Journal Chacham's Journal: Chronicle/Rant: Got a speeding ticket in Pennsylvania. 20
Got a speeding ticket in Pennsylvania on a recent trip. To me, it's just a game of cops and speeders. They do it to make money.
Cop: Do you know why i stopped you?
Me: Because i was speeding.
Cop: Why were you speeding?
Me: I'm on my way to a wedding.
Cop: I'll see what i can do for you.
~~interlude 15 minutes~~
Cop: You were going 83 in a 65, i knocked it down to 73.
So, stopping me for speeding is bad enough. The state has no interest is me not speeding. That'd probably get rid of half their budget or something. It's just a game. Then he made me wait 15 minutes, (which made me more determined to speed because of the even more lost time). Then he did me this "favor". They always do that. I don't think i have ever gotten a speeding ticket where they haven't done that!
So, how much is the fine? According to the citation:
Fine: $48.50
E.M.S.: $10.00
MCARE: $30.00
COSTS: $34.50
J.C.P./A.T.J.: $10.00
Total: $133.00
So, i have to pay a fine, and nearly twice the fine in added fines. Now, if i fight the fine, that will be an extra $7. Not only that, i have to pay the fine in full, plus $7 to plead not guilty. I mean, come on. Isn't that what the "costs" are, that is, the court costs. So now i need to pay another $7 to use them?
This is ridiculous. Then again, so is a 65 speed limit in Pennsylvania along the 80. Those aren't cops, they are cashiers. And to think. I could have have mortgaged the house to use the PA turnpike, and then get tickets other cops. I wonder if those citations come in pink.
Think that's bad? (Score:2)
I've driven three thousand miles in the last month, mostly in long stretches of 300 or 1000 miles. I either go A) the speed of traffic, or B) cruise set at 5mph over the speed limit. Usually, the speed of traffic is a bit higher than five over, but think of it from a predator/prey perspective. You're safer in a pack.
I drove to Chicago and back last week. There's a section of freeway where the speed limit is 35, the speed of traffic was about 65, and they've got traffic cameras with blinky blue lights so y
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Heh. End of December i drove from Detroit to Cleveland, to Jersey, back to Cleveland to Chicago, to St. Louis, back to Chicago and two Detroit, over a two week period.
This time, the pack slowed down and i missed it. I think you're right though, thinking predator/prey stick-with-the-pack might be the best mindset.
Someone was telling me the cameras aren;t enforceable for one reason or another. They just hope most people don't bother to fight it.
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Heh...
the pack slowed down and i missed it.
Sorry to hear you missed it.
Did you get a ticket there too?
They just hope most people don't bother to fight it.
So did you bother? Or did you figure you were guilty anyway?
Ciao!
James
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I've driven three thousand miles in the last month, mostly in long stretches of 300 or 1000 miles. I either go A) the speed of traffic, or B) cruise set at 5mph over the speed limit. Usually, the speed of traffic is a bit higher than five over, but think of it from a predator/prey perspective. You're safer in a pack.
Me too! Under the radar, I say.
I drove to Chicago and back last week. There's a section of freeway where the speed limit is 35, the speed of traffic was about 65,
How come the speed limit is so low there?
and they've got traffic cameras with blinky blue lights so you can see them.
That seems sporting of them.
Ciao!
James
If the speed limit was 80 (Score:1)
People would do 95 "Because they are in a hurry".
Almost all modern cars have cruise control, get to ~65, turn it on, and relax. If the road is clear enough to be doing 80 than it is clear enough to use cruise control at 65.
(Also going 80 drains gas really fast!)
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People would do 95 "Because they are in a hurry".
Not really. When they raised the speed limit to 70, people slowed down. I think people slowed down when it was raised to 65 too.
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You were doing 85. :P
Again, I live in a state where people typically follow the speed limits, I feel that everyone from out of WA state's attitude's towards highway speeds is really bizzare.
