CHP and DOT busting truckers at Loves....

[TomC]

I discovered very early on how to avoid speeding tickets-go the speed limit. And when coming into a town that has a slower speed limit, be going that speed that is posted when the front passes that sign. Don't ask how I know. Good Luck, TomC

[belfert]

There are a few things at play here that I believe are at the root of the negative perception of law enforcement.  Whenever an officer is citing you for a violation he is merely a tax collector.  I am covinced that speeding citations are only a way to collect money for the state. It has nothing to do with safety.  So when said officer is issuing a citation, you are pissed because because he and the state have their tax happy hands in your pocket.

So, ticketing drunk drivers is merely to collect money and has nothing to do with safety?

I have never been stopped by an officer for a traffic violation.  I have needed their help several times while on the road.  Once for a trailer axle that broke loose and was in the middle of the interstate.  (Officer was heading home from shift and came anyhow.  They take their cars home due to the rural nature of the area.)

[buddydawg]

I dont recall saying anything about doing away with speed limits and DUIs. Yall have a funny way of putting words in my mouth. 

[digesterman]

Belfert go through Susanville ca and accidentally exceed the speed limit by 4 miles an hour anywhere along the hwy within the city limits, then tell me the 800 $ fine is for safety reasons and not a city doing revenue enhancement.

Beaverton ore is on a revenue enhancement program too, nothing to do with safety, all about money.

I suspect that many policemen feel used when forced to participate in these scams to garner more money into the cities pockets.

[kyle4501]

I discovered very early on how to avoid speeding tickets-go the speed limit. And when coming into a town that has a slower speed limit, be going that speed that is posted when the front passes that sign. Don't ask how I know. Good Luck, TomC

Sounds easy enough, but there are things like 'speed traps' -
when the sign placement is obscured, OR when the speed limit drops (for no apparent reason) with only 1 sign.

If safety was truly the intent, the speed limit signage would be much easier to see.

The issue I have is the randomness of the enforcement & the consequences. 1 or 2 bad experiences will teach you to see things a certain way.

If you want an education, attend traffic court. You just may be surprised to see what shows up. 

[expressbus]

I was on my way home from a meeting on Friday. Got stuck in a traffic log jam and stopped before entering an intersection even though the light was green - no where to go and I did not want to be blocking the intersection when the light changed. It probably would not have made any difference since the side streets could not make their turns either. Well this young teen rear ends my Ram 2500 4x4 Heavy Duty. Truck, no damage just paint transfer at two places on my chrome bumper. The Toyota Corolla - well the front end did not look too good. He submarined the truck and the hood wound up folded in a "V" shape back over his front wheels.

Town of Southern Pines Officer arrives and asked two questions I thought had absolutely no correlation to the crash. First was, "Where were you coming from? Now I thought about being a wise a$$ and just telling him by pointing my hand in the direction of travel I had arrived at the intersection. Instead I told him I was coming from a meeting in a neighboring town. Second question was, "Where are you going?" I had the same thoughts except now I was even more stressed that he would ask that as a follow-up question. I told him I was on my way home for lunch but that was obviously going to be delayed since he had paperwork to do.

Why should a citizen be asked those two questions? To me its none of their business on both counts. He even asked which lane I was in, since both vehicles were moved from the road under their own power that was a reasonable question. However, I thought this was my opportunity to give him a lesson. I told him I was in Lane #1. He had no idea what that meant. I directed his attention to the double yellow line marking in the center of the road and proceeded to explain to him that lanes are counted from that line toward the outside shoulder of a road. So the first lane adjacent to the double yellow is Lane #1. Then the lane next to Lane #1 is Lane #2. Lesson taught and learned.

[luvrbus]

Oregon is the worst for speed traps of any state IMO Jordon Valley the speed limit on the state hiway is a funky 55 mph they wait on people leaving Id on the same hiway with a 65 mph limit.
One sign at the fairgrounds entering into Jordon Valley posts a 25 MPH speed limit you leave town a mile out of town in the open desert the guy gave my wife a ticket for going 35 mph she was hot and after a few words she threw the ticket on the ground in front of him and drove off she never did paid that ticket lol

[Jon]

Hey Will, The older we get, the grumpier we get and the less tolerant of "stupid".

