austinado16

We are all plaqued by both the wreckless and the inattentive drivers, not to mention the intoxicated ones. Combine that with everyone's penchant for SUV's and yeah, it's insane on road now, especially in heavily populated areas. Attentive and defensive is the only way to fly and hats off to you for 18 years of being part of the solution, not part of the problem.

However, to say speed=speed is simply a justification for speeding. If you look at accident statistics, nationwide, you'll find that speed and usually inattention are always a factor. Sometimes together and sometimes standing alone.

Unfortunately, the limited funding to departments preclude them from the type of enforcement necessary to manage the problem.

RalliSport Ron

unless you listen to the stats from the insurance industry. :-)

in the real world, it's rarely speed alone....it's nearly always "too fast for conditions", one primary condition is, of course, complete lack of higher brain function on the part of the soccer moms driving their H2 to day care.

It's lack of SKILL as well as inattention to driving that is the cause of the problems....not speed, prima facia.

for the record, i NEVER, ever, not even once pulled someone over just cause they were speeding. but drive like a moron, and i'd own you.

RalliSport Ron

there is nothing so sweet as poetic justice....

Whitjr

This post has gotta get an award for longest, passionate post...

fastdream

that "speed kills"

I think we're saying the same thing really.

Statistics are one thing, reality is another. I think you and I both know that it isn't JUST speed, right? That may be what many accidents are attributed to in the reports...but that certainly isn't the only factor.
I don't know many people that will own up to doing something stupid behind the wheel.

There are times when I DO speed excessively, admittedly (more and more rarely). And those are times when I assess my risk factors, but more importantly, the risk factors to innocent people. If people are around, or show up, I check my speed accordingly. Something I wasn't conscientious of when I was a teenager - never speed when there are side streets, onramps, driveways, intersections etc. nearby or upcoming.
All the while in the back of my mind is a little checklist of my equipment. I always know the status of my fluids, of my tires, of my brakes, etc. I know how my braking system will react in a light, moderate, heavy, and emergency braking situation. I know how hard it is to scrub speed from a high rate. I understand about closing distances. Most importantly, I'm learning to take my driving pleasure out in controlled environments like autocrossing.

SOOOO often I see an suv barrelling down the highway with one or more tires significantly underpressured, the driver with one finger on the wheel, eating a burger, talking on the phone, picking their nose, putting on makeup (add more here), driving at +20 of the limit.
Likewise I see bald tires, bouncing suspensions, broken off side mirrors (often times dangling by a power cord and scratching a semi-circle into the paint!)
People just amaze me.
There are lots of merging points on the various highways around here, many of them have solid double white lines for safety. To no avail, let me tell you...people have forgotten what solid lines mean, and even worse, forgotten what merging even is! Right-of-way? What is that?

Oh and if you have a small margin of safety with your following distance, it will be immediately filled by the idiot that was riding your bumper behind you, who angrily zips around you to fill the space that you are apparently stealing from him.

How about all the ****-munchers that drive full throttle down their merging lane to very end, slams on their brakes turns on their blinker and squeezes themselves in the 3/4 of a car length you had in front of you - pissily too if you don't immediately and graciously give them room.

This is everyday in this poop-hole city I live in. my drive is only 20 miles each way...but it's all city highways.

It's sickening for me then, to get pulled over and lectured. How many sides to I have to be abused on?
Am I just supposed to join them and drive like an idiot too? Since I have to pay the same fines as they do...why don't I just mount some reinforced steel plated doors and bumpers and go have a fun crash-up derby?

Boy I feel like ranting. Must be these anti-histamines I took today.

fastdream

God I wish more of you were here!

So many morons....so little time.

Christopher Judd

Most police officers I've had to deal with have been generably reasonable people, though I've run across a rude one now and again.

As far as I can tell, you usually have to be doing something pretty stupid or blatant to get nailed for any sort of moving violation unless the cop is seriously cranky. I drive to work every day at 70-75 mph on the LI Expy (limit = 55) and have never been pulled over for any reason in the last 20 years for doing so. Why? Because I'm usually going slower than someone, I don't tailgate, I use my signals, I stay in my lane, and I don't cut people off. I've gotten pinched twice since 1984 for speeding and I deserved both. I've had a few tickets for expired inspections and the like - not exactly anything to get upset over.

My policy is to ALWAYS be courteous to the police officer, regardless of ANYTHING I might feel about the situation. The PO is just doing his or her job usually. Except for once, that courtesy has always been reciprocated. The one rude cop I did deal with, I simply asked very politely to be addressed in the same civil manner that I was using with him. I was not interested in arguing the substance of the ticket (38 mph in a 30 - my speedo cable was busted), I just expected and requested professional behavior. I got it, too.

Last December being pleasant and honest actually got me out of a ticket. At a seatbelt & sticker check, I got pulled for a retty long expired inspection. I had been on my way back to work from (I swear) making an appointment to get the car inspected. When the PO asked whether I knew why I was pulled over, I told her that I did, explained my errand, and produced the appointment card. She said in a slightly scolding tone with a smile that she should write me a citation for such a long expired inspection and I agreed with her and told her that I wouldn't give her grief about it. She chuckled and told me to keep the inspection appointment. I thanked her and went on with the day.

