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Re: Need Help Bad speeding ticket



In article <7NOV199502465047@vms1.tamu.edu>, msw5513@vms1.tamu.edu (Gumby)
wrote:

> randy@omni.voicenet.com (Randy) writes...
> >msw5513@vms2.tamu.edu (Gumby) wrote:
> >randy@omni.voicenet.com (Randy) writes...
> 
> >> >People tell me all the time they will not drive
> >> >MORE than 10 MPH over the SPEED LIMIT in fear of getting cited. Hence,
> >> >speed limits do work to keep MOST traffic from going too fast. I think 75
> >> >MPH on most highways may be more than adequate, but if you make the speed
> >> >limit 75 MPH, you will have people driving 85 MPH. That is why I think 65
> >> >MPH is a good speed limit.
> 
> >> Let me get this straight.  You advocate breaking the law.  You think people
> >> should go faster than the speed limit, and you want the limit set low to
> >> force people to speed.
> 
> >No where in my post do I advocate breaking the law. I do not think people
> >should go faster than a legitimate speed limit.
> 
> You advocate a speed limit of 65 to let people go 75.  This implies you know,
> and accept people speeding.

I advocate speed limits that are reasonable. I do not advocate people
breaking those reasonable speed limits. I know people speed, and can
accept them doing a reasonable speed on a given highway. But the majority
of the people will get try to get away with 10 MPH over the speed limit.
So if 75 MPH is a good speed for a particular highway, then set it to 65
MPH. My reason for this is that most people will do 10 MPH over.

> >My point is, that no
> >matter what the speed limit is, people will exceed it by 10 MPH because
> >they know/think they can get away with it. If the speed limit is 10 MPH
> >under what a safe speed limit would be, the majority of the people
> >breaking the law by 10 MPH would actually be doing a safe speed limit.
> 
> My point is that no matter what the speed limit is, if it was strictly
> enforced, people would abide by it.  If the speed limit were set to the
> proper speed, people would not be forced to speed in order to go a reasonable 
> speed.

Wrong. Speed limits are strictly enforced on many highways, but people
still choose to speed. If the speed limit were set to the proper speed,
which some people say would be around 85 MPH, people would still speed.

> >> Why not just set the speed at 10 over, and enforce the law?
> 
> >The speed limit is enforced now at 10 over. But the 55 MPH speed limit is
> >too slow.
> 
> I was trying to say "set the speed at 10 more than you you would set the
> speed at, and enforce that speed."  I am saying that the law should be 
> reasonable, and enforced, not unreasonable and (at least partially)
> ignored.

I agree that the speed limit should be reasonable, but what is reasonable?
You have good cars, and bad cars, as well as good drivers, and bad
drivers. Different tires, different road conditions, etc... play into
determining a speed limit. 

> >> Law is like sin, you can't almost break the law, it is an absolute.
> 
> >Please don't compare religion and law.
> 
> Why not?  They used to be the same thing.

I don't recall seeing anything about speed limits in the 10 commandments. 

> >> The judge is there to hear the sob stories, and grant exceptions.  The
> >> police are there to enforce the law.  If 55/65 waas rigerously enforced,
> >> this country would be better off (people would get sick of the tickets,
> >> and the speed limit repeal would have gone through years ago).
> 
> >The judge does not "grant exceptions". He hears the case and determines
> >whether there is enough evidence to convict. The judge has heard every sob
> >story in the book. Sob stories are no excuse for justifying ignorance to
> >the law.
> 
> The judge can take into account extenuating circumstances.  The judge can
> dismiss a case for a variety of reasons.  I don't think anyone can claim
> ignorance of the law against speeding.  Plus it is not the job of the
> judge to hear sob stories.  That is the job of the cop :-)

Based on what the defendant tells him. Most people tend to lie to get away
with it. I hear many sob stories. Not just for traffic violations. I wish
I had a quarter for everytime a woman tried the crying routine on me. I
had one girl tell me that she was bleeding and needed to get to the
hospital right away. It was kind of funny hearing her tell me the story.
Especially after she passed two exits that were clearly posted for a local
hospital. 