Maybe the cop expected you to say you were coming from the direction the truck was pointed and your were backing up toward the traffic approaching your bumper.

[Lin]

Many years ago, when we lived in Louisiana the state passed a law making it illegal for towns to earn more than 25% of there budget from traffic tickets.  Apparently, some towns were funded by 3 times that percentage.  Of course, you know that would have been all by non-residents passing through.

I thought it was really amazing that they actually passed such a law and suspect that some of the lawmakers or their family members must have gotten ticketed.

[eagle19952]

I was driving a 1966 Chevelle with a 389/3 deuce Pontiac motored convertible that I built from junkyard parts in 1968 in Birmingham Al one night on a truck route thru the city...speed limit was 35....
The cop asked me how fast I was going...(it was about 45+)...I told him I wasn't sure..maybe 30 something....
He told me the fine for speeding was $50.00 and the fine for impeding traffic was double that...

[MightyThor]

Sounds easy enough, but there are things like 'speed traps' -
when the sign placement is obscured, OR when the speed limit drops (for no apparent reason) with only 1 sign.

If safety was truly the intent, the speed limit signage would be much easier to see.

The issue I have is the randomness of the enforcement & the consequences. 1 or 2 bad experiences will teach you to see things a certain way.

If you want an education, attend traffic court. You just may be surprised to see what shows up. 

I have found that my GPS has the speed limit for most roads and it has a warning function that tells me when I am over speed so most of those unexpected slow zones are still alerted.  That may not help with intentional entrapment by law enforcement, but such entrapment is not legal and should not be allowed.

[kyle4501]

I have found that my GPS has the speed limit for most roads and it has a warning function that tells me when I am over speed so most of those unexpected slow zones are still alerted.  That may not help with intentional entrapment by law enforcement, but such entrapment is not legal and should not be allowed.

As nice as that feature is, be careful when depending on a gps, mine often got it wrong. It was on I95 in Savannah GA that I got my last ticket. Posted at 55, gps said it was 70, and I missed the only sign at 55. 

Fighting 'entrapment' isn't be cheap, in time or money. . . .

[Dave5Cs]

Its funny you guys are all blaming the cops. They don't make the rules the city counsels and the voters do. They only take advantage of the loopholes to make back the money the the City council took away.
The question asked where are you coming from it's because they have to make a long report and that's where it has to start. From the judge to the insurance company, it's all they want to know so that if you say I was coming from the super bowel party at Bebos bar and grill your dead meat and the rest doesn't matter. Where are you going is because they want to know if you were in a hurry to get there. Same reason. Not right but that's what it is all about now days who's gonna pay so the City don't get sued. The cop just makes a report from what you tell them. They don't know, they weren't there. But in court they have to tell your story to the judge of what they saw and what you said.
Just saying

Dave5cs

[digesterman]

I don't really blame the police Dave, they are as you say just doing as the city directs them to do. I don't remember who said it but when we get hot at a cop just keep in mind who we are going to call when we need help.

They are just human, they have problems just like the rest of us, the good ones need to be acknowledged, the bad slowly but surely weeded out.

IMO the state police are the most professional in most states, it's as tho they don't need to prove anything.

P.S. I think you said something about my adventure on Ca HWY 49 from Placerville to Alburn, for a 45 footer it was no fun, but once on it I was sort of committed. Never ever take a bus on that route, what a mistake, by the time I got to the bridge and turned left uphill to 80 I was beyond worrying about tight corners anymore, at that point on it looked like a 4 lane freeway (altho half way to the top there is a nasty turn where of course I met another large RV coming down)

[luvrbus]

That is not true in all cases some little towns don't even have a city government or Incorporated  a JP or county judge and his brother in law can make up the rules it that way in about all the 1 horse stops in Nev and OR