~80 in the far left lane is the norm when traffic isn't backed up. I wouldn't balk at getting pulled over for it, but I would think I was unlucky, considering everyone around me was doing the same thing. I've never gotten a speeding ticket, and I don't recall ever being in the car with someone who got one either. Unless you're in the right lane, drivers really don't expect you to be driving the speed limit.
This is such a pet peeve of mine. The right and left lane are equivalent. There is one speed limit for all the lanes. Passing is done to the left.
I don't really understand how it works. The police have access to a database with everyone's financial information? That bothers me. The ticket is something I'm totally fine with, though. I just don't know how to do it without giving the police access to a lot of information.
~80 in the far left lane is the norm when traffic isn't backed up. I wouldn't balk at getting pulled over for it, but I would think I was unlucky, considering everyone around me was doing the same thing. I've never gotten a speeding ticket, and I don't recall ever being in the car with someone who got one either. Unless you're in the right lane, drivers really don't expect you to be driving the speed limit.
This is such a pet peeve of mine. The right and left lane are equivalent. There is one speed limit for all the lanes. Passing is done to the left.
The reality of the situation is that in CA, there is no such thing as a passing lane.
Rationalizing as it may be, I don't think causing people to make possibly unsafe lane changes because I'm going 65 in the middle lanes is safer than going with the flow of traffic.
This is such a pet peeve of mine. The right and left lane are equivalent. There is one speed limit for all the lanes. Passing is done to the left.
The reality of the situation is that in CA, there is no such thing as a passing lane.
Rationalizing as it may be, I don't think causing people to make possibly unsafe lane changes because I'm going 65 in the middle lanes is safer than going with the flow of traffic.
So would everyone be cool with someone who is unemployed paying zero because they have no income? Not snarky, legit question.
I'm sure there would be a minimum understanding of what you could make. When I was unemployed, the calculations for the child support calendar put my income as minimum wage. So I'm sure it would be like that.
I don't mean to derail the speeding conversation, but I have to ask again, how do they know someone's income at the time of the ticket??
The ticket comes from the state, not the police. The police don't have to be there. It could be a camera or something. I've gotten one speeding ticket my whole life that was a total fluke and it was here in Deutschland. I pushed too hard on the gas in our new car in a 30 km zone and went 38 for about 10 seconds, but it just so happened to be in front of a parked police car. They didn't pull me over, ask for an explanation or say boo. I didn't even see them. I just got a 350€ ticket in the mail about 2 weeks later.
Wait, I'm supposed to use the left lane to pass cars but not go over the speed limit while passing?
Yeah, this is not the thread for me lol
If the right lane is going slower than the speed limit then you pass on the left. If the right lane is going the speed limit, than you stay in the right lane. Honestly I never thought about which lane to pass in when I drove in the States. I just passed wherever. I feel like I learned it, but it was never something I saw enforced
The reality of the situation is that in CA, there is no such thing as a passing lane.
Rationalizing as it may be, I don't think causing people to make possibly unsafe lane changes because I'm going 65 in the middle lanes is safer than going with the flow of traffic.
Be a rebel. Start the change for safe driving.
The least safe thing you can do is drive 65 mph in the far left lane* - at least here in CA. I'm not saying everyone should drive like a bat out of hell, but impeding passing traffic is a serious hazard. It's also not the job of citizens to police the speed of other drivers on the road.
*open, not talking about crowded freeway conditions
I'm on my phone...isnt this an old post? I just got the tag notification son I'm answeeing anyway.
I could write a lot about speed limits and safety. as much as I'd like to have pixy0stix's back, its not nearly as clear cut as she's saying. But! Typically its just physically unsafe for the average passenger vehicle to go more than 15 maaaaaybe 20 mph over on a divided, controlled access highway if there is literally zero traffic. (I.e. a freeway. Interstate. Whatever)
the gray area between the speed limit and the actual design speed with a factor of safety has a lot more factors with regards to traffic conditions and road conditions and such. I'll babble on when I'm on a computer if people are actually curious.
I'm on my phone...isnt this an old post? I just got the tag notification son I'm answeeing anyway.
I could write a lot about speed limits and safety. as much as I'd like to have pixy0stix's back, its not nearly as clear cut as she's saying. But! Typically its just physically unsafe for the average passenger vehicle to go more than 15 maaaaaybe 20 mph over on a divided, controlled access highway if there is literally zero traffic. (I.e. a freeway. Interstate. Whatever)
the gray area between the speed limit and the actual design speed with a factor of safety has a lot more factors with regards to traffic conditions and road conditions and such. I'll babble on when I'm on a computer if people are actually curious.
I'm curious. I've always wanted to know how they decide these things.
I'm on my phone...isnt this an old post? I just got the tag notification son I'm answeeing anyway.
