Does The Government Really Care About Speeding?

"Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez" (apidaonline)
05/16/2015 at 11:05 • Filed to: offtrack, carlifestyle, alex roy

Alex Roy is a man of many talents and accomplishments - key among them is his record-setting transcontinental run. He’s also extremely opinionated, so I had a chat with him on my YouTube series !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! about automated cars, what speeding means to the government, and why you shouldn’t mess with Texas. It gets a little weird.

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Every weekday is a new episode, with lots more interesting and talkative people to ask weird, off topic questions. If you enjoy it, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

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Can’t get enough of Alex Roy? Listen to him talk about his recent epic April Fool’s prank, what it takes to do a cross-country run, and his thoughts on extraterrestrial life, on the CarLifestyle Podcast , hosted by Seth Rose and T-minus.

You can get the podcast !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , or !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

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!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is the founder of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and writes and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! about !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! on the internet. He owns the world’s cheapest !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and he’s the only Jalopnik author that has never driven a Miata. He also has a real name that he didn’t feel was journalist-y enough so he used a pen name and this was the best he could do.

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You can also follow him on !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . He won’t mind.

DISCUSSION (100)

Vin > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/16/2015 at 12:24

Kinja'd!!!

Dr.Kamiya > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/16/2015 at 12:32

Sets a record for speeding cross country.

“Speeding s bad mmkay? Don’t do it, and specially don’t break my record.”

Fuck this hypocrite.

Sir HoonsAlot > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/16/2015 at 12:33

No, but they do care about the money it brings in for stopping such “dangerous” practices like speeding

Mmmmm > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/16/2015 at 12:39

I think Alex Roy and the guy who owns gas monkey garage are the only 2 people in the country who, 1. Even consider the cross country run a thing 2. Consider it something to be proud of.

Unbearable Pain > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/16/2015 at 12:53

No, but the insurance companies care, and the insurance companies have a lot of leverage on the US government at all levels.

Do you know why the drinking age in the US is 21, rather than 18 like a decent amount of other nations? The insurance companies said that if the drinking age was raised there’d be less teenage car accidents, meaning less money they’d have to dish out to everyone. Well, they raised it and sure enough they were correct, since the idiots that would be drinking and driving could no longer drink. Thus, the drinking age is still 21 to this day.

So if speeding laws are strictly enforced less people will speed, and thus less idiots will speed. Less idiots speeding = less accidents = less money the insurance companies must dish out. Thus, speeding laws in the US are strictly enforced, whether or not it makes much sense, like the drinking age.

Rx_37 > Unbearable Pain
05/16/2015 at 13:00

But how is the government gonna enforce these speeding laws if they have no money to pay whoever is enforcing the laws? Hire cheap mexicans? Oh that works.

Rx_37 > Dr.Kamiya
05/16/2015 at 13:03

I think it’s resonable logic to be honest. Speeding is sort of bad in the hands of the wrong driver , we know that. For any average Joe attempting this “record” they would must likely die in an intersection somewhere because they were rushing through.

Unspiek Baron Bodissey > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/16/2015 at 13:03

Kinja'd!!!

Telly Savalas

PatBateman > Unbearable Pain
05/16/2015 at 13:04

Kinja'd!!!

PatBateman > Mmmmm
05/16/2015 at 13:06

Actually... No.

I've met plenty of people that contradict both statements.

LongbowMkII > Unbearable Pain
05/16/2015 at 13:12

It’s funny, as soon as you turn 21, you completely stop giving a shit about the drinking age.

RobG-ADV > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/16/2015 at 13:13

Government cares because it’s such a huge source of revenue. Now, the feds, probably not so much since they don’t get a cut of it. But local governements (sadly) depend on it, and why “speeding” is such a scam.

Way back when 55 was first enacted, insurance companies didn’t surcharge for speeding tickets. CONGRESS MANDATED that they do, as another way of trying to get people to slow down. So again, you can blame the gov’t for what are now out of control insurance companies.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Vin
05/16/2015 at 13:27

I wish I were handsome.

