I have one basic question. Were you doing 13 over? If you were, why are you contesting the ticket? Y'all can have a cynical view and complain that the city makes money off of the populace from traffic tickets, but they are also there to protect me and my family from you running over us. If the cop caught you breaking the law, pay your ticket. If you get out of it, you'll just do it again, and maybe next time you'll run over someone's child.
Posts by SteveSS
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All I can say is if there was no speed limit, I would drive WAAY too fast. Probably every "car guy" like us would. Clearly, there is a line that can be drawn where going above a certain speed is unsafe. That's what the speed limit is for. I don't always agree with the posted speed, but it's the law, and it's there to protect us.
When everyone is going 13 over on the highway, it's probably safer to follow along than to go the speed limit. But, how fast do you drive on the same highway with no traffic? I bet it's at least 13 over. What's your excuse for that? Also, I don't mind that much if someone goes 13 over on the highway, but that same guy goes 43 in the 30 zone by my house. If a child jumps in front of your car, I bet you'd be mad at the child, and not think for a second to ask yourself if you were driving too fast. Just think about it. 99.9% safe and conscientious might not be good enough.
When everyone is going 13 over on the highway, it's probably safer to follow along than to go the speed limit. But, how fast do you drive on the same highway with no traffic? I bet it's at least 13 over. What's your excuse for that? Also, I don't mind that much if someone goes 13 over on the highway, but that same guy goes 43 in the 30 zone by my house. If a child jumps in front of your car, I bet you'd be mad at the child, and not think for a second to ask yourself if you were driving too fast. Just think about it. 99.9% safe and conscientious might not be good enough.
Wow, laws can be really stark over there. If you run over a child and the general concensus is it was not your fault, does that make you feel better about running over the child? I think it's best to not teach parents lessons by killing their children. That certainly goes to show there are very different ways to approach a problem.
I agree that parenting is relatively bad here, but there should be a level where pedestrians always have right of way. For example, on the highway a car should have right of way, and in a parking lot a pedestrian should have right of way. A friend from Scotland remarked to me how strange it was over here that people would walk in front of cars in a parking lot. He said you'd be run over in the UK doing that. That's a bit extreme in my book.
This isn't off topic for this thread.
I agree that parenting is relatively bad here, but there should be a level where pedestrians always have right of way. For example, on the highway a car should have right of way, and in a parking lot a pedestrian should have right of way. A friend from Scotland remarked to me how strange it was over here that people would walk in front of cars in a parking lot. He said you'd be run over in the UK doing that. That's a bit extreme in my book.
This isn't off topic for this thread.
Okay, does getting a speeding ticket for doing 45 in a 30 residential zone help protect people, or does it put money in the city's pocket, or does it do both? If you drive 70 in a 55, I bet you also drive 45 in a 30.
Our society is a funny thing. We get all upset about anthrax and snipers, but we don't think about traffic accidents. How many people do you think died in car wrecks over the last couple of weeks in the D.C. area? I can assure you it's way more than 10. Does anybody worry about that? NAH.
The problem here is when you break the law, you're commiting an offense against society. The people on this forum are part of society. Then you have the nerve to ask the society you offended for advice on how to get out of being punished for offending them. It's not just between you and city hall. There are other people on the road. It's not your private playground. Use your brains people.
EDIT: Offending term removed for the benefit of everyone I'm not responding to.
[ October 18, 2002, 12:38 PM: Message edited by: SteveSS ]
Our society is a funny thing. We get all upset about anthrax and snipers, but we don't think about traffic accidents. How many people do you think died in car wrecks over the last couple of weeks in the D.C. area? I can assure you it's way more than 10. Does anybody worry about that? NAH.
The problem here is when you break the law, you're commiting an offense against society. The people on this forum are part of society. Then you have the nerve to ask the society you offended for advice on how to get out of being punished for offending them. It's not just between you and city hall. There are other people on the road. It's not your private playground. Use your brains people.
EDIT: Offending term removed for the benefit of everyone I'm not responding to.
[ October 18, 2002, 12:38 PM: Message edited by: SteveSS ]
Barry, I promise not to start any political arguments, but I reserve the right to tell someone who I think is acting like a jackass why I think so! 
Also, our cars are used in the real world, and therefore real world issues such as politics are related! I think it would be a bad idea to ban any kind of discussion here - just remind us what we're supposed to be talking about when we get off track. For example, CobraEarl and I apparently have very different political views, but I think it is healthy to air out your opinion once in a while. You can't form your own view unless you know what other people think.
Having a little spice here and there is a good thing...
Also, our cars are used in the real world, and therefore real world issues such as politics are related! I think it would be a bad idea to ban any kind of discussion here - just remind us what we're supposed to be talking about when we get off track. For example, CobraEarl and I apparently have very different political views, but I think it is healthy to air out your opinion once in a while. You can't form your own view unless you know what other people think.
Having a little spice here and there is a good thing...
Bob, I mostly agree with you this time. Not everything is fair. The police don't always have public safety as their first priority. That peeves me more than individuals breaking traffic laws, since the police have a much greater responsibility. However, it's better to officially protest laws you think are wrong than to decide for yourself which laws you don't want to follow. If you get a speeding ticket and you were indeed speeding, you should pay the fine. I don't think your arguments would hold up well in court. (I'm not assuming that you would actually use those arguments in court)
Steve
Steve
Barry, I said that if the traffic flow is 13mph over the speed limit, it's probably safer to go 13 over too. However, like you said, that doesn't make it legal, so if you get a ticket for it, you should pay the fine. I've been picked out of a crowd in a sports car before, and it pisses me off, but if I'm caught breaking the law, I have no excuse. So, I don't think you a 'scofflaw', especially since you don't get tickets. The proof is in the pudding, as they say.
As for facts, we have one member trying to get out of a speeding ticket. He has arguments with how his speed was measured, but doesn't say how fast he was actually going. We have another member giving him advice on how to get out of tickets, and says he loves to drive fast. These are enough facts to conjure my outrage. There are appropriate places to drive fast, and a public street is not one of them.
We've already had a big hoopla over the shortening of the yellow light, and I don't buy the argument. I calculated before that at 40mph you'd have plenty of time to stop for 3 seconds of yellow. Over 40mph, 3 seconds isn't enough. I don't care who profits from it, and I do believe it increases public safety.
I appreciate your experienced comments.
Steve
As for facts, we have one member trying to get out of a speeding ticket. He has arguments with how his speed was measured, but doesn't say how fast he was actually going. We have another member giving him advice on how to get out of tickets, and says he loves to drive fast. These are enough facts to conjure my outrage. There are appropriate places to drive fast, and a public street is not one of them.
We've already had a big hoopla over the shortening of the yellow light, and I don't buy the argument. I calculated before that at 40mph you'd have plenty of time to stop for 3 seconds of yellow. Over 40mph, 3 seconds isn't enough. I don't care who profits from it, and I do believe it increases public safety.
I appreciate your experienced comments.
Steve
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