I could write a lot about speed limits and safety. as much as I'd like to have pixy0stix's back, its not nearly as clear cut as she's saying. But! Typically its just physically unsafe for the average passenger vehicle to go more than 15 maaaaaybe 20 mph over on a divided, controlled access highway if there is literally zero traffic. (I.e. a freeway. Interstate. Whatever)
the gray area between the speed limit and the actual design speed with a factor of safety has a lot more factors with regards to traffic conditions and road conditions and such. I'll babble on when I'm on a computer if people are actually curious.
I don't think it's old, but knowing the fabulous Houston chronicle, it could be...they totally suck. It was on their front page today, so this is a new thread.
I agree....i work in the auto crash industry & roads are typically designed with a several fold factor of safety. There are 2 things to consider- you crashing into something on your own or your crashing into other cars. Every time your speed goes up a bit, your injury risk from a crash goes up b/c kinetic energy (KE=1/2 * m * V^2) goes up drastically & it has to be dissipated by your body in a crash.
Now, in an ideal world, we'd all be going the SAME speed & this would reduce the number of interactions/crashes between cars. People would feel less need to pass/change lanes to go around a slow person. We start driving too close (following too close) b/c other assholes cut us off & jump in front of you if you leave a proper gap.
There's a balance between the speed limit & trying to get everybody going the same speed. Start thinking about heavy trucks- tractor trailers, those types of vehicles going faster are wildly dangerous because their mass is so big. So if you DO get into a crash with them, you are screwed. So we have to consider the variety of vehicles that use the road & their stopping distances & general vehicle performance.
But back to the fine thing, I also think the "state" controlling the fines instead of local municipalities would help alleviate lots of things like we see in towns like Ferguson, where the whole town is financed on the backs of the poorer citizens & getting a ticket that you can't afford to pay will endlessly multiply the actual cost and land you in jail (a la John oliver www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UjpmT5noto)
I don't mean to derail the speeding conversation, but I have to ask again, how do they know someone's income at the time of the ticket??
The ticket comes from the state, not the police. The police don't have to be there. It could be a camera or something. I've gotten one speeding ticket my whole life that was a total fluke and it was here in Deutschland. I pushed too hard on the gas in our new car in a 30 km zone and went 38 for about 10 seconds, but it just so happened to be in front of a parked police car. They didn't pull me over, ask for an explanation or say boo. I didn't even see them. I just got a 350€ ticket in the mail about 2 weeks later.
How do you defend yourself against something that allegedly happened two weeks ago and you didn't even know was coming? Or is it just assumed you are guilty?
I dunno how this works in other countries. I'm thinking in terms of how this would work in the US. This isn't the same thing as a parking ticket.
The ticket comes from the state, not the police. The police don't have to be there. It could be a camera or something. I've gotten one speeding ticket my whole life that was a total fluke and it was here in Deutschland. I pushed too hard on the gas in our new car in a 30 km zone and went 38 for about 10 seconds, but it just so happened to be in front of a parked police car. They didn't pull me over, ask for an explanation or say boo. I didn't even see them. I just got a 350€ ticket in the mail about 2 weeks later.
How do you defend yourself against something that allegedly happened two weeks ago and you didn't even know was coming? Or is it just assumed you are guilty?
In Germany, you write a letter back defending yourself, and they tell you, "Whatever, pay your monies." And that is it.
A parking ticket, you can argue because you can take pics and stuff. But speeding is really hard. Bottom line, I did speed for a few seconds and the fact that it was because it was my first few seconds driving that car and I wasn't used to how much pressure to put on the gas, would likely matter not at all to a German judge. S/he would tell me to learn how to drive my car before going on the road, I guarantee you.
How do you defend yourself against something that allegedly happened two weeks ago and you didn't even know was coming? Or is it just assumed you are guilty?
In Germany, you write a letter back defending yourself, and they tell you, "Whatever, pay your monies." And that is it.
A parking ticket, you can argue because you can take pics and stuff. But speeding is really hard. Bottom line, I did speed for a few seconds and the fact that it was because it was my first few seconds driving that car and I wasn't used to how much pressure to put on the gas, would likely matter not at all to a German judge. S/he would tell me to learn how to drive my car before going on the road, I guarantee you.
In Australia you are guilty. There are no given court dates where you can go argue your case. You get a picture in the mail a few weeks later and if you have the audacity to argue it, you can write a letter and mail it to an address. They will then determine if you get a day in court or not. IF all of this gets done in the time frame alotted.
There is an interesting case going on right now. The guy can prove he wasn't driving the car, so they want to know who was. He happens to be an atty and he is contending that under the constitution he can't be compelled to give testimony against his wife.
At least once a year, I make a trip that takes me up and down a long stretch of 95. This is a very busy road populated by many tractor trailers who love to ride bumpers. It is terrifying because, if I make one mistake, that truck will kill me. If someone wants to produce evidence that I am actually safer allowing that truck to ride my ass than I am speeding up for the ten seconds it takes to move up and switch lanes, I'm all ears. Until then, I am getting the hell out of the way, even if it means going well above the speed limit, because I am fairly certain that truck-driver won't be open to any lessons from me and my relatively tiny car.
