Quote :

"Statewide Campaign Hopes To 'Slow Down' Speeding Motorists POSTED: 10:43 pm EST February 27, 2006 UPDATED: 11:15 pm EST February 27, 2006 RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina Highway Patrol troopers have increased their presence on major highways across the state in a campaign to crack down on speeding. Operation Slowdown started Monday with the state Highway Patrol boosting its staff and using helicopters to catch speeding motorists along the state's major four-lane highways, including Interstates 40 and 95, in 23 counties. "We have instructed our troops to aggressively crack down on speeders," said Col. W. Fletcher Clay, with the Highway Patrol. "Our troopers will still enforce all traffic laws, but we will concentrate on speeders." During the first Operation Slowdown last year, the patrol's increased staff resulted in more than 16,000 tickets being issued, mostly for speeding, which resulted in a 17 percent drop in speed-related collisions. But that success was overshadowed by the nearly 1,200 people, including 174 teenagers, who were killed on the state's highways in 2005. The Highway Patrol decided to start the operation after conducting a study in 2004 and discovering just how fast people driving on highways. When it looked at its citations between 1999 and 2004, it discovered a 150 percent increase in tickets for people going over 100 mph, with triple-digit speeds in excess of 140 mph becoming more common. Patrol officials say switching around schedules in order to increase the staff, as well as using extra patrol cars and helicopters, is an expensive effort that can only be done for a limited time."

http://www.wral.com/news/7523480/detail.html

2/27/2006 11:55:27 PM

I went to court today for mine. Reduced to a 40 in a 35. $110 court costs and a big pain in the butt. Shouldn't have been speeding though. I learned my lesson.

2/28/2006 12:05:09 AM

save the whales environment institution of marriage speeders!

2/28/2006 12:07:27 AM

aaaaaaaahahahahaha

those fuckers missed me by a day, so HA

2/28/2006 12:08:45 AM

what do you mean missed you by a day
you do know that this campaign will last for more than a day, right?

2/28/2006 9:01:20 AM

anyone caught going over a hundred should get a fine so large that they'll make sure not to do it again ($500+ non arguable, not like an equipment malfunction messed that up).

anyone caught going over 140 should just have their license taken away or be shot.

[Edited on February 28, 2006 at 9:21 AM. Reason : 20 over should be the max before the fees increase exponentially if it isnt already.]

2/28/2006 9:20:16 AM

there are perfectly safe times to be doing 100 and 140 plus

what constitutes a "speed-related collision" though? basically everything is at speed unless it's traffic jam bumper pool.

2/28/2006 9:36:08 AM

the only thing they give a flying fuck about is giving the court system money

2/28/2006 9:39:00 AM

I would be in favor of having a speed LIMIT where that is the fastest you could go. If you were over even by 5 mph you would get pulled. Of coures you would have people who would bitch when they got pulled for gonig 2 mph over but sucks for them.

I dislike having the speed limit be the lowest speed you can drive without people trying to run you off the road.

2/28/2006 9:45:48 AM

Quote :

"I would be in favor of having a speed LIMIT where that is the fastest you could go. If you were over even by 5 mph you would get pulled. Of coures you would have people who would bitch when they got pulled for gonig 2 mph over but sucks for them. "

The thing is, between the radar and your spedomiter, there will be on average a 5mph room for error. Basicly, instruments can olny be calibrated and operate in the ever changing enviornment to say someone was going +/- 5mph of the registered speed. i think 5mp error is the average, but it may be higher or lower. example: bright sunshine effects radar range/accuracy, where as overcast days are better. Also radar can bounce off the ground/objects before hitting your car and comming back. Although the feedback is usualy way off, sometimes it does give a fualty but close to actual reading

otherwise i would agree 100%


V it is 20mph over, that is wreckless driving. thats why you see alot of 19 over tickets. if the officer wanted to, he could cuff you and take you downtown for doinf 20+, but they would rather not do that unless you were haulin'

[Edited on February 28, 2006 at 9:54 AM. Reason : .]

[Edited on February 28, 2006 at 9:54 AM. Reason : i cant spell]

2/28/2006 9:50:51 AM

I thought that if you went more than 15 over, the fines increased exponentially. Is it 15 or 20?

2/28/2006 9:53:09 AM

I believe the error in radar is +/- 3mph.
This is based on the information provided to the pubic about the speed camera ticket system in charlotte.

I believe they need to update the speed limit, or have graduated speeds depending on the lane.
when I cut a 80 minute trip to greensboro down to a 52 minute trip, I believe it is well worth it.

[Edited on February 28, 2006 at 9:57 AM. Reason : .]