Whenever I am in a hurry I think back to playing Oregon Trail as a kid in school. 25, maybe 30 miles traveled on a good day. In comparison, at 60MPH that is done in 30 minutes. Progress is good, have some patience.
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You were doing 85. :P
Yep. And at 55, i was doing 90-95. I'm not even kidding.
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80 is my cruise.
28 - 30 MPG is fine by me. In the finely tuned German machine, 4 Cyls give me as much Autobahn torque as my old 8-banger used to - if not my old 12 cyl.
Cruise control? That's why people have accidents.
Hum. (Score:1)
Hum. Late for a wedding. That is always MY fault, not the fault of the other drivers, who have every right to expect me to drive with traffic while on our roads.
Hum. Lowering speed limits lowers death rates- I can die on the roads, you know, through no fault of my own. (well, I would have to assume some fault, if I were speeding... and maybe a person like you assumes I would have to assume some fault, if I got into an accident with a speeding driver...)
Hum. They do it to make money? Seems to me, h
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Hum. Late for a wedding. That is always MY fault, not the fault of the other drivers, who have every right to expect me to drive with traffic while on our roads.
I wasn't late. I wanted to get their early to speak to the bride's family before things got hectic. The earlier, the better.
The other cars in the left lanes were also speeding. Indeed, i was going the speed of (left-lane) traffic until there was a sudden slow-down, and moments later i got the ticket.
Hum. Lowering speed limits lowers death rates- I c
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Not only did he lower the fine, but he lied about your speed, which could save you a bunch when your insurance rates go up.
Insurance rates are based on points, not speed. About $100 every six months for every two-points on AAA. Cut-rate insurances go up very little. Which i found to save thousands of dollars over the years, for that and other reasons.
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Hum. You certainly have an answer for everything.
I pride myself on knowing the reasons why i do things, and having a decent basis for my complaints. I'm sorry if you didn't know that when you tried to spoil my [arty. :)
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Hum. Which definition of "decent" are you using?
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/decent [wiktionary.org]
Apparently the obsolete one... not the second one, as in "a decent person".
Party? I thought you were having a rant, like you wrote. Just thought you could benefit from a little objectivity and reality, or a mirror, so you can see your situation and your pride as others can see it.
Glad to read your reasons for doing things, thanks for sharing. Thought provoking writing is one
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Apparently the obsolete one... not the second one, as in "a decent person".
I meant as in the first definition at dictionary.com [reference.com]. Perhaps, wikidictionary's 4th definition comes close, but doesn't really capture what the word means.
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Ha ha! Trick question.
"Ha ha! You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders - The most famous of which is "never get involved in a land war in Asia" - but only slightly less well-known is this: "Never go against a Pander when karma is on the line"! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha... " (falls over dead...)
wicktionary: 4. conforming to the recognized standard of propriety, good taste, modesty, etc., as in behavior or speech.
dictionary (yeech) 1. conforming to the recogni
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I find wikidictionary to be even less reliable as wikipedia, so i do not prefer it, unless responding to someone who does.
I'd prefer m-w.com, but it requires javascript to use. dictionary.com is nice because all i need to do is bring up the URL and type the word on the end.
1) ctrl-t or alt-d
2) di[ctionary.com]
3) end
4) shift-ctrl-left
5) type in new word
6) enter
By far, it is the fastest.
If i'm reading a page and my hand is already on the mouse (and sometimes, even if it isn't), i'll use the wikilookup addon t
"revenue cops" are like car salesmen (Score:1)
They have a script, of "tricks", that they follow. The long wait is presumably to make you late and thereby dissuade you in the future from any speeding to make up for lost time or whatever. At the dealership it's to chip away at your resolve. The voluntary lowering of your recorded speed is to make you think they're on your side, and you'll be less likely to make a big stink. Like your salesman does, when he says well I'll try hard to get you this price but I don't know if "they" will go for it.
I'm glad I'
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I'm glad I'm in the business of manipulating computers and technology into doing what I want, vs. doing that to people.
Amen to that.