Jimmy Joe Meeker > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/16/2015 at 13:28

Speeding. We have known for decades that the safest roads (beyond residential and special case) are achieved with a speed limit set to the 85th percentile of free flowing traffic rounded up 5mph or no speed limit at all. This has been known and confirmed over and over and over again.

So what’s with speeding.
1) Puritan fascination with making whatever is pleasurable punishable and the rest of society just going along with it verbally but then not doing it.

2) Government Revenue. It’s big money.
3) Crony Revenue. Insurance companies get to charge drivers more with never paying a claim. Traffic schools, traffic court lawyers, and so on.
4) Government power. Setting the speed limit well below the normal speed of traffic allows cops to pull over anyone. Normal people are speeding suspicious people are obeying. Court cases have confirmed that going slowly, obeying speed limits, is cause for suspicion if it’s not normal behavior.
5) Backwards notions. Instead of teaching people how not to crash, how not to force others to take evasive maneuvers it is taught that everyone else should go slow to compensate for lazy/poor driving and so the crashes will hurt less.

Jimmy Joe Meeker > Unbearable Pain
05/16/2015 at 13:31

Speed enforcement is not strict. It’s highly selective. Give me a new Mercedes Benz four door sedan to drive and I’ll drive 15over maybe even on the interstates locally (to me) and never be pulled over. Ever.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/16/2015 at 13:42

I have no doubt that government and insurance companies do not care at all about speeding.

If they did, they would mandate the speed of all cars being electronically limited to something like 75-85mph.

And there would be realistic speed limits as well.

Speeding is too big of a cash cow for both government and the insurance industry.

So in a way, they do care about speeding... it’s all about the money.

idriveayak > Mmmmm
05/16/2015 at 13:45

I would love to drive the USA coast to coast. After I complete my Canada end-to-ender, that is. And yes, it is awesome! 31 hours?!

jariten1781 > RobG-ADV
05/16/2015 at 13:49

You have a source for that mandate? I’ve never heard of such a thing...there’s not even federally mandated auto insurance at all. I’d be curious to see it if it exists, but I’m highly sceptical.

Andrew Daisuke > Jimmy Joe Meeker
05/16/2015 at 13:50

everyone else should go slow to compensate for lazy/poor driving and so the crashes will hurt less.

It’s the American way! Fucking coffee has a label on it that says it’s hot.

mr2gud2u > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
05/16/2015 at 13:50

I think local government cares if it get them the right attention.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > mr2gud2u
05/16/2015 at 13:57

Oh yeah... it’s the “let’s justify this massive police budget with another “safety”-speeding crackdown/blitz. See? We’re not just taking your tax dollars and pissing it away. We’re doing something “useful”.

Prome > Jimmy Joe Meeker
05/16/2015 at 14:01

If you do that in a Dodge Charger or a Crown Vic, you might get shot and killed because the officer feared for his life once he caught you.

DirtyTigerXC > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/16/2015 at 14:03

2904. Fuck A$$lix Roy.

Jimmy Joe Meeker > Prome
05/16/2015 at 14:04

No It would be an ordinary ticket in an ordinary car. Even a cop car model. Speed of traffic is about 15-20 over. Being pulled over for being ticketed is very selective. If your car says ‘I have enough money to have a guy to make an ordinary ticket go away’ you’ll be left alone.

AeroStang > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/16/2015 at 14:04

Came hear to read an article. Rather disappointed. Not trying to be a jerk, but if I don’t voice my view, I can’t expect there to ever be change- or in this case, allow the old format to remain. I like how Doug recaps his videos with words.

Racekar > Jimmy Joe Meeker
05/16/2015 at 14:52

Think about it, the accident rate and death rate has been dropping on interstate highways for the last twenty years. Every highway that was 55mph and later raised when the federal government let states regulate speed limits has seen the statistics either remain the same or DECREASE! Who buys the cops radar and laser guns, the insurance companies, so they can raise your rates.

