Cops and ticketing quotas

[zxcvbob]

It wouldn't bother me so much except insurance companies use those tickets to jack up your premiums -- even if you've *never* had an accident or filed a claim.

[Jocassee]

It wouldn't bother me so much except insurance companies use those tickets to jack up your premiums -- even if you've *never* had an accident or filed a claim.

This is the sole reason I am contesting my ticket. I have had some accidents, for which I justly received an insurance hike. None of them were speed-related.

[charby]

But they haven't always been illegal. Segregation was a social norm enforced by law for many years.

So please, spell out for me which "social norms" you're cool with compelling via force, and which are not.

Traffic laws, criminal laws, civil laws, you know laws (most laws come about from social norms). Usually its police that enforce those, they have to enforce traffic along with criminal laws.

So if I understand how you are thinking, you prefer a police officer that enforces traffic laws to be unarmed?

[lupinus]

Traffic laws, criminal laws, civil laws, you know laws (most laws come about from social norms). Usually its police that enforce those, they have to enforce traffic along with criminal laws.

So if I understand how you are thinking, you prefer a police officer that enforces traffic laws to be unarmed?

I'd prefer speed limits that aren't artificially low and other traffic laws that were designed to essentially fill budget gaps.

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[Tallpine]

I'd prefer speed limits that aren't artificially low and other traffic laws that were designed to essentially fill budget gaps.

In the links I provided, there is the idea of the 85th percentile. Traffic engineers have recommended for a long time that speed limits should be set according at the point where 85% of the people obey it.

Setting the speed lower, doesn't change how people drive. They'll still drive what they feel is safe.

Setting the speed higher, doesn't change how people drive. They'll still drive what they feel is safe.

In Wyoming about 85% drive below the speed limit on the interstate.  In Colorado, about 85% drive above the speed limit, despite the fact that there is much more traffic and many more on/off ramps.  I'm not sure the speed limit has any damn effect on anything except perhaps ticket revenue

[charby]

I'd prefer speed limits that aren't artificially low and other traffic laws that were designed to essentially fill budget gaps.

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So how do you punish the driver who refuses to obey traffic laws?

I agree I don't care for Officer Ticket-tron Ron, or red light cameras or unmanned speed traps.

Are the speed limits of 75 mph on rural western interstates fast enough? Do people need to be driving 75mph through a urban interstate?

[charby]

In Wyoming about 85% drive below the speed limit on the interstate.  In Colorado, about 85% drive above the speed limit, despite the fact that there is much more traffic and many more on/off ramps.  I'm not sure the speed limit has any damn effect on anything except perhaps ticket revenue

Like where I live, once you get out of the "urban" areas most drivers seem to drive the 70mph speed limit or 5 over. In the "urban" areas you get those packs of cars that feel the need to drive 80-85 mph on the 55mph interstate.

[Tallpine]

Like where I live, once you get out of the "urban" areas most drivers seem to drive the 70mph speed limit or 5 over. In the "urban" areas you get those packs of cars that feel the need to drive 80-85 mph on the 55mph interstate.

So it would make sense to just mail an automatic speeding ticket to everyone with a DL that lives within big city limits once or twice a year

I really have no trouble with speed limits.  Especially in town: it is rude and inconsiderate to speed down residential streets, or even busy business streets with lots of traffic in and out.

I have more trouble with the ass-holes who think it is somehow a sin to pass in the left lane on the iState while driving only the speed limit 

[lupinus]

Are the speed limits of 75 mph on rural western interstates fast enough?

I dunno, can you safely go faster?

Do people need to be driving 75mph through a urban interstate?

I dunno, is it safe to do that speed with the traffic conditions and road layout?

[charby]

I dunno, can you safely go faster?

What the highest sustained speed that most vehicles on the road is?

Hypothetically, If no one is on the road and there are no hazards, I could drive as fast as the car would let me all day long.

[lupinus]

What the highest sustained speed that most vehicles on the road is?

Hypothetically, If no one is on the road and there are no hazards, I could drive as fast as the car would let me all day long.

Works for me.

No one's saying anything about driving 80mph at 3 oclock in front of an elementary school. But when they take an interstate that people regularly travel 80mph on and lower the speed limit to 60 and then station half the available cops along it to hand out speeding tickets it's a might asinine.

[Tallpine]

Ninety miles per hour out north of Casper doesn't seem too unreasonable to me, if you don't mind the gas mileage penalty.

You would get to see a few more cars that way.  Otherwise, there is sometimes no one in sight either direction.

[charby]

Works for me.

No one's saying anything about driving 80mph at 3 oclock in front of an elementary school. But when they take an interstate that people regularly travel 80mph on and lower the speed limit to 60 and then station half the available cops along it to hand out speeding tickets it's a might asinine.

Where is this said interstate where the speed limit is 60 and it should be raised to 80.

I've drove a lot big city interstates and sometimes the 55 speed limit is a bit high due to the on ramps, off ramps, one interstate merging with another, truck traffic, unusual road design, road surface, etc.

[charby]

Ninety miles per hour out north of Casper doesn't seem too unreasonable to me, if you don't mind the gas mileage penalty.

You would get to see a few more cars that way.  Otherwise, there is sometimes no one in sight either direction.

