"OK son, go on driving without a headlight - as long as your seat belt is on!" Of course there is that possibility...

"OK son, go on driving without a headlight - as long as your seat belt is on!" Of course there is that possibility...


Are you suggesting you want the police to impound a car for a burned out headlight? ;)

I hope one of us wasn't the one driving through enfield...
Wtnh.com, Connecticut News and Weather - Stopping speeders and reckless drivers (http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=5930892&nav=3YeX)



That's when you know a law needs revisiting: when "hundreds" is the number quoted as those who were in the "wrong". I can assure you "hundreds" don't want to die crashing. I can also assure you "hundreds" don't all think, as they drive down that highway "oh my god i am going so much faster than this car, and my eye/hand coordination can handle weeeee i love this adrenaline rush of risk taking".

No. They are simply driving at a safe speed.

Sorry that safe speeds are pretty high, vis-a-vis distance-to-stop, reaction-time, etc. Yes, it's a FACT that we all know -- the slower, the shorted the stop distance. But come on, we can't all go 10mph for sake of maximizing our distance-to-stop now...

<sigh>

Ok, I get off this thread now, this is a topic that really gets me... especially when the original poster tells a story of the cop that, after seeing a guy SPIN OUT OF CONTROL after he stops some regular motorist for 'speeding', that the DARES come back and finish the ticket? Is that not a lesson to him? "jeez, maybe if I wasn't WASTING TIME with someone who looked just fine, I could have seen this person not really be in control of their car!"

Are you suggesting you want the police to impound a car for a burned out headlight? ;)

No, I'm not.

Burned out headlight is a ticketable offense? Something attached to a fine?

Burned out headlight is a ticketable offense? Something attached to a fine?

I used the headlight as a reason for an officer to stop a car which could lead to a seatbelt ticket. Perhaps it was a bad example since it seems to have led to some confusion. :)

Isn't there the blanket "defective equipment" for issuing a ticket?

Got pulled over as a kid driving my trash-mobiles around, once for a noisy exhaust, once for no inspection sticker.

A Wise man once uttered unto me these profound words:

"Break only one law at a time and you'll do just fine" :wink:

Yes, burned out headlight is a ticketable offense (even in daytime !), as is for instance running out of gas on the Pike. And yes, there is a blanket "defective equipment" offense.

Supposedly there are over 1300 reasons to stop a car. A Wise man once said, "Drop a car in the middle of a desert and a good cop will find something to write a ticket for."

Seat belt tickets are often given out as a "break" from a speeding ticket...at least they were back in the day when their fine was very small and had no insurance consequences...I'm not sure if that is the case now. If so, that is the result of a nice cop, something we need more of.

If they are legitimate, it's fine with me too. I have no sympathy for those who ride without belts.

My issues are with "speeding" the fact that this society allows a law to exist that is violated by everyone and allows enforcement to pick and choose how they want to enforce it. And most importantly that much more important safety issues (following too closely, not staying right and causing road rage, not paying attention to anything around you because you are on the phone or driving a toyota) are completely overlooked and ignored yet people driving safely and alert, and within the majority speed of traffic can be randomly selected and fined thousands of dollars.

And then there are just plain dirty cops...

A very close friend of mine was stopped by the state troopers here in new england for going 80 in a 50. This is precisely 30 over and, at that exact minimum of 30 over, the violator can be cited with a criminal (not civil) violation for excessive speed (mug shot, fingerprint, criminal record). Trouble is, the speed cited was a lie. When the video tape taken inside the trooper's cruiser was viewed, it showed a speed read out of less than 80.

Further, this person's speed was "read" by the cruiser while it was in motion. For an accurate speed (radar manufacturer's accuracy = +/- 3 mph) to be read by a moving cruiser using the type of radar installed, the cruiser's front and read radar antennae needed to be correctly calibrated. Logs are kept of these calibrations.

It turns out that while this cruiser's front radar had been calibrated recently, the rear radar had not. Of course, this would have a great effect on the accuracy of the readout and exacerbate any speed error. It also turns out that the state trooper in question had been caught in a "half truth" in a prior court case but was not charged with perjury.

The criminal violation was thrown-out.

Theo :red:

Congratulations to Theo's very close friend ;)

In my experience, around here, the amount of "dirty" is way more than some. And it sadly applies to the judges as well. I'm glad theo's friend didn't get one.

See here (http://www.motorists.org/ma) for the dates of all the upcoming "mobilizations."

Mark your calendars. They did.

Ivan, do you have the rest of that Globe West article "Holding Fast" that is on the motorists' website?

Well, I do - on my basement wall. That first page was actually scanned by some real estate agent for his website. He was interested only in the story next to "Holding Fast" ... :p

That's pretty coincidental.

My issues are with "speeding" the fact that this society allows a law to exist that is violated by everyone and allows enforcement to pick and choose how they want to enforce it. And most importantly that much more important safety issues (following too closely, not staying right and causing road rage, not paying attention to anything around you because you are on the phone or driving a toyota) are completely overlooked and ignored yet people driving safely and alert, and within the majority speed of traffic can be randomly selected and fined thousands of dollars.