In Germany, you write a letter back defending yourself, and they tell you, "Whatever, pay your monies." And that is it.
A parking ticket, you can argue because you can take pics and stuff. But speeding is really hard. Bottom line, I did speed for a few seconds and the fact that it was because it was my first few seconds driving that car and I wasn't used to how much pressure to put on the gas, would likely matter not at all to a German judge. S/he would tell me to learn how to drive my car before going on the road, I guarantee you.
In Australia you are guilty. There are no given court dates where you can go argue your case. You get a picture in the mail a few weeks later and if you have the audacity to argue it, you can write a letter and mail it to an address. They will then determine if you get a day in court or not. IF all of this gets done in the time frame alotted.
There is an interesting case going on right now. The guy can prove he wasn't driving the car, so they want to know who was. He happens to be an atty and he is contending that under the constitution he can't be compelled to give testimony against his wife.
There was something very similar here (Minnesota) with the red light camera tickets about 10 years ago. The judge ended up shutting them all down.
In Australia you are guilty. There are no given court dates where you can go argue your case. You get a picture in the mail a few weeks later and if you have the audacity to argue it, you can write a letter and mail it to an address. They will then determine if you get a day in court or not. IF all of this gets done in the time frame alotted.
There is an interesting case going on right now. The guy can prove he wasn't driving the car, so they want to know who was. He happens to be an atty and he is contending that under the constitution he can't be compelled to give testimony against his wife.
There was something very similar here (Minnesota) with the red light camera tickets about 10 years ago. The judge ended up shutting them all down.
Red light cameras are very controversial. I believe ATL got rid of most of theirs, and I remember reading about tickets being thrown out in Chicago because the lights themselves didn't comply with the law in terms of how long they were yellow, or something along those lines.
There was something very similar here (Minnesota) with the red light camera tickets about 10 years ago. The judge ended up shutting them all down.
Red light cameras are very controversial. I believe ATL got rid of most of theirs, and I remember reading about tickets being thrown out in Chicago because the lights themselves didn't comply with the law in terms of how long they were yellow, or something along those lines.
I believe the case here involved presumption that the car owner was the driver, and several ticket holders refused to turn over the actual drivers. I'd have to go back and look for the details, but that's what I remember.
At any rate, I guess that's my issue on this if they were to bring it to the US. If people aren't getting pulled over and just getting ticketed, then how would we know that folks aren't getting targeted by other means? Nice car? Ticket! Shitty car? Ticket! It still has the ability to create a cash cow situation without any pesky confrontations. Andplusalso they wouldn't even have to prove the identity of the driver.
Red light cameras are very controversial. I believe ATL got rid of most of theirs, and I remember reading about tickets being thrown out in Chicago because the lights themselves didn't comply with the law in terms of how long they were yellow, or something along those lines.
I believe the case here involved presumption that the car owner was the driver, and several ticket holders refused to turn over the actual drivers. I'd have to go back and look for the details, but that's what I remember.
At any rate, I guess that's my issue on this if they were to bring it to the US. If people aren't getting pulled over and just getting ticketed, then how would we know that folks aren't getting targeted by other means? Nice car? Ticket! Shitty car? Ticket! It still has the ability to create a cash cow situation without any pesky confrontations.
Hard to say and it's not like I wasn't peeved and didn't want to plead my case. But generally I don't feel like the cops here are just out to get me and raise revenue for shady reasons. For better or for worse, I don't really worry too much about corruption over here, at least not in that way. They could be, but I just feel like there are so many rules and so much order and public figures get in trouble for the most minor discretions, I just don't worry about it. I don't know what it's like in Finland. But I absolutely do know it's shady back in the States.
Ultimately though, I do like the idea of people being fined based on income.
i red light cameras are still pretty controversial & many cities have removed them. I think if you get a ticket, it doesn't actually count the same on your DL points or insurance b/c they can't prove who the driver was, but the owner of the car still gets the tickets.
I don't think there are any speed cameras around in the US though....I don't know of any??
Our red light cameras malfunction all the time. One time, I was sitting at a red light that has a green left turn arrow so people were turning because they had the green arrow. The red light camera went off for all of them lol.
As for this speeding ticket, it's not like he didn't know this was the rule. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. I speed from time to time but only in traffic flow situations because I don't fancy getting run over.
i red light cameras are still pretty controversial & many cities have removed them. I think if you get a ticket, it doesn't actually count the same on your DL points or insurance b/c they can't prove who the driver was, but the owner of the car still gets the tickets.
I don't think there are any speed cameras around in the US though....I don't know of any??
There are. Maryland allows them in construction areas and school zones only. (or maybe that's just my county? I think it's the whole state though, but some counties haven't chosen to implement them)