So the cops sit and do nothing all day but wright speeders, how about driving around and catching some of the crap I see every day during my 75 mile highway commute.

Darigaaz > PatBateman
05/16/2015 at 14:54

Four people isn’t plenty.

904 GTS > Jimmy Joe Meeker
05/16/2015 at 15:31

Kinja'd!!!

Chaparral2F > jariten1781
05/16/2015 at 15:38

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_…

I lived through that time and it was awful. This is when speed enforcement became draconian and authoritarian. The police now saw speeding as a massive way to increase revenue for cities, counties and states.

ononeathome > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/16/2015 at 15:41

You’re SO lucky that Jerry does not like to sue people. If he did you would not have a dime left in your account with this OTT “show”.

Chaparral2F > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/16/2015 at 15:49

I have fought this battle over speed for many years. I had several articles that I wrote that rebutted what the State Police were saying about speeding, published in the major newspaper in the state that I live in.

I lived through the NMSL, National Mandated Speed Limit that imposed on Americans and was also known as the 55 mph speed limit. Its original premise was to save oil after the 1973 oil crisis. Very quickly, the police used this as a means to line their coffers. It was a very profitable business. The police began to use radar on a large scale and had many speed traps. Companies like Fuzzbuster came out with radar detectors to combat the heavy handedness and trucks with CB radios ran in convoys to avoid repressive speed measures.

It was not until the 1980s that the government allowed higher speeds. If the government had paid attention to its own statistics, it would have followed the 85% rule where speeds are set based on how 85% of the populace drive as to what they consider to be a safe speed. However, there was a precedent set during this time that still lasts today. A city that neighbors whee I live made it clear a few years ago that speed enforcement would be done to help the city budget. At least they were candid in their comment.

As well all know today, the first thing that comes up when being pulled over is how it will affect your insurance. I recently got a citation, but the officer said that if I went to the District Court, I could go on probation for one year and it would not affect my insurance. So, there you have it. BTW, I had to pay a higher fine because I took the probation option. The police are happy because they got more revenue. All of this for 5 mph on a side street, which caused no harm to anyone. The moral of the story: As long as traffic deaths continue to drop and as long as city/county/state governments are getting revenue, they are happy. And, the insurance companies love it with inflated surcharges. But we the people, are getting screwed.

Jimmy Joe Meeker > Racekar
05/16/2015 at 15:53

Montana. After the repeal of the NMSL Montana removed their speed limit and the fatality rate dropped to record lows. After a court case they instituted a 70mph speed limit and the fatality rate shot back up.

Falutin Free > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/16/2015 at 16:06

Most of this video is turn signal noise.

PatBateman > Darigaaz
05/16/2015 at 16:14

Where did you pull the number “four” out of? I know where you did, but I want you to say it.

Go ahead. Say “I pulled that number out of my ass.” Do it.

jariten1781 > Chaparral2F
05/16/2015 at 16:27

Yeah, I was around then as well. I’m interested in the insurance mandate mentioned. That I’ve never heard of. It certainly wasn’t part of Nixon’s law...that just got rid of federal highway funds for any states that didn’t bow to the feds will on the speed limit (and some small things like encouraging carpools).

drluccia > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/16/2015 at 17:03

It isn’t that you shouldn’t mess with Texas. Nope. It’s because Texans think throwing their garbage anywhere on the roadways is okay and they need to be constantly reminded that it’s not. In the late 80s, their government thought up an anti-littering campaign: Don’t Mess with Texas. Each wave of migrants out of Texas includes cars with those bumper stickers and, being Texans, they pretend it’s because Texas is so special and kick-ass.

Color-Commentary > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/16/2015 at 17:32

The National Motorists Association @ http://www.motorists.org is the only political org that is on the side of the Jalops. They spearheaded efforts to get the 55-MPH national speed limit overturned, a big success for the NMA in the early 1990s.

