Speedtraps

[ShawnC]

I know speeding has been discussed on here before. But one wonders how useful speedtraps are to deter the bad driving habits that cause accidents.

Yesterday as I drove to work Sarasota to Tampa (about 50 miles) I saw about a dozen state troopers, I normally don't even see that many in a month. But they were all concentrated in two speed traps.

Well thats great, that mile or two of highway is safe from speeders but what about that idiot that tailgated (he was close enough that I could practically make out the color of his eyes in my rear view mirror).

My tax money is paying for these troopers to just sit there in gun people when they would be more effective at preventing accidents by actually patrolling the highways.

/my two cents

 

[stillaboo]

I often see them hiding out on 275 b/t exit 19 and 25 (the curves in St. Pete b/f the Courtney Cambell).

Get a good 'fuzz buster' and you can sniff 'em out. I recommend the Passport 8500 or Valentine 1. While expensive, they work. Avoid 2 tickets and the thing has paid for itself, especially if you're trying to get an interview with 121 or 135.

-Boo!

 

[ShawnC]

You know I really don't speed that much, these days for commuting to work, I rarely do much more than 5 over. Most days I can just drive right past them without taking off the cruise control. In fact thats what I did yesterday.

I just noticed the uselessness in them that they just stopped it for that short stretch versus if they were patrolling they could have been more effective at stopping truly dangerous driving activities.

 

[Whirlwind]

It isn't the 5 or 10 over they are bothering with...

It is the guy doing 30 more than everyone else they are bothering with.

And no, I don't think doing 30 over the limit is what is dangerous, it is doing 30 more than everyone else that is.

If everyone is doing 30 over, then it probably is quite safe.

Yes, it is a pain overall.

 

[KATL8R26L]

trooper

Just sitting, must have not been a rookey trooper, most of the time a rookey trooper will be training with what they call an FTO, this person will make shure that the rookey trooper doesn't sit to long in one place, the whole idea behind this is a very high volume of various job functions that the rookey trooper in preforming the postion.

Rite now there are around , from what i heared the other day some thing like 45 open postions just in orange county florida, this doesn't count kissimmiee area, i think they make around $30k or so to start, the pay is very low for the amount of high risk that goes a long with the job.Pay dates once a month, at least thats what it was a few years ago.

Before you down grade what these people do for a living go ride with a trooper, it is an experiance that you will not for get.

Hay they also have an air unit and it is some thing to ride in the car while the plane clocks the traffic,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

drive safe,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,fly even safer,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[CA1900]

When speed limits and speed enforcement are used to actually promote safety, I'll have more respect for what these folks do on the highway. Right now, speed enforcement is used almost exclusively to generate revenue for the state, and that's inexcusable. (Witness 4-lane divided highways with speed limits of 45.)

 

[flint4xx]

1900 is right on. I call it the highway tax...

 

[wildbill]

The only time you have to worry about that in Atlanta is after the rush on the watermellon 500 track around Atlanta. The cops are to afraid to get on it with some speeds in excess of 90. Then there are the drivers with cell phones in their ear changing lanes as if they were the only ones on the highway. If I had a choice I would not drive it either..

 

[I.P. Freley]

A few observations...

1- A bunch of cops hanging out on a highway writing tickets for people zinging along at 20 over the posted limit is not a "speed trap", even though we often use that term. A speed trap is when they set up immediately after a sudden (and often poorly-marked) change in speed limit, usually one that has no apparent reason for being there. The idea is that they sucker you into it, instead of merely picking off speeders... Which is how most of us get tickets, anyway. Not a trick, not a trap, just simple speeding. Like it or not, the limit is there, and if you exceed it, you run the risk of getting a ticket.

2- Practically noone, a bunch of police included, thinks that "slowing down saves lives." What has been shown to be dangerous is what whirlwind alluded to, which is SPEED DIFFERENTIAL. It's the person who is exceeding the 85th percentile speed for that stretch of road that is the greatest hazard. As for the people who actually GET tickets, on the highway in this instance, I do believe that thinking that only 20 or 30 over is going to get you a ticket is a dangerous attitude... If everyone is going 20 over, it's pretty much a wash, and it's the person who is going 30 over they are going to get, all things being equal. Unfortunately, things are rarely "equal", and if you happen to space out and find yourself doing only 75 or 76 in a 65 without anyone else around, they will likely pull you over.

3- What everyone WILL agree on is that tickets are an excellent way to make money... And not just for the principality that writes the tickets. You'd be surprised how many radar guns/infrared guns are GIVEN to police by, you guessed it, INSURANCE COMPANIES. One speeding ticket, especially if you have the misfortune to be male, and you get to pay both the government and the insurance company, too, usually for three years... More if you are insured by, say, GEICO. (as an aside, am I the only one who wants to put their spokes-gecko in a blender?)

4- A good detector, such as the Valentine One, is useless against instant-on radar and the so-called "laser" guns. Unfortunately for us, most departments have upgraded to newer equipment, and you can guess how that lowers your odds against the fuzz. The older equipment is still out there, and these detectors WILL help, as long as you get over all the falsing that inevitably occurs... But it's a big risk.

5- Of course, the easiest way to avoid getting ticketed is to adhere to or stick REEEEALY close to the limit. That's what I do. No more than 7 over on the highway, and the cops will ignore you like you aren't even there. Once you hit that 10-over number, you're on your own.

6- By adhering to my self-imposed limit (except when traveling in dense traffic that's ALL hauling butt), I've managed to avoid even being PULLED OVER in seven years (and that's about 130,000 miles of driving). It works. On long car trips it adds to the trip time, but don't discount the beneficial effects of not being stressed about the possibility of there being a cop over every hill and around every bend. At the end of a 12-hour car trip, I find myself being much more relaxed when I reach my destination.

 

[tarp]

KATL

I'm sorry you hit my limit and I'm afraid I have to pull you over:

rookey = rookie
shure = sure
to = too (when you mean "also" or "in additon")
preforming = performing (my fingers type fast, too)
Rite = right (when you mean "this minute")
heared = heard
a long = along (one word)
experiance = experience (credit for trying a big word, though)
for get = forget (one word)
Hay = Hey

Personal pronouns, cities, states and counties are capitalized.

I have no idea what you were actually writing about because I couldn't get through all the grammar problems.

Sorry. It's not you. But I would like to think that 12 years of school and the ability to operate a computer makes us all better people. And yes, I know, I'm an A$$hole for pointing this out.

Have a great rest of the weekend.