SPEED TRAPS

[RIMSPOKE]

CNBC TOOK THE TROUBLE TO RATE THE WORST CITIES

ACCORDING TO THE NUMBER OF SPEED TRAPS .

ALL I CAN SAYS IS , DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS .

http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/1728/America-s-Worst-Speed-Traps

[JackF]

It is good that our well trained and compensated law enforcement professionals are out catching the bad guys.

[02Les]

Unless it's changed, NC is not any better.

In the 80's I working in Salisbury and the Interstate down to Charlotte was a nightmare. You would get stopped for doing a couple of miles over the speedlimit.

I will say I got away with being stopped twice as I was going to the airport to head back to the UK. The accent and showing my airline ticket did the trick.

[Kidasters]

I had never gotten a speeding ticket in my life, but then I moved to Houston. I've gotten 2 tickets in the last 6 years. The first one, trap - went over a bridge and the constable was sitting on the other side, right where the limit changed from 35 to 30. He hit me for 42 in a 35. I just paid it - I think it was a $135 ticket.

Second one - right after hurricane Ike. Driving by the high school near my house taking the daughter to kindergarten. I was in the wife's cooper. Rounded a corner and followed a 4 runner - and all of the sudden the blinking lights come on! Trap. They said I was speeding in a school zone - 30 in 20. The school zone signs had blown down in the storm, but that didn't matter. I still don't believe that the cooper accelerated that fast. Oh well. Decided to do defensive driving class on that one - which costs the same as the ticket, but you don't get points. It was unfunny "comedy defensive driving". Waste of a day....

After the second one, I bought an Escort Passport. No tickets since....I love that thing.

[AndyS]

Back then it was 55 and if you were "outta state, you don't rate"! I'm pretty sure the boys in black and silver made book every day back then. Tickets for 60 were pretty regular for in state folks as well.

[RIMSPOKE]

THERE WAS A MAN IN RURAL VIRGINIA WHO WANTED TO SLOW DOW

SPEEDERS THAT DROVE BY HIS FARM AFTER SOME OF HIS LIVESTOCK HAD BEEN HIT .

HE BOUGHT HIS OWN 35mph SPEED LIMIT SIGNS AND PUT THEM UP ON HIS PROPERTY AS " A SUGGESTED SPEED LIMIT "

http://hamptonroads.com/node/429341

THAT WAS ALL FINE & GOOD EXCEPT THAT THE HIGHWAY PATROL HAD BEEN ISSUING TICKETS TO PEOPLE FOR MONTHS BEFORE

SOMEONE BROUGHT UP THE FACT THAT THEY WERE ENFORCING A PRIVATE SPEED LIMIT .

THEY WOULDN'T SPECIFY HOW MANY TICKETS INVOLVED BUT THE COURT HAD TO

ERASE POINTS AND RETURN FINES FOR EVERYONE WHO HAD BEEN NAILED .

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/20/2078.asp

[RIMSPOKE]

AS LONG AS IT DIVERTS YOU FROM ATTEMPTING

ANY IN DEPTH COMMENTARY , IT's WORTH IT .

( LET's SEE IF IT WORKS AGAIN )

[Scott Sislane]

I was going to ask, how does a Radar detector help in these areas? Ken, I see you find it helpful. I just got an escort 9500 for x-mas & think it's pretty cool w/ the built-in GPS... but still, cops coming head-on will only get 1-2 sec's warning. I haven't had much time to try it though. Waiting to get it in the 02 this summer.

I can't help but recall how fast people drive on the highways down south (TX), NY, mid-west...compared to this area. If you're not doing 80 in places you'll get mowed down!

[Mike Self]

in Ohio (the original Fuzzbuster back in the 70s) and the two major manufacturers (Escort and Valentine) are located here.

In Ohio we have the Ohio Revenue Enhancement Patrol cruising up and down our highways, highways with changing speed limits that make no sense unless you realize they're designed for radar traps.

And...the state has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars setting up phony radar emitters along our highways--they have batteries and solar panels to power 'em, and randomly transmit X band signals. Wonder if the state has a transmitter license for each one...bet not!

mike

[Kidasters]

Scott/Mike -

I think my Escort kind of works. The 9500 (which is what I have too) is pretty sensitive. I was keeping it on "Auto" mode, but now I keep in on "Highway" mode all of the time. Plus - I read on the internet that there are only about 2 X band radar guns left in the US, so I disabled "X" alerts. Very limited falsing.

But - I'm also more careful now too. I don't need any more tickets.

Ken

[Scott Sislane]

interesting... I'll take mine off 'auto' and X. Thanks Ken.

[Kidasters]

saw this in today's paper:

http://blogs.chron.com/techblog/archives/2011/02/sorry_officer_but_my_phone_says_i_wasnt_speeding_1.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+houstonchronicle%2Ftechblog+%28TechBlog%29

another good thing for us vs. them....

[Hammer03]

#4. wonderful.

Still ticket free in Colorado. Had four in CA though... all in north LA. Beat one of them though! Hooray trial by written declaration...

[ought2]

I've had my detector for a couple of years now, as I have to drive through a small town noted for its aggressive speed enforcement. The "instant on" can be a killer, as you don't know until it's too late. I'm careful to maintain the posted limit unless there's at least one vehicle in front of me, even if it's several hundred yards. That way, my detector will pick up the short bursts targeted at the lead vehicle. This happened to me just last night. The car in front of me was going the same speed I was, maybe 5 mph over. A cruiser coming the opposite way blipped my detector for about a half second. Sure enough, he turned on us and nabbed the guy who was in front of me.