Police have no speed limit

[briano]

So this morning on my way to work there's a school bus stopped to pick up some kids, there is one vehicle behind the bus and I'm coming up on them. As I start to slow down the bus starts going and I notice the SUV in front of me is the sherif department. The bus turns off onto another road and we continue on, as I'm getting up to the 55 mph area I notice the cop is still on the go pedal. I'm in a bit of a hurry anyway so I decide to go with the flow and go the same speed as the cop, 68 in a 55!!! Then he starts tailgating the next car that we come up on so now they speed up too. This isn't the first time I have stayed on a cop cars tail, several years ago the wife and I were following a state cop car at 89 mph in a 55 zone. She freaked out and said I was going to get pulled over, kinda hard to pull me over when I'm following someone that's supposed to be a role model on the road. The state cop was weaving in and out of traffic and then made some turns with no turn signal, the wife called it in and central dispatch told her they must have been responding to a call. No flashing lights or anything and going that fast, we followed for a while down several streets and finally decided to head home. But after he had turned several times, he was going a normal speed and was actually using the blinkers. Wish I had a dash cam for times like this, if the police can speed why can't I.

[jb2wheels]

S... if the police can speed why can't I.

Because of the badge.

[DohcBikes]

There are several reasons they get away with driving faster and not using blinkers(my personal favorite, happens ALL the time) and impeding traffic, its just that none of the reasons are good.

There are some instances when law enforcement is asked to rush with no lights and sirens, it happens.

[atctim]

If you are ever in dire need of a cop would you want him to speed to your location or drive the speed limit?

[briano]

Personally, I don't think there's a reason to be in dire need of a cop. I see this all the time here where they think the laws don't pertain to them. There was no reason in the world for the idiot this morning going 68, I followed him for 10 miles on my way to work. Right before I get to work the speed limit drops to 45, guess who's in the left passing lane going 45. The cop car.

[Scootertrash]

Personally, I don't think there's a reason to be in dire need of a cop. yea, sure. Until you need one.:rolleyes:


I see this all the time here where they think the laws don't pertain to them.
So you tail him and break the law too? Apparently you think the laws don't pertain to you as long as you are following a cop who you think is breaking the law all the while speculating why he is speeding since you have absolutely no clue where he is going or what he is doing. http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g439/exatera/smileys/crazy/smiley_nuts.gif (http://media.photobucket.com/user/exatera/media/smileys/crazy/smiley_nuts.gif.html)Makes sense to me.
He obviously had more important things to do or you were far enough back so he didn't see you tailing him. I highly doubt a cop is going to let someone speed, especially when you are following him for miles.

[Ghostv2]

When it's your life on the line and you call the police make sure to tell them to follow the speed limit and keep with the flow of traffic as the law states.

On the other hand my dad has been a police officer my whole life and he's a horrible driver so I see where this is coming from.

Cops don't just speed because they can, he must of had a place to be at to be weaving past car after car going over the limit.

[atc007]

This used to burn me to no end also. And you would love 20/20 I think??? Is doing an ongoing investigation/whistleblower type deal Friday nights. I don't watch tv,but saw it a cpl weeks ago because we had a storm coming and thought I would watch the forecast.. Anyhow,they sit and wait for speeding cops,and attempt to follow them. Generally on their way home,sometimes late for work,sometimes just delivering paperwork. Not cool at all. But until you are out there every single minute of every day putting your life literally on the line. I wouldn't be too fast to judge. The longer I'm around,the more and more respect I have for police. As far as you thinking you will never need help Briano. I hope you're right.

[El Camexican]

Because of the badge.

That’s the same thing my wife seems to think gives her the right to break the rules

[fabiodriven]

I'd prefer to have cops behind the wheel who are exercised regularly in their trade. If I call them I'd rather have the guy who drives like an animal all the time en route. Do something about it when you start seeing a lot of crashes. Until then, let them work.

[RIDE-RED 250r]

Let me first say, I do respect our LEO's, have members of my family in LE.

But in my many miles on the road as a truck driver I have seen my share of examples of those who abuse the uniform. Obviously when responding or in pursuit they have the right and duty to do what has to be done to get there as quickly as possible.

But, there is a problem when I see them speeding excessively without their lights on, and obviously not in pursuit. I see it all the time on the NY Thruway. I'm not talking about 10 over here, we are talking well in excess of 20 over. And I can recall many instances of watching them drive like that just to pull into the service area or park in the median and set up their radar. I had a County Sherriff throw his lights on behind me late at night as I was pulling through a 4-way stop in the tractor trailer. As soon as I moved over as much as I dared on that small road with very little shoulder, he flipped his lights off and cruised along. I am sorry, but that is complete BS! I can remember quite a few similar incidents, but you get the point.....