There’s a vast array of insurance and “safety” lobbying groups on the other side. If you’ve ever exceeded the speed limit, you should consider joining the NMA.

Jimmy Joe Meeker > 904 GTS
05/16/2015 at 17:36

HA! Instead we (as a society) do things that build better idiots (and more of them).

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/16/2015 at 17:41

Driving in PA sucks for many reasons, but at least the speed laws are reasonable. Local police cannot use radar (though can use LIDAR and other systems that are actually better). Plus they allow drivers a 10-mph buffer for speeds below 55mph and a 6-mph buffer for 55+

Just Joshing > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/16/2015 at 17:48

I believe the best way I’ve seen it put is that speed violation charges are simply another form of taxation. The more you speed the more revenue they get from it. If they didn’t want you to speed they wouldn’t allow vehicles to be made that go as fast as they do.

Darigaaz > PatBateman
05/16/2015 at 18:16

Kinja'd!!!

TestDriver215 > Unbearable Pain
05/16/2015 at 18:17

You make it sound like it was all win-win, but the problem with the 21 drinking age is that it does not deter anyone and it leads to even worse risk-taking behaviors by 18 year olds. Instead of people drinking at bars where they can be semi-monitored, they’re drinking in parks, roadsides, fields, basements, you name it. 21 made money for the usual suspects at everyone else’s expense.

Unbearable Pain > TestDriver215
05/16/2015 at 18:38

I never made it out to be a win-win, if I did that’s stupid. The drinking age shouldn’t be 21, I was drinking since I was 18, although I’m probably one of the few that was semi-responsible about it. All of my friends drink stupid and think they're cool because they're breaking the law. In reality they aren't cool at all since they aren't drinking red wine, but that's my opinion.

TestDriver215 > Color-Commentary
05/16/2015 at 18:40

NMA did nothing for me. I called them when I was nabbed in a very unfair speed trap and their advice was “pay the ticket.” It’s too expensive to go toe to toe with the government over little things. NMA attorneys do help people in danger of losing their licenses, but honestly, I think the organization’s glory days are in the rear view mirror.

TestDriver215 > Jimmy Joe Meeker
05/16/2015 at 18:41

Yes, common sense is an effing super power.

TestDriver215 > Racekar
05/16/2015 at 18:42

This past year or so I have seen remarkably less speed enforcement. The cops seem to be afraid of being randomly shot in the face.

Color-Commentary > TestDriver215
05/16/2015 at 19:10

I think of them as more of a lobbying organization. They’re not as strong as they were when *everyone* hated the 55-mph speed limit, but right now they’re all we have.

Vee > Color-Commentary
05/16/2015 at 19:38

We need to make them stronger. If more enthusiast drivers joined their ranks, they’d be a veritable army again. I’ve been debating joining them because they can help with your insurance, but with all of this stuff that’s been going on recently about wanting to lower speed limits and create specific lanes for autonomous cars, I’m about ready to join and start climbing the ranks.

MotorcycleRider > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/16/2015 at 19:58

Virginia sure as hell does. Other states not so much. Once I cross state lines my cruise control gets set at 89

Dest > Chaparral2F
05/16/2015 at 19:59

MD?

nativeamericanjohn > Chaparral2F
05/17/2015 at 02:05

As someone who wrote their senior thesis on speed limits and why we enact laws that nobody follows, the reasons that government enacted speed limits are even worse. It’s very similar to “global warming” policy.

R W > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/17/2015 at 02:21

Meh, my lawyer takes care of such things.

And texas can go get done by a steer.

Burner188 > drluccia
05/17/2015 at 03:38

Don’t mess with Texas, and I’m not talking about litter. Over time sayings may take on different meanings. Granted originally it was a litter campaign.

Now it’s more of a battle cry to not fuck with Texas and keep it free from the tyranny of the masses of the current state of Federal politics.

Burner188 > drluccia
05/17/2015 at 03:40

Digging on Texas for no reason, go fuck yourself.

