[figment]

I have seen a few municipalities here running laser from parked squad cars here well after dark. Whats up wid dat? Also, some new unmarked "roadrage" cars are speed estimating or running something my '03 V1 wont detect...

[NinerPilot]

Nothing wrong with that, laser works day and night.... As long as they arent shooting laser through Glass... And if they are enforcing speed with something your V1 isnt detecting, they are probably pacing, where they use they speedometer and match their speed you yours.
Chris

[deez]

They are hard at work protecting you and other civilians Figment
Federal gov't cut off some funds to the states, they are going to be out trying to recoup $ bigtime.

[Skully]

The newer laser guns can be used through glass from what I've read.

[Chain]

Originally Posted by booth23

They are hard at work protecting you and other civilians Figment
Federal gov't cut off some funds to the states, they are going to be out trying to recoup $ bigtime.

It took me many years to reach a point where I agreed with your general sentiments, but until they show more than a casual relationship between garden vanilla speed violations (say, 5, 10, 12 over normal posted limits) and fatality rates, I'm with you all the way Booth.

I concentrate on inattentive driving and equipment violations these days.

[dB]

It's nice to hear you say that Chain. The fact that most cops seem to concentrate on the 5-10 overs certainly doesn't help the public's perception of them. The real dangers, in my view, are the inattentive drivers you mentioned and the overly aggressive...like the ones swerving across 2-3 lanes to make an exit or running reds (it was yellow!).

[Kuss929]

Originally Posted by dB

The real dangers, in my view, are the inattentive drivers you mentioned and the overly aggressive...like the ones swerving across 2-3 lanes to make an exit or running reds (it was yellow!).

Exactly. Also there have not been many times that I am riding while at the same time talking on the phone, adjusting the radio and drinking a coffee.
I have not heard of many riders falling asleep behind the bars.

[deez]

Originally Posted by Chain

It took me many years to reach a point where I agreed with your general sentiments, but until they show more than a casual relationship between garden vanilla speed violations (say, 5, 10, 12 over normal posted limits) and fatality rates, I'm with you all the way Booth.

I concentrate on inattentive driving and equipment violations these days.

Chain I've always had a negative view on traffic enforcement, I just think alot of it is overkill. In my last apt. in TX, I had a cool cop that lived onsite. His attitude an opinion on this type of thing was very cool. He wouldn't bust people going 5-10mph over unless it was a city street, close to school zone etc. He said his boss was always giving him chit because of how many warnings he'd give out. He said if that lived close, especially in the same city/county that he'd lecture them if they were going a little to fast (let's say 10 over) and tell them to chill out, and if he saw them doing it again, he'd give them a ticket. On the hwy, his attitude was different 10mph and under, he wouldn't even bother. He had the same attitude about pulling people over and discovering they had been drinking. He always said it was a judgement call. If they were staggering/slurring, and/or driving recklessly they were going to jail. If it was some guy who had 2-3 beers with dinner, was talking and walking OK, he'd give them a warning and/or follow them home if they were a local resident and tell them to watch it, and this is with them doing like 10-12 over when getting pulled over. His take on the traffic enforcement, speeding and the like was very damn cool, he was one of those cops that you want out there. He has to do his job, but was cool about it, and knew where the lines were, and tried to be fair. He said some cops would smell alcohol (when the civilian had like 1-2 drinks with dinner) and immediately take people to jail. He didn't want drunk people driving and he'd take them to jail, but if someone was OK and coherent (I'm not advicating driving under the influence but you get the idea) he was reasonable.

Enough of the rambling, I'm in agreement with you Chain, hiding behind bushes at night with a laser and/or pacing people, I mean understand but they need to chill out a little and even it out.

[ND4SPD]

So how fast were ya goin', figgy?

[Zeeman]

Funny about the "speeding" thing, I was driving when I made a comment to whoever was in the passenger seat regarding how dangerous those "slow overcautious" drivers are. You know, the ones that give way to you when you have the stop sign, they stop int he middle of a roundabout to allow someone inm screwing up traffic in general and causing great headaches for the following drivers who see no reason for a sudden stop. (these people are the "safe ones, clearly)

Anyway, only a few minutes later, a car (car a) hesitates and gives way to another car (car b) waiting at a stop sign. Guess what? there is a car (car c) following car a - and seeing as car a stopped for no reason at all, the guy in car see ended up running up the butt of car a. Now, of course, car c is at fault, technically, as he ran up car a's butt, but in the end, it's the driver of car a's incompetence that caused the whole mess. I see SSSOOO much of this on the road ALL the time. these people need to be pulled over, fined and made to go through a driving test again.

Z...

[BigDaddyJ]

Funny about the "speeding" thing, I was driving when I made a comment to whoever was in the passenger seat regarding how dangerous those "slow overcautious" drivers are. You know, the ones that give way to you when you have the stop sign, they stop int he middle of a roundabout to allow someone inm screwing up traffic in general and causing great headaches for the following drivers who see no reason for a sudden stop. (these people are the "safe ones, clearly)

right on Zee,

It drives me nuts to have someone try and give me the right of way that the law says they have, just because they want to nice or careful. I've had people sit at a stop sign with me 2 blocks away and actually get mad at me for not going when they wave me on (I force people to accept that they have the right of way). Pisses me off to no end. And don’t get me started on people that think left on green has the right of way over right on green...