> >> The speed limit is not used as a limit, 
> 
> >Then what is it used as?
> 
> Some sort of a recommended speed set artifically low that is neither
> followed nor respected.

And if it was not set artificially low?

> >> and it lowers all of the traffic 
> >> violations to a "they are ok to break, just don't get caught" level.
> 
> >By your thinking.
> 
> Not by yours?  Most people I know extrapolate the "it is ok to break the
> law a little" philosophy to all of the traffic regulations.

Thanks for proving my point again. Which is that Most people will "break
the law a little".

> >> They are there for safety.  
> 
> >Ah, we can agree here.
> 
> Makes me feel all warm inside.

Isn't that special.

> >> I don't want the idiot running a red light
> >> in front of me to turn right and cut me off.  
> 
> >Who does?
> 
> Everyone.  If you send me a video camera with a tape in it, I will return
> to you a tape of traffic violations, including someone running a red light
> to pull infront of me at a distance small enough to cause me to adjust
> my speed (i.e. someone cutting me off).  It happens about once per time
> I get in the car.  (notice, I didn't say I'd return the camera, just the
> tape :-)

I'm sorry. You lost me here. Are you saying everyone wants someone to run
a red light and cut in front of them to turn right and cut them off? As
far as sending you a video camera with a tape in it, and you only sending
back the tape. Does that mean you are dishonest enough to steal the
camera? Hmm... Thanks for letting me know how credible a person you are.

> >> I don't want the jerk in
> >> the left lane to drive there for hours.  I want those enforced.  
> 
> >You want, but you cannot always have. If the people are in the left lane
> >doing faster than the speed limit, they cannot be cited for being in the
> >left lane.
> 
> Depends on where you are.  Here they can.  It is "keep right unless
> passing" not "keep right unless you think you are going fast."
> 
> >> The
> >> cops never enforce those because it is easier to catch speeders when
> >> 85% of the people on a road are speeding.
> 
> >If 85% of the people on the roadways are speeding, then there must not be
> >much slow traffic. It is a lot easier to catch speeders, yes. But even if
> >someone is in the left lane doing 55 MPH, they are allowed to be there
> >when passing. I think you are just referring to people that are in the
> >left lane travelling slower than you. How fast do you go?
> 
> I read about an interstate in NY where more than 90% of the traffic was
> above the speed limit.  I would estimate about the same percentage on the
> interstates I travel on.  I was referring, in particular, to a minivan
> that went 10 under the speed limit on an interstate for more than 100 miles
> in the left lane.  This is the greatest violation I have seen, but is 
> representative of a general driving style that exists.

Driving 10 MPH under the speed limit in the left lane would surely get
that person cited. I would cite him. The speed limits are too slow as it
is. Don't need drivers like that making matters worse. BTW, we do have a
law that states you must stay in the right lane at all times except when
passing. Drivers can be cited for driving too slow also.

> >> No, I am not some disgrinted person who accrues speeding tickets; I
> >> have never gotten a ticket.  I speed every time I get in my car.
> 
> >And you will probably still speed even after getting a ticket.
> 
> Yes.  And to answer your question as to how fast I go: 22-23 over the
> limit, up to the point which I feel is the fastest safe speed I
> can travel, unless I know there is no enforcement in the area, at
> which tome my speed is only limited by safety.  I can take defensive
> driving to take care of any ticket up to 25 over and not have it appear
> on my record.  I've gone 130.  I usually go 75-80 on interstates,
> 70-75 if marked at 55.  I go 75-85 on non-patroled 55 state highways.
> This is not a brag, not a flaunt of the law, just an honest answer
> to your question.

Glad to see you are honest, but I doubt it. You said earlier you would
steal my video camera. But it also tells me that know matter what the
speed limit is, you are not going to obey it. I just hope you don't kill
anyone. And if you do, I hope they prosecute for Homicide. 

> Marc
-- 
Randy