Ojitheunseen > LongbowMkII
05/17/2015 at 05:23

I haven’t. I still view it as an injustice, alongside pistol age laws. If you are old to vote, got to war, start a family, purchase tobacco, and own a rifle and shotgun, you are damn sure old enough to drink and own a pistol.

SlowpokeTexas > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/17/2015 at 07:25

I disagree about GPS ruining the driving exploration experience. From my perspective, being able to see the roads around you in real time opens up opportunities for exploration. With only having a passing familiarity with Dallas roads, I would have never had the confidence to seek out the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas until I got Nav for the first time in my 2004 Acura TL.

rgt881 > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/17/2015 at 08:58

When it comes to highways there should not be speed limits period, but I promise you that traffic will still be moving at safe speeds within than 85th percentile. Speed limits make sense in areas that are inherently prone to big differences in speeds, such as schools, shopping centers, subdivision streets and so on, basically areas where there is always a high likelihood of a car pulling out onto the main street or turning off of it. Here in Michigan we have a 45-50mph speed limits and they work supremely well in my view. As mentioned above, highways though are much safer because differential in streets are much lower and people are more focused.

CrizazyCartXLPilot > TestDriver215
05/17/2015 at 09:05

Were you a dues paying member when u called?

CrizazyCartXLPilot > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
05/17/2015 at 09:08

They also use vascar which is horseshit. bUt it also means most speed traps are marked with white strips of paint in road. After one vascar ticket I learned that and it was game on.

drluccia > Burner188
05/17/2015 at 12:52

Point made.

cornerslide > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/17/2015 at 13:04

Unfortunately if we want to combat this we are forced to give in and drive slower. I wouldn’t call it a win win for them because this wasn’t about safety to begin with.

Chaparral2F > nativeamericanjohn
05/17/2015 at 14:41

You are so right. It was nefarious to say the least. It was and still is all about controlling people where they submit willingly to authority. We all heard that “speed kills”, which was part of the propaganda.

nativeamericanjohn > Chaparral2F
05/17/2015 at 17:05

Amongst other things too, that it was more efficient. But I think the real reason for it was that they tied the speed limit/funding (high way funds) to the 21 drinking age. It’s messed up.

Dolby109 > Mmmmm
05/17/2015 at 19:58

I think the mere fact that it made national news proves you very wrong.

Dolby109 > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/17/2015 at 20:12

I agree on most of the points made. Here is how I envision the future of driving going down:
1) In 10-15 years nearly all cars sold will be automated, but will still have manual override because the cars won’t be smart enough to get out of peculiar situations. The 10% of cars that are still normal (by todays standard) will be the cheapest, and also the purest of “drivers cars”.
2) In 20-25 years all cars sold will be automated (probably by mandate), but performance cars will still have manual override for drivers.
3) Eventually the manual driven car will fade to near nothing except for specific niches that buy them as toys.

The real problems that face us enthusiasts are:
a) Likely at some point 25-30 years from now the beige people will start attempting/lobbying to make it illegal to drive a car manually because it is statistically more dangerous than the automated ones. As pointed out human driven cars will also impede the efficient and automated traffic flow.
b) During the transition when more and more cars become automated it is going to cause problems with the police. Currently they spend nearly all of their manpower policing traffic, and this is also where they get a large amount of revenue. Hopefully they will see the picture early on, and start doing their jobs focusing more on crime prevention and solving (“Protecting and Serving”). What I think is more likely is the last of us drivers will be heavily ticketed to the point where you have to be extremely careful to obey the law or quit driving.

Mmmmm > Dolby109
05/17/2015 at 23:03

When was that ever national news? And more importantly that stuff isn’t on the news because people care about it or are interested, it makes news because reporters are like “Wow, omg, someone drove across the country speeding the whole way and wasn’t pulled over or stopped. How can law enforcement let this happen, THE CHILDREN!”