Rant over, we now return you to you regularly scheduled program.

[ratter]

Try living in our state, zero tolerence to speeding, that means they'll book you for 1 kmh over the limit, thats aprox .7 mph over the limit, yet out ADR's say a speedo must be accurate within 10%.

It's a bit hard to get an accurate speed when the speedo can be out by that much yet they allow no margin for error.


I must admit, I don't think to many cops would book you for that 1 kmh over, but according to the head cops and law makers they will get you.

[ND4SPD]

Originally Posted by ratter

I must admit, I don't think to many cops would book you for that 1 kmh over, but according to the head cops and law makers they will get you.

Probably use it as a scare tactic more than anything. Most state troopers in Ohio won't pull you over unless you're going 80+. Highest speed limit is 65

[figment]

Originally Posted by ND4SPD

So how fast were ya goin', figgy?

the last one was 80 in a 60 on the RC51 comming off 190 east tollway onramp merging into northbound 75. The unmarked (grey crown- vic with lit mirrors) was parked on my shoulder squared off to get me. I let off the gas and breezed by him at 10 over... He never budged. I put the shorts in the laundry after I got of the bike

[Holeshot]

It depends on both the cops and the circumstances. I was racing a Porche in my 5.0 one day when I suddenly found another 'Stang racing with us. I was wide open losing just a tiny bit of ground on the 911 and the other one was gaining on us both! He pulls alongside and I nocide the star on the door. He gave the the look and kept going.. (this was on 280 between SF and Palo Alto some serious high-speed highway).

Then there was the motor cop I was sort of racing (I thought it was my buddy on my spare bike). I let him catch up after about 5 miles and got a big surpise. But I think they had some big to-do in downtown SJ that day, he yelled at me on the PA then kept going (we were still about about 120 at this point).

On the flipside I got a speeding ticket while making a legal pass (we can bust the limit in this state legally while passing under certain conditions). You just never know..

I have 3 LEO's in my family.. one of them works in King City (for those in CA you know that that means.. he's a Sherrif there) so I don't have a problem with LEO's in general just the way that a lot of them do (or are pressured to) execute traffic enforcment...

Plus I think it's illegal for police to shoot LASER into the passenger compartments... at least that's what I *heard*...

[lfg929]

Hey ND4SPD, that is likely *only* in the Cleveland vicinity. Try doing that between Cleveland and Columbus and you will likely get pulled over. Typically the troopers like you to stay within 10 over the posted limit. Trust me... I was on high-risk insurance from 1988 until 1998 all because of speeding tickets.

[ND4SPD]

Originally Posted by lfg929

Hey ND4SPD, that is likely *only* in the Cleveland vicinity. Try doing that between Cleveland and Columbus and you will likely get pulled over. Typically the troopers like you to stay within 10 over the posted limit. Trust me... I was on high-risk insurance from 1988 until 1998 all because of speeding tickets.

I've never been busted for it *knock on wood*

[soon2b954]

I think traffic cops should focus more on aggressive drivers, people who tailgate and people who don’t know what a turn indicator is used for.

[fivestar]

[nomad]

Here's my random 2 cents...

I was driving home last night and was passed by a cop; I was ~130kph (81mph) in a 90kph (56mph) and he zipped right by me, up the highway and then pulled into his 'radar hideout' to catch some other poor unsuspecting fool.

I don't mind paying for my speed indiscretions if caught but what really gets me is when a cop that speeds (lights off etc.) pulls me over for speeding! Isn't that hypocritical?

[ratter]

Originally Posted by ND4SPD

Probably use it as a scare tactic more than anything. Most state troopers in Ohio won't pull you over unless you're going 80+. Highest speed limit is 65

some of the local cops will still book you for not much over the limit, but the speed camera's will get you anything at all over the speed limit plus the correction factor

[maxib]

Originally Posted by ratter

some of the local cops will still book you for not much over the limit, but the speed camera's will get you anything at all over the speed limit plus the correction factor

Ratter, because I don't understand, what is the 'correction factor'?

[ratter]

Originally Posted by maxib

Ratter, because I don't understand, what is the 'correction factor'?

they allow something like a 1-2% correction factor on their equipment, so if the machine reads your speed as 62 kmh they'll take it as maybe 61 kmh

[Red Rider]

Just got back home from vacationing in the Sunshine state...drove 1300 miles in 18 hours! The only state bewteen Florida and Michigan that was aggressively pulling over cars was Ohio. The Ohio State boys used laser and radar...stopped and rolling...and they were pulling people over for ~5mph over the limit.

[maxib]

Originally Posted by ratter

they allow something like a 1-2% correction factor on their equipment, so if the machine reads your speed as 62 kmh they'll take it as maybe 61 kmh

Thanks for the explanation. Am I correct then assuming you guys have no argument in traffic court that calibration of the radar device, and certification of the operator might be outdated, and due to that, thrown out of court?

It doesn't work here either!

[Zeeman]

There has beena bit of abacklash in Victoria about those strict zero tolerance laws. Laws are all godo and well until everyone becomes a criminal, which, in effect, is what the state has done. Made everyone who drives a criminal.

Z...