I have a couple of friends that are or were police officers and find them to be generally good humored people with a bunch of interesting stories. Sure, there are idiots and cranks in uniforms, but there are idiots and cranks everywhere.

4ktq_smin

turn out my ins. card had been expired since JANUARY 16TH! (keep in mind this was the very end of march). apparently the card had come in the mail and my dad forgot to give it to me, that oculda been ugly.

CoffeeMan

I've been sitting here for half an hour reading all these posts and have mixed opinions. I respect cops for what they have to do day in and day out for the most part. I live in Seattle where police tactics are very often questioned and don't do much but sit on I-5 watching for speeders. actually, let me clarify. very rarely are the cops on I-5 within Seattle city limits, but in the greater Seattle area rather. Let me tell you, RalliSport Ron, that although you may have never pulled over anyone for JUST speeding... I've been pulled over a handful of times for JUST speeding in the last 5 years and routinely see people in the lane next to me speed by a cop at 3 in the morning going 10 over on a bare ('cept for me) freeway and get pulled over. I'll be the first to admit that I got pulled over for being a moron once, when I first got my license, and deserved to pay ever penny. However when it comes to money, the dollar is the bottom line. if it comes down to parting with half of my paycheck or spending an hour in a courtroom either a) telling the truth or b)lying my *** off to get out of a ticket then I'll take the courtroom. This isn't an issue of morals for me - it's a question of whether or not I want to pay for a system I don't believe in to begin with. Before I get yelled at for saying that, let me defend my statement. How long did Montana go without issuing a posted speed limit for roads? a long *** time. when did it become an issue? when they were one of the last states without speed limits! I think they had the right idea - go as fast as you deem safe in a given situation. THAT'S what I think traffic citations should be based on. Ron's got it. Morons can pay for a ticket, I see no harm in speeding. I think it's the least of our worries on the road. Also, take for example the washington state portion of I5. how long has it been now since the speed limit went up to 70? 7, 8 years? has anyone noticed a change in the safety of the freeway due only to speed (this is not taking into account the influx of outsiders in recent years with a sh*tload of minivans and cellphones)? Lastly for those of you who travel from, say, washington to oregon (I use this example only because I know it ALL TOO WELL) frequently, you'll notice that the speed limit goes from 65 in washington to 55 in oregon. Every time I crossed either the I5 bridge or I205 bridge into portland, I've feared for my life! in a 5 minute transition from 65-55, driving conditions get considerably more dangerous. speed has much less to do with driving safety than other more important factors.

----this is why I hate lasers and I was definitely not being a moron when I got pulled over----

Travelling to Idaho from Vancouver, Wa I got tagged with a laser by a cop so far ahead he was nothing but a speck in some other cars' headlights. I was following another car with a radar detector (long story but haste was important for this trip). I thought the car I was following accidentally took an exit in a bout with torrential rain. with poor cellphone reception, I called who I thought was the car in front of me but rather the third car in the caravan that was quite a ways away and asked if they took an exit and they said "no." by this time I had slowed down to wait for who I thought left the freeway by mistake. thinking that I was wrong, I hauled *** to catch up because I wasn't sure how to get where we were going and the other car did. so there I am, haulin royal butt on a COMPLETELY empty I84 and waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay up there I see a cop, got on the middle pedal, and I see him turn to pull onto the onramp from the overpass he was on and just said "f*ck." sure enough, even though I was going the proper speed by probably a third of a mile away, he pulls me over for goin 89 in a 65. didn't give him guff, took the ticket, got confused when he told me the conversation was being recorded, and found out that the other car actually DID exit when I saw them drive by at the speed limit due to their amazing radar detector. My frustration was compounded with the fact that my girlfriend dumped me that morning and was the only passenger I had for the 7 hour trip. worst weekend of my life due partly to a Laser SMD. (and ron, I did pay that after pleading no contest with mitigating circumstances)

as for profiling, it can lick my chocolate cheerio. twice I've been a victim of profiling. my friend was rather well to do and we were driving around Vancouver, WA in his '92 BMW 325is and got pulled over in a parking garage because the cop thought we stole it. my friend was as nice as could be, I thought me might cry at the time, but the cop eventually let us go after about 20 minutes of trying to call his parents, badger us, and look up vehicle info. the car was also bought two days prior so the paperwork hadn't been taken care of yet... just made it worse. the second time was when I went to the beach with my girlfriend at the time and her brother/hisgirlfriend. the cop pulled him over for, yes, being a moron, but the cop asked to see the ID's of everyone in the car. I gave my ID with rage boiling inside of me. why should a cop think a car of a bunch of teenagers (clean cut ones, mind you) think that we were up to no good? the cop came back after running our ID's and I politely asked why I had to show my ID and the cop replied "alot of times it's how we catch people with warrents on them." I asked if I had the right, as a passenger, to refuse to show my ID and he said "yes." I suppose at this point I may be ranting about something of little consequence, however I found the whole situation very insulting. the officer came up to the car assuming that we were doing something wrong.

now that you have all read my post that turned out to be far longer than expected, I'll sit back and wait for someone to yell at me.

rocketaudi

unfortunately, im at work but later ill give you the lowdown on what i think of the boys in blue. some good stories to go with the opinion too, something for everyone