That's Me > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
05/18/2015 at 02:41

What you are beginning to see now are some insurance companies that will offer a discount if you let them put an electronic device under the dash. Before agreeing to the terms, make sure you understand what the little rider states. The electronic devices will keep track at a minimum the following: Speed, lights, brakes, turn signals and many other factors. What this does for the insurance industry is simple, in an accident they can tell if the brakes were applied, when tehy were applied, if you were speeding, turn signal on, etc,.. Let’s say someone hits you and you are claiming it wasn’t your fault. But the insurance company sees that you were speeding, didn’t have your head lights on and you didn’t touch the breaks the whole time. Not only is the payout for your car just been reduced, they might turn around and put you at fault of the accident.

That's Me > Chaparral2F
05/18/2015 at 02:51

I live in Michigan and our papers have stated that we have the 85% law on the books. Since some of the averages on our freeways is 90mph plus, you should always fight the ticket. Don’t know how true that is but both Detroit local papers state it’s the law. I have always fought the ticket just because you never know if the officer will show, the mood of the judge, etc,.. If I was busted fully for every ticket I ever received, my license would of been removed 2 plus years ago.

Schlong Uzi > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/18/2015 at 02:56

With regards to autonomous cars, I haven’t yet heard how motorcycles fit in. The conversation went to “eventually 99% of vehicle will be autonomous” and non-auto pious will be a luxury...but that seems to leave the whole motorcycle market out of the conversation. As taxes on non-autonomous cars increase, I would see more people move to motorcycles...especially since the autonomous cars will do a better job of not killing us. So will they outlaw bikes in order to get the higher percentage AI cars, or is the future AI and MC?

Nathanael > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/18/2015 at 09:21

I wonder how many ignorant people are gonna bring up how this guy is responsible for all the murdered kids, traffic accidents, and dead polar bears. Can’t wait.

Nathanael > Prome
05/18/2015 at 09:25

It’s funny how true that is.....You don’t live in Florida by any chance?

Nathanael > Jimmy Joe Meeker
05/18/2015 at 09:25

You don’t understand his point at all.

Jimmy Joe Meeker > Nathanael
05/18/2015 at 09:40

Which is what? Cops fearing cops or something?

Jim is one of KFCs secret ingredients > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/18/2015 at 10:09

they care about revenue, not safety.

blacksapphire08 > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/18/2015 at 10:44

I think in the United States it comes down to 2 things: Driver education and speed limit zoning. We could raise the speed limits but it would likely increase the amount of accidents since a lot of people are poor drivers and it would only exacerbate the issue.

Therefore step one should be improving driver education by making it more strict and adding a track component. I feel like the current driver education programs focus on the absolute basics which is not enough for daily driving. The “track” component would be a parking lot course (think autocross or MST) to teach them the physics/capabilities of driving a car. This would include the importance of basic maintenance.

The second step would involve creating speed limit zones similar to the German autobahn. If youre out in the country away from cities greatly increase or even remove the speed limit. Passing through cities should be 65-55mph or whatever they feel is appropriate.

Party-vi > Chaparral2F
05/18/2015 at 11:00

The moral of the story is you speed, you get caught, and then you complain about the fact that police did their job and caught you breaking the law.

Also, are you sure you paid a higher fine because you took probation before judgement? You probably paid the actual fine plus court costs.

Nathanael > Jimmy Joe Meeker
05/18/2015 at 12:11

No, black people love chargers and crown vics. Don’t ask me why, or what it is. More black people drive them. That’s just my observation. Having said that he’s playing to the whole cops/racism thing in which cops use that phrase as an excuse to shoot (black?) people who arguably didn’t deserve to be shot.

Jimmy Joe Meeker > Nathanael
05/18/2015 at 12:36

Must be a regional thing. I’ve noticed no such trend here (NE Illinois). Most crown vics I see are driven by white males.

miniman88 > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
05/18/2015 at 13:21

6? That’s pretty lame...I pretty much just add 10mph to all limits...weeeeee!

raz-0 > Party-vi
05/18/2015 at 13:56

Nope, we in NJ got a special “oops, sorry, please don’t rape my bank account for years” plea option put on the books by the legislators. It’s purpose is to ensure the state gets the bigger chunk of cash in the total cost and try to avoid being lynched by the electorate due to being fleeced.

