a highway. They zone the speed limits in a way that it drops drastically in a short space. From 55 mph down to 25 mph in 50 yards, for example. Even if you take your foot off the accelerator, you’re still traveling faster that 25 mph when you pass that last sign. And that’s where the cops waiting to write you a ticket. It’s the chief source of revenue for some towns.
It’s annoying, but we still can’t bitch about the cops for enforcing it. We can, however, bitch about the town council that set up the speed trap.
Sort of. I’m not denying that some of this is done with an eye to a revenue source.
However, there is also a more legitimate reason for this phenomenon.
Many of the people who drive through such a town see it as a nameless, faceless town in the middle of nowhere, just like so many others. They have no knowledge of or concern for the town. The idea that they should slow down even a bit just for a small number of complete strangers who happen to live there doesn’t register. It would result in them getting to the beach 30 seconds later. The people in the town, on the other hand, want to live in a place where their kids can ride a bike, they can pull out of the driveway, they can cross a street on foot, etc. with traffic at a reasonable 35-45 mph. The out-of-town drivers want to go 60+, figuring that if it’s not a freeway, it friggin’ oughtta be, out here in the middle of nowhere.
That’s a long, folksy way of saying that because many of the drivers on a certain road have no incentive to slow down, the residents there have to give them an incentive in the form of harsh speeding laws & enforcement.
But if “lots” of people speed on a particular road, doesn’t that mean that the legal speed limit is probably set too low? If you have a large percentage of the population in a democratic society violating a law, perhaps we should rethink the law.
But, I agree, I don’t blame the cop. I blame the city council, state government, whoever that made the stupid law in the first place…
I don’t begrudge them that. Not a bit. It’s not the reduction in speed, it’s the short space that it’s reduced in. It drops so fast that you have to break, rather than gradually being reduced - which would be the smarter thing for the town to do if they were truly concerned about safety. Start reducing the speed limit about a half mile from the town center, not fucking fifty yards from it.
Then the residents should not live on the main throughway in town. Live in a neighborhood off of the beaten path. Even at 35-45 mph, that’s a pretty dangerous place to have your kids riding their bikes, and probably illegal.
I sympathize with them, but just because you build a house along side the road, doesn’t mean you own the road, and as such you shouldn’t set rules on the road how you would like. We have this all of the time in South Florida; the “residents” want cops patrolling the streets because “everyone” is speeding.
Well, as I said in my last post, if “everyone” is speeding, then the limit is too low
Not true. If it is a road that is level and straight for a long period of time people will want to speed up. If it is a deserted country road or an idustrial park that is one thing. If it is a residential neighborhood than the speed should be low. It has more to do with what is in the area, rather than how fast people want or are able to go.
But I think you are missing my larger point. We live in a democracy; a rule by the people. If, on a particular stretch of road, the majority of people travel at 50mph and feel that it is safe, isn’t a sign saying “Speed Limit 35” against the principles of self-government?
Or have we appointed our masters in government to tell us what is best for ourselves?
Of course not. You are getting into the area of natural law, and guaranteed rights. The regulation of auto speeds on the public road doesn’t fall into either. Your analogy isn’t very good, IMHO…
I think your point makes no sense. Someone coming up on a straight and level piece of roadway may think that his car can handle it at 80mph. And maybe he is right. However he doesn’t take into consideration that it is a resdential neighborhood. Cars are backing out of driveways, playgrounds, children running after balls, schools. The character of the roadway is only one consideration when determining speed. It should not be and isn’t the only one.
Most times the police ARE doing their jobs, but any reasonable person understands that oftentimes they are a source for town revenue. For example, New Rome, Ohio is actually FAMOUS for doing this. I think there are lots of little New Romes out there.
In many cases the towns predate the automobile, let alone the current traffic pattern. Historically, it made sense for the main drag to go through town. I doubt whole towns are going to take your fine suggestion and relocate so that you can drive through at your chosen speed.