2/28/2006 9:55:33 AM

but you also have to take into account the +/- for a spedometer, which is a few mph. nothing is perfect these days the only 100% accurate speed estimate device is laser, which requires the car to be close to the gun. this is becuase even the steadyest hand will cuase wobble and the laser to miss. mounted lasers like at intersections are great, unless they miss the target

every type of car should be speed rated. like my car is safe at 148, and alot of perfomance parts come stock and it can handle the speed, so on a highway it should be given 100mph limit in certain areas. then you have shitty car guy w/ a muffler, not designed to go 110+, his limit should be 70, 80, 90, what have you. SUV's should never go past 90, ever, unless they are overhauled with tunned suspention, tires and lowerd to allow less air undernieth

[Edited on February 28, 2006 at 10:01 AM. Reason : .]

2/28/2006 9:56:28 AM

So are we talking reckless, excessive speeding or your average cruising nine mph over the limit?

2/28/2006 10:02:24 AM

^that would be about impossibly to enfoce...

No Officer my car is rated at 110 because of the NOS sticker not 90, i also cut my springs for the lowered proformance look.


Just get a good radar detector and pray.

2/28/2006 10:08:25 AM

^ true, untill cars can be scanned like a barcode on the move, that wont happen, just and idea.

^^Everytime there is an event where speeding gets cracked on, it depends from agency to agency and even officer to officer. some say 6 and over, some say 9 and over, i have even heard of troopers letting you cruise past 80 in a 65 cuase thats the norm for the area. just a roll of the dice

2/28/2006 10:14:02 AM

Why don't they take that money spent on helicopters and shit, and spend it on teaching ppl to be BETTER FUCKING DRIVERS

But yes, in congested areas I can see a need to crack down on ppl going more than 90mph.

As far as keeping track of "speed-related collisions" its complete bullshit. Every accident is speed related, b/c speed is part of driving. You could swerve off the road and hit something b/c you weren't paying attention. But if you did that while going faster than the speed limit, then its "speed-related". Of course it would have happened anyway.

GAY.

2/28/2006 1:33:58 PM

Yeah, you can be going 20mph over, but be less of a danger than someone who can't drive that's doing the speed limit. People need to learn that high speed does not equal dangerous, sorda like alcohol does not equal evil.

2/28/2006 3:51:58 PM

Quote :

"anyone caught going over a hundred should get a fine so large that they'll make sure not to do it again ($500+ non arguable, not like an equipment malfunction messed that up). "

I'd be happy to pay $500 for an over 100mph ticket and not have to deal with finding a lawyer who can make it go away for roughly the same cost. Last one I got for 97 in a 70 came with an automatic careless/reckless and has been continued for almost a year now. I was clocked at 110 though so I guess I can't complain too much

2/28/2006 4:08:08 PM

a whale's vagina.

2/28/2006 4:09:20 PM

seriously wtf is this bullshit about "rated" cars. last i checked not everyone is an equally good driver. i, for one, dont support anyone going 140mph no matter what their car is capable of. the reaction time you need to go around someone or a foreign object becomes insane. add now that you have various cars going all over the speed spectrum and it becomes more like a craps shoot.

here's an idea, budget your time better so you dont have to drive insanely. fly if you wanna bitch about travel times. go to the track or something if you wanna drive 140mph.

2/28/2006 4:22:26 PM

yeah, varying speeds depending on the type of car on highways/interstates would never be safe. The number of accidents would probably increase exponentially. About 95 is the fastest I've been on I-40 because I was stuck in a pack of cars and couldn't get over due to slower traffic. I don't think my truck nor me really liked going that fast.

2/28/2006 5:12:20 PM

Normally, the speed posted in the city is good. You shouldn't be speeding if you are in a city/town, or whatever. However if you are on the highway and especially the interstate, I feel that they should have speed restricted lanes. If you are on the far outside lane, its 60 mph. If you are in the second from the right 75 mph, 85mph in the third lane... etc. I don't know what limits they should set in each lane, however if you set it up like that, you should end up with less assholes doing 60mph in the far left passing lane.. Either that, or interstates should be like the Autobahn where you can just let'em rip.

In Rhode Island, Texas, and Utah driving faster than the speed limit is prima facie evidence of unreasonable speed. One can argue in court that one was exceeding the speed limit but should not be convicted because the speed was safe (when they accept this argument, judges will likely want to see evidence beyond a defendant's claim that he was driving safely.) I'm guilty of this. I've done 135+ on the beltline... However, it was at like 4:30 in the morning when there was no traffic.


For full detail.. reference
http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/laws.html

2/28/2006 8:39:28 PM

When I was out in Oregon, I was driving out to a fishing spot in a Canyon and there was a sign that said, "End of Speed Limit Zone"...that was pretty fun

2/28/2006 8:47:35 PM

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5366552067462745475&q=speed

2/28/2006 11:41:12 PM

hell yeah, obeying the law is dangerous. heh. we should go try that.

2/28/2006 11:55:46 PM