As for the “you did it, you are jsut sorry you got caught”, I’ll respond with a local municipality where on a bog standard one lane each direction double yellow lined surface street, there are speed limit signs posted within feet of each other one east bound, one west bound. In approximately the middle of a stretch of unsignaled intersections. One is 25mph, the other 35mph. What is legal in one direction is reckless in the other?

Party-vi > raz-0
05/18/2015 at 14:04

Unless you can simultaneously drive in both directions at once I don’t understand your issue.

McLarry > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/18/2015 at 14:07

So it’s Tuh-vah-rish? I’ve been saying it wrong in my head all this time...

Kinja'd!!!

raz-0 > Party-vi
05/18/2015 at 14:24

Because it is exactly the same road, same driving conditions, so what manner of public safety is being protected? You’ll have to take my word for it, but I grew up in the area and walking, riding a bike, or driving, there is zero functional difference in which direction you travel, but a 10mph difference in speed limit. It’s not even like it gets fed from a higher speed zone. it gets fed from the same chunk of road in a neighboring town that has a 25mph speed limit on it.

Lots of speed limits are arbitrary and not about safety. Many are in place as simple revenue collection methods.

Party-vi > raz-0
05/18/2015 at 14:51

Is one side residential while another side is commercial? I can’t imagine they’re raking in millions of dollars from a 10mph drop, plus if you don’t pay attention to speed limit signs you’re not being a very attentive driver.

NJAnon > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/18/2015 at 14:56

Just move to Finland. They’ll let you drive however you want. Because they actually teach you how.

Here in the US its; well we’ll test you once and then everything is archaic so ride the brake or we’ll take money from you. We won’t look for people driving without insurance. We won’t look for people who don’t have a license. We may stop someone that has drugs or has an expired license. We might even stop some idiot trying to drive a broken down car. But you can bet we catch anyone thats “so called speeding” because we made that one of the most expensive tickets!!

McLarry > Party-vi
05/18/2015 at 15:23

My understanding is that most offenses carry a maximum fine, which the court can charge up to. I’ve had cops tell me I can plead guilty under certain conditions or they’d push for max fine if I contest the case. Don’t know how much of that is just posturing and scaremongering on the part of the cop, but it seems plenty plausible to me that he’d be given a probation option with a higher fine.

And the complaint really isn’t so much that ‘the police did their job’ in this instance, but more that they’ve fostered a system where it’s generally a-ok to drive some degree beyond the speed limit, but where they are allowed to selectively apply the letter of the law when they feel like it. Great system for them, really...The majority of the public is placated enough that they don’t make too much noise about the ridiculousness of the speed limits, but there’s also no shortage of ‘speeders’ when you need to boost your ticket numbers. Well, that’s my complaint anyway...

Party-vi > McLarry
05/18/2015 at 15:31

But again, we’re complaining that the police are enforcing laws and are not being all-cool about drifting 5-over the limit. I don’t understand this issue. Yes, it’s generally understood that doing 70mph in a 65mph zone won’t get you a ticket, but you cannot get upset if some Judge Dredd mofo pulls you over and gives you a citation for speeding; you were speeding.

raz-0 > Party-vi
05/18/2015 at 15:41

No, it’s zoned light commercial but is residential both sides with the occasional lawyers office in a house. You go up and down for about 4 miles, you pass a bunch of speed limit signs. There’s only a couple that deviate. There is no logical reason for it. As far as I can tell they only use it as a speed trap on holiday weekends, and that’s the point of it.

