Police are generally focused on ticketing generally harmless speeders, while completely ignoring dangerous driving like tailgating and weaving through traffic. Last week I had a semi driving no more than 10 feet behind me on a freeway. I saw about five cars pulled over for speeding on that half hour trip.
Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan was critically injured in a six-vehicle accident Saturday morning that left at least one person dead, police said.
Two tractor-trailers were involved in the crash, and one of them may have rear-ended the limo bus
Couldn’t agree more !
Of course governments that are broke always focus on revenue raising and speeding tickets are a good source of revenue.
Welcome to Maryland! Have you seen the motorcycles weaving in and out of traffic going 120+ mph?
And if you do anything rational about tailgaters, it’s called “obstructing traffic.”
On one of my last trips to DC, I saw one of those suicide machines try to forcibly rape an old Chevy truck, and they gave birth to three cop cars and an ambulance.
Don’t know who Tracy Morgan is. Female right?
He’s played female characters in his comedy work if I remember right.
Had to do a Google search on Tracy Morgan when I heard the news … as soon as his dark-skinned forehead appeared I remembered who he was!
Roadside tax collection is all about collecting cash. Not safety despite any bloviating to the contrary by any cops. (after serving a term on a grand jury, I consider any statement by a cop to be as reliable as an Obama campaign promise)
Have you ever heard of a speeder getting community service instead of a fine/tax assessment? Thus, the tickets are all about the money.
Most people just mail in the fine. If you contest the ticket, the agency that issued the citation will automatically spend more than the amount of the fine to collect that fine/tax.
Last ticket I was handed, I took it to a trial. I figure they spent at least $1200 to collect a $150 fine and I made a point of telling the cop that afterwards. Don’t think he cared as he was just filling his quota.
Ever notice that you never see a cop from the 1st to the 21st of the month. Then they’re thick as flies on cowpies in the last week of the month as they fill their taxation quotas.
Indeed, Money is the issue. Government does not care about safety. It cares about power and money and uses safety as an excuse to obtain those two things. There are engineering principles that are ignored, manipulated, or abandoned to make for good ticketing.
The reason for mailing in the fine is because the courts are not fair, going to court means the judge will max out the fine and court costs are added. Then throw in the cost of the lost wages, vacation, PTO, whatever. It’s a least damage situation.
Steve,
just be thankful you’re not in the UK, speed limits are enforced by cameras and the limits are designed to confuse, changing several times within a few (imperial) miles. There are unmarked cars and other nasty little tricks used to catch the unwary. Being caught will lead to a fine and points (usually 3) on your licence, although for the first offence you can opt for a speed awareness course at the same cost as a fine but no points. 12 points in three years means a ban, 12 months and any points mean increased insurance premiums.
Even cabinet ministers get into deep water
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16869363
If you get stuck behind a car doing 30mph in a 40 or 50 limited area then it’s someone with 6 points who’s uncertain what the speed limit is. Some say it is a plan to get us oicks onto public transport. Public transport which costs 100s of millions of £ more than budget.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-27633878
Then there’s parking equally contentious, most councils have a zero tolerance policy, proudly displayed on their website. eg
http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/transport/parking/parkingEnforcement/cctvEnforcementVehicle.aspx
Rant over.
I’ve heard you nutters even drive on the wrong side of the road 😉
On a freeway I once saw a young woman driving a small hatchback behind another car with propably less than two meters at the speed of 100km/h. It looked totally insane. If the car in front of her would have breaked even slightly, she would have crashed even before noticing what happened. There were hardly anyone on the road at the time.
I tend to flash my breaklights at people tailgating. After one or try tries they usually get the message.
When riding a bicycle, I just break really hard and come suddenly to a complete stop.
Could have been problematic if the car in front had ‘braked’ even …
I don’t have ‘breaklights’ on my cars, just the original equipment brake lights. The brakes I have on my bicycle won’t let me ‘break’ per se, but rather brake albeit with some amount of delay.
Ällistytä minut kielellisellä lahjakkuudellasi ja turise vuorostasi jotain älykästä ihmisten kielellä. Katsotaan sitten löydänkö minä siitä jotain saivarreltavaa. Tihi.
You’re doing just fine, Hannuko. Not even close to a “tihi” moment. I would know—had enough of those myself. Still do.
The SC Highway Patrol frequently sets up a speed trap on I-77 at Rock Hill, SC. A few years ago, I saw a trooper driving 90, returning to the back of the line of troopers waiting for speeders. I was sure he would soon be doing 90 again to catch up with someone doing 70, to give them a lecture about about how dangerous driving 70 is. And take their money.
The speed limit there is 60. Anyone actually driving 60 would create a hazard. SCHP does not call SCDOT and tell them they should raise the speed limit, as they would if safety were their concern.
“A judge gave Matt Mitchell a plea deal for ten years ( 30 months each for four counts) probation. Since Mitchell plead guilty to felony charges he will never be allowed to be a police officer again. Mitchell will serve his sentence in Clinton County where he resides.
In 2007 Mitchell’s car wrecked with Jessica and Kelli Uhl killing them. Mitchell’s attorney says his client was justified when he was driving 126 miles an hour just moments before the crash.”
He was responding to a reported fender bender.
I was pulled over for following too closely during rush hour. I was in the fast lane behind a Caddy that slammed on its brakes when we came over a hill and saw a radar trap. We were not even speeding, and I was following at a safe distance until the Caddy driver braked as a reflex upon seeing a cop. I got off with a warning when I pointed out to the cop that his speed trap was a hazard to the public.