YUP.

Or, ask yourself this.

Ever gotten stop during a pouring rain storm? During a huge fog morning?

Nope. Everyone gets pulled over on a bright, sunny day.

My first speeding ticket ever was on a sunday, morning, 6amish, wide open five laner, in a freaking Corolla. A Corolla that even if I wanted to go "dangerously fast" I couldn't, as the car would start shaking!


It is a fact: speeding offenses are a money making tool the police uses, even if its original intent ever was safety. It's really sad because insurance attempts to use the information as a means of determining "who is more likely to get into an incident, or cause damage."

Believe me, way more than the majority of those who get speeding tickets are actually better drivers, capable of better defensive maneuvers and with much higher awareness while driving, than those who don't.

Ever gotten stop during a pouring rain storm? During a huge fog morning?

Out of the 3 times I've been pulled over, none were rain or fog. You must be right. ;)

Nope. Everyone gets pulled over on a bright, sunny day.

One in three of my stops was at night. So, ummm... you're wrong. ;)

A Corolla that even if I wanted to go "dangerously fast" I couldn't, as the car would start shaking! Wouldn't shaking be a sign that you were going "dangerously fast"? ;)

Believe me, way more than the majority of those who get speeding tickets are actually better drivers, capable of better defensive maneuvers and with much higher awareness while driving, than those who don't.

Or at least the believe they are. ;)

Does the forum have the ability to "ignore" a thread?

Or, as Dave Barry says "The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above-average drivers."

I wonder if we could put all the energy devoted to this high level of concern over speeding tickets into something a bit more productive? I don't see this form of revenue raising going away anytime soon. If all of you beating your chests over the cost of speeding tickets want to say "Go ahead, raise my taxes instead", then you might get a more favorable response.

Yep, Jason, I think I'll just skip over this one...

Laurie got pulled over once in Wilton, NH for having an obscured license plate (in the middle of a blizzard). :rolleyes:

If you ever want to test the Lidar sensitivity of your detector, just drive by the Buffalo airport on the NYS Thruway. Cops just love to hang out there amidst all the signals emanating from the place.

Does the forum have the ability to "ignore" a thread?

Some of us have control over our mouse.
Oh, to live in VT where the locals do 60 on curvy forest roads (and 45 on the open highways..but that's why they have multiple lanes).

Yep, Jason, I think I'll just skip over this one...


Please do

On February 19,2007 I got stopped my a Mass state Trooper and clocked doing 61 in a 45. This happened in the tunnel at the end of the Mass Pike. the trooper gave me a 210.00 dollar ticket, I took care of it in a positive way. The speed limit drops from 55 to 45 as soon as you go into the tunnel near the PRU. This whole incident prompted me to go out and purchase a radar detector. I bought a good one after researching it thoroughly. Last week I was coming through the same area and with plenty of warning my radar det. started freaking out LASER! LASER! I slowed down to 50 from around 60 and cruised by the speedtrap. As I was going by the same exact trooper stared at me and the detector plain as day and shook his head. It was a good feeling avoiding the ticket the second time around.

Last week I was coming through the same area and with plenty of warning my radar det. started freaking out LASER! LASER!

Hey DDon . FYI: at the point where your detector was displaying "Laser" the LEO already had you. They don't call it instant on for nothing. With the hand held Lidar guns , there really isn't any defense with the possible exception of some of the jammers currently available, but they only give you a few extra seconds to react. And don't ever forget the guy just following you from behind !
Congradulations on your new detector anyway! :D What kind did you get?
Jock

The laser detector on my Valentine One has saved me a couple of times. Not because I'm able to react and get my speed down before he locks in (I truly believe it to be a "you've got a ticket!" alarm), but because there might be someone else nearby who *doesn't* react and therefore makes a more appealing target.

there is aways defense

there is aways defense


"I get by with a little help from my friends..........." - Ringo Starr :hmph:

:)

Hey DDon . FYI: at the point where your detector was displaying "Laser" the LEO already had you. They don't call it instant on for nothing. With the hand held Lidar guns , there really isn't any defense with the possible exception of some of the jammers currently available, but they only give you a few extra seconds to react. And don't ever forget the guy just following you from behind !
Congradulations on your new detector anyway! :D What kind did you get?
Jock
I was unaware of this, but it gave me enough warning that I avoided a ticket . There was no car behind me and I went by the trap without a ticket. He must have given me a break then if it was already locked on. I bought a Passport 9500i and am very happy with it for a bunch of reasons.

The laser detector on my Valentine One has saved me a couple of times. Not because I'm able to react and get my speed down before he locks in (I truly believe it to be a "you've got a ticket!" alarm), but because there might be someone else nearby who *doesn't* react and therefore makes a more appealing target.
I think this is the perfect description of what a radar detector does.

Good to know, I'll be in Mass next month, will have to keep the speed down on 95!