Party-vi > raz-0
05/18/2015 at 15:50

¯\_()_/¯

McLarry > Party-vi
05/18/2015 at 17:10

This issue is they generally are cool with drifting 5-over...except when they aren’t. That’s why people are surprised when they get cited for it, because it’s pretty much ‘de-facto legal’ due to non-enforcement. It’s like if your parents just watched you stealing cookies from the jar 9 times out of 10 without a word, then smacked you and sent you to your room because of the 10th time (but it’s totally fine to punish you for it, because they told you a year ago that you are not allowed to take cookies from the jar, so yeah - you did break the rule). And yes, I am comparing the general public to children

JoshintheMT > Jimmy Joe Meeker
05/18/2015 at 17:10

During “Resonable and Prudent” it was much more fun to travel on my sportbike. Go by a LEO at 85mph and they hardly noticed you.

McLarry > Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez
05/18/2015 at 17:20

The government cares about speeding only to the extent that it is a liability or source of income. The best solution for them is to simply maintain the status quo - keep the limits low but don’t consistently enforce them. That keeps the people speeding (going fast enough that they aren’t so upset about the low speed limits to make noise about it), which gives you plenty of people to ticket (just not so many that they actually change their behavior), which is good for your revenue stream and also makes it look like you care about the community by stopping those terrible criminals. Why the heck would the government want to change anything?

Party-vi > McLarry
05/18/2015 at 17:22

Again, the issue is cops ignore people when the break the law a little but, except for when they don’t ignore it. Sounds like a case of seeing if you get lucky and if you’re caught then you get to face the consequences of your actions. I get where you’re coming from, but I don’t think you can be upset if you’re pulled over for speed and you were speeding.

McLarry > Party-vi
05/18/2015 at 17:56

I’m not really upset about being caught, though, I’m upset because I think the law is wrong. I’m alright paying for my actions - it is a calculated risk, as you say, but I think there’s quite a distance between “I know that if I do X, they can do Y” and “I think it is good that if I do X, they can do Y”. I find it utterly ridiculous that we tolerate laws that so badly represent conditions that the majority of the driving population breaks them on a daily basis. BRB, gonna go write to my representatives in Congress...

westford86 > Party-vi
05/19/2015 at 12:22

In regards to speeding the police are doing they shouldn’t be doing, because it’s basically a racket. People have every right to complain, and anyone who defends municipal income through excessive fines, basically the only reason most cops have jobs, is wrong.

Party-vi > westford86
05/19/2015 at 12:23

So you have the right to complain because you break the law and are caught? Ok.

Nathanael > Jimmy Joe Meeker
05/19/2015 at 12:38

I can’t speak for your area, however in south Florida where I live it’s VERY much the trend. Also they donk them a lot.

justmyinflationadjusted12cents > Party-vi
05/19/2015 at 15:40

No you have the right to complain because the law itself makes no sense. Yes people are breaking the law if they are five miles over the speed limit. However it would be much better if the law was actually based on a real safety issues so that the police for example were only allowed to give warnings for exceeding the speed limit by say less than 10 mph. Otherwise you get a situation where people are breaking the law all the time which is not great and where the law makes no common sense which is also not great. Not to mention that areas where police have discretion are prone to policing that differs based on race and gender. It has repeatedly been found that stops for 5 miles over the speed limit result in warnings for white women and I bet you can guess the rest. I may be reading into your words here but there appears to be an internal assumption that laws are “inherently good”. This is not always true. It might be the case that a law is bad and the situation of two speed limits on opposite sides of a road which is the same zoning on both sides does sound like a case of bad law.

Party-vi > justmyinflationadjusted12cents
05/19/2015 at 15:44

Laws are not good or bad - you’re assigning those values to them based on your experiences. A law is legislation on paper that is enforced by people in uniforms. They aren’t arbitrarily good or bad.

I’m all for raising speeds limits to make sense. I’m not for bitching and moaning when you knowingly break the law and get caught.

justmyinflationadjusted12cents > Party-vi
05/19/2015 at 17:33

When I was born my parents marriage was illegal in multiple states in the United States. You don’t think there is such a thing as a bad law well ok then.