Funny you say that, I drove in Montana during the brief period of time in the late 1990's when there was no speed limit, at 120 mph in a 1 ton van, you could watch the fuel gauge drop. I would have tried to go faster but the van would go no faster, wasn't governed, just all it could do.

[lupinus]

Where is this said interstate where the speed limit is 60 and it should be raised to 80.

There's plenty of them

[Tallpine]

Funny you say that, I drove in Montana during the brief period of time in the late 1990's when there was no speed limit, at 120 mph in a 1 ton van, you could watch the fuel gauge drop. I would have tried to go faster but the van would go no faster, wasn't governed, just all it could do.

Some wannabe race car driver did that on one of those winding two lane roads with slow moving farm equipment not too far from here, and ruined it for everyone :(

MT SC said "reasonable and prudent" was too vague. 

On a lonely stretch of interstate it wouldn't be too much problem.  I never drove that fast back then but at least you could pass somebody safely without risking a ticket.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

plan on raising minimums?  or in libertarian utopia a 40 mph speed differential will be rendered safe

[Boomhauer]

Funny you say that, I drove in Montana during the brief period of time in the late 1990's when there was no speed limit, at 120 mph in a 1 ton van, you could watch the fuel gauge drop. I would have tried to go faster but the van would go no faster, wasn't governed, just all it could do.

Violating social norms in a vehicle not built for extremely high speeds...hmm...what was the speed rating on them tires?

 

[charby]

There's plenty of them

I don't see it where I live, Des Moines is the biggest town and it slows from 70 to 65 about a mile out from the beginning of the urban area, the belt way stays 65 and the leg that goes through downtown reduces to 60 then 55 where there are exits about every .5 mile, then back up to 65 when you leave downtown. This is for I-80 and I-35

I live 30 miles north of Des Moines and I-35 slows from 70 to 65 for the two interchanges we have, they only slowed it down after a year of daily accidents at the US Hwy 30 and I-35 cloverleaf.

The biggest problems we have in Iowa with Interstates are people who feel that traffic needs to yield to them as they enter the Interstate and the habitual left lane driver.

[Boomhauer]

The biggest problems we have in Iowa with Interstates are people who feel that traffic needs to yield to them

As Tamara says, the on ramp is a legal drag strip.

People need to get on the stick and merge properly instead of being dumbasses. That's all over America though. Almost got in a bad wreck the other day because of a stupid *expletive deleted*ck in a minivan in front of me decided to slam on brakes instead of accelerating onto the interstate on ramp properly. There was plenty of traffic room he just decided to change his mind for some unknown reason.

[lupinus]

I don't see it where I live, Des Moines is the biggest town and it slows from 70 to 65 about a mile out from the beginning of the urban area, the belt way stays 65 and the leg that goes through downtown reduces to 60 then 55 where there are exits about every .5 mile, then back up to 65 when you leave downtown. This is for I-80 and I-35

I live 30 miles north of Des Moines and I-35 slows from 70 to 65 for the two interchanges we have, they only slowed it down after a year of daily accidents at the US Hwy 30 and I-35 cloverleaf.

The biggest problems we have in Iowa with Interstates are people who feel that traffic needs to yield to them as they enter the Interstate and the habitual left lane driver.

That's nice. If that's an appropriate speed limits for those roads then good on them.

There's still plenty of roads that as set far to low, regularly traveled faster than the posted limit but the majority of drivers on the road, and the only time it's generally a problem is when someone sees a cop and slams on their brakes.

[charby]

Violating social norms in a vehicle not built for extremely high speeds...hmm...what was the speed rating on them tires?

 

I was a lot younger and dumber back then.

Plus there was no speed limit at the time in Montana on rural highways and interstates.

[Tallpine]

plan on raising minimums?  or in libertarian utopia a 40 mph speed differential will be rendered safe

On the two lane you can drive past the oncoming car at 140mph  

Out in Wyoming where I'm talking about, cars are often a mile or more apart.  But I-25 north of Denver is scary.  The right lane is only going about 40mph because of the constant on/off traffic and the left lane is going 80mph or more because people that live in Colorado are very important and have to get places in a hurry.

[charby]

On the two lane you can drive past the oncoming car at 140mph  

Out in Wyoming where I'm talking about, cars are often a mile or more apart.  But I-25 north of Denver is scary.  The right lane is only going about 40mph because of the constant on/off traffic and the left lane is going 80mph or more because people that live in Colorado are very important and have to get places in a hurry.

It almost starts at Cheyenne.

[Tallpine]

It almost starts at Cheyenne.

Yeah, south of I-80 it is crazy :(

Between Cheyenne and Casper there is some mild traffic.  North of Casper, it's like you're driving across some empty alien planet - though it is a bit busier than it was 15 years ago.

Last time we skipped Denver entirely.  Took 85 down to just north of Greeley and then headed east to Hwy 71 that goes down through Last Chance to Limon.  It is almost totally empty out there.  But Hwy 24 to the Springs has way too much traffic for a 2 lane.  I can't believe that it hasn't been upgraded to a divided 4 lane like much of Hwy 50.  Texas has good roads.  Most everything is 4 lane now.