“But for the sake of simplicitiy we’ll assume the road in question is perfectly capable of handling highway speeds…”
That just allows you to justify speeding. You like to go fast.
That would be more dangerous. There are people now that won’t go over 50 on a 65 MPH road. I see them every morning and afternoon during drive time. If the speed limit is increased to 80 and most drivers go 80, then instead of an average difference of 15 MPH, the difference will be 30 MPH (or more). That sort of difference is more likely to lead to accidents. Especially when the same guys that put 2 car lengths between car at 65 do the same at 80.
Option 1 is not available to me, as I did my time in Rhodesia.
Option 2 is good commonsense advice. Can I add “roll down your window as you pull over, and once stopped keep your hands at 10 and 2 on the steering wheel”?
Out of 5 traffic stops, I’ve gotten two tickets (deserved because they involved collisions) but I’ve never had a bad interaction, pretty much because I followed your advice. Also never had any points. What are these points that people talk about?
In some states “points” are assessed against you for any moving violation for either/or your state driving record and/or insurance premiums. Put simply, in some states too many points can affect your license, in some your insurance rate, and in some both.
Good suggestion about the window. I turn the radio off also. The better you make it for the cop, the better he’ll make it for you. They do, in fact, take a risk with every stop. They do, in fact, have to be on hightened alert until they know you’re safe. Their lives depend on it.
So does mine.
They don’t what?
They estimate your travel time to the next spot based on the car speed. Otherwise how else does the display estimate travel time?
So true on the radio. When I was 17, I was listening to a play on the radio. I was pulled over. Long pause in the play, I thought radio is off. The minute the cop’s head was in my car the radio went “I will kill you”, then the rest of the play continued. For a split second the cop was pale, then we both laughed and I got off without a ticket.
“Points” were invented by the insurance companies so they can double, triple or quadruple your rates, far more painful than any ticket…
I know a few cops, and here’s how it works.
If you travel at the flow of traffic, and it’s over the speed limit, they look at that speed. If it’s excessive and everyone’s doing it, they turn on the sirens and chase the traffic down. Because it’s required that you pull over for the emegency vehicle with it’s siren on and lights, and you’re in the back of the pack, you’re the one that gets pulled over first and gets the ticket.
I knew one cop that when he pulled over people for running stop signs, he’d pull out his nightstick and start tapping the driver on the forehead and ask, “Do you want me to slow down? Or do you want me to stop?”
Tester
Or just be taking a nap…Seen that too.
My experience in southern NH is if you give up the beej they’ll let you off. The officers speak very highly of you.
So you knew a criminal. Did you report this illegal behavior under color of law?
No. I never reported him. First, I never saw him do it. So it would be hearsay. Second, who do you think they’d believe? Me or the cop?
Get real!
Tester
When I was young cops could do that stuff to make a point. Nowadays if the person the did that to filed a complaint they’d probably be punished or worse.
Yeah, you’re right. I don’t believe you, since you never saw him do it.
No, wrong. Tickets most certainly ARE issued to make money. They are also issued to give the officer a chance to look in your car.
That is a very cynical opinion. I don’t agree.
If you think issuing traffic citations generates a profit for the local government, I suggest you perform a break-even analysis. Find out how much it costs to enforce traffic laws. Include the officers’ salaries, all of their benefits, the purchase and upkeep of the police vehicles, the cost to employ judges, court reporters, clerks, and prosecutors, including salaries and all benefits, the costs to build, maintain, heat, and air condition the courthouses, and the costs for salaries and benefits for the cashiers who process the paid fines and their supervisors. Don’t forget the cost of training officers and their support staff. Then when you have this number, figure out how many citations police officers would have to issue each day to break even, but don’t forget to subtract the citations that get dismissed or reduced in court, and those who successfully defend their cases. If it is humanly possible for officers to issue enough citations to generate a profit, I will eat my motorcycle boots.
If issuing traffic citations generated revenue, cash strapped cities and counties would be hiring more traffic enforcement officers. Unfortunately, we don’t see that. When the local governments are cash strapped, they lay off traffic enforcement officers because it saves them money.
My late uncle was a police officer, and when he was alive, he would have preferred you drive in a legal manner so pulling you over would be unnecessary. Pulling people over is a stressful activity. You never know when your life is at risk. They don’t do it for s###s and giggles. They do it because it makes the roads safer for law-abiding drivers. They do it to maintain order.
I keep up with the speed of the prevailing traffic. Shockingly, my driving record is clean. The last moving violation I had was 13 years ago (57 in a 45 zone), and that was dissmissed after spending a Saturday in traffic school. I never been in an accident either. I save the excessive speeding for the track.
The 70 MPH in 35 MPH example was an extreme, but not unheard of (think WWII gas rationing) example. I was trying to make a point that a difference in speed is more dangerous than the actual act of speeding. You wouldn’t drive the wrong way down a one way street would you? Same principle applies here.
" I was trying to make a point that a difference in speed is more dangerous than the actual act of speeding."
We agree on that point. Higher speed leads to worse consequences when an accident does take place. It didn’t occur to me to think about gas rationing 70 years ago. I still think that you are reaching. 70 years? Did your grandpa tell you about that?
Caddyman, it is a shame you have such a cynical view. Where I now live, the police are very active. They have stepped up enforcement on I-95 in South Florida. When I travel between Jacksonville and Miami, I see a lot of people pulled over. My current commute includes about seven miles along I-95, and almost every other day, I see a car pulled over on that part of my route.
Perhaps the police don’t help you because of your attitude. If I was an officer, and you spoke in the same manner in which you write in this forum, I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way to help you.
And don’t unbuckle your seat belt until the officer sees that you are wearing it. A friend unbuckled his to get his driver’s license out and got a ticket for not wearing his seat belt.