Again, I have alot of respect and gratitude for our LEO's. They do a tough and thankless job. But they are human just like any of us and some do in fact abuse their position. They should be the example to follow, not the other way around...And sadly, (at least in my state) it seems the ones setting the bad example now outnumber those who don't, at least when it comes to even loosely obeying the same laws they hold us accountable to...Don't anyone tell me otherwise because it is simply not the truth. The way I see it, unless responding or in pursuit they should not drive in any manor they would ticket any of the rest of us for. It's really that simple. And in point of fact, it IS the law!

[TrickShot]

I agree with most here. A lot of time it seems they speed excessively with no lights flashing, but then I dont know what the reason is or is not causing them to speed. On the flip side, I do like it when they cruise 10mph over or so. The reason for that is, have you ever been behind a cop doing the speed limit in the left lane for miles and miles on the interstates? I have and can say, what a nightmare of a traffic jam does it cause behind them, because lets face it, the vast majority of us run 10mph over, and if Ol' Smokey is plodding along doing exactly the speed limit, traffic backs up quick!
shens

[El Camexican]

If anyone here really wants to know all the reasons for the way the men in blue drive they should apply at the nearest academy:beer

[86T3]

This reminded me of an incident i read about this winter. http://rt.com/usa/trooper-watts-sues-cops-harrasment-575/ This whole situation is unbelievable but it doesnt suprise.me that it happened in Florida.

[dave ytz250s]

I followed a cop car here sliding from left to right on a snowy road pumping the gas to keep it sliding turning on the lights to skip a stop sign without slowing down then turn off the lights and continue zigzaging down the road. I know they're not all like that, but those idiots seem to stick out of the pack and tarnish the reputation of the good cops.

[MNhondaguy]

In Minnesota it is legal for police officers to pull up to a scene in a black-out. Absolutely no lights on whatsoever, no gauge lights even. Nt many do it, and when they do do it, its because they are in need of the surprise to do their job. My uncles a cop and enjoys talking about what they "can" do, but he chooses not to so he doesn't become the dick cop everyone hates.

[bkm]

But..... but what if they`ve got cop shocks , cop tires , cop motor thats pre catalytic so it runs on regular gas (not ethyl) and they don`t like Illinois Nazi`s ?:Bounce:Bounce:Bounce:Bounce:BounceFix the cigarette lighter.

[Scootertrash]

Half a pack of cigarettes and wearing sunglasses when it's dark

[lokisbuddy]

I just look at it this way. I can do things cops cant like beat the trailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro out of someone that pisses me off and not lose my job. or smoke a bunch of pot and not lose my job. or call the neighbor a kike Bi&$% and not lose my job or unzip my pants at work and piss all over the ground and not go to jail or lose my job. so we have some privelages they don't enjoy :) btw before you ask im a logger
Btw I love the blues brothers :)

[El Camexican]

I just look at it this way. I can do things cops cant like beat the trailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro out of someone that pisses me off and not lose my job. or smoke a bunch of pot and not lose my job. or call the neighbor a kike Bi&$% and not lose my job or unzip my pants at work and piss all over the ground and not go to jail or lose my job. so we have some privelages they don't enjoy :) btw before you ask im a logger
Btw I love the blues brothers :)

After reading your post the temptation to introduce to my ex GF is overwhelming.:lol:

[lokisbuddy]

After reading your post the temptation to introduce to my ex GF is overwhelming.:lol:
I'm almost terrified to ask why...actually I am terrified to ask why so im just not gonna :lol:

[hublake]

Briano,

What is the fastest you have gone on the Seney Stretch without following a cop?

[trike savior]

it is not right for cops to speed without the lights on. however yes it does suck to get stuck behind one playing interstate pace car. they do it around here deliberately to catch speeders. was on way to work one day and a guy decided to pass everyone on the shoulder and got nabbed by the cop at the front. felt bad for the guy because if the cop had been doing his job he would be enforcing left lane=passing lane law.

10 over without the lights on, like the rest of us, is fine but around here they consistently do 80-90 with no lights. I drive this speed normally and the few times i have been pulled over for it the officers are always super pissy with me for driving so fast. because "they are trained professionals."

well here is a trained professional for ya guys. deputy doing 81 in a 40 in their suburban. no lights, no sirens. kills a 61 year old citizen when he T-bones him. at least it says they are seeking manslaughter charges against the officer and not protecting the piece of garbage.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7de_1395271010

[bkm]

Pick a stance and stick with it. Either be pissed they are speeding or be pissed they are doing the doing the speed limit holding up traffic. You can't have it both ways.

[briano]

Briano,

What is the fastest you have gone on the Seney Stretch without following a cop?



72 mph. And the only reason I know this is the cop that was sitting in a little road told me so when he pulled me over. I had a lifted Toyota with 35 inch tires on it so the speedo was way off. I was told by previous owner it was recalibrated, but obviously not, never had a problem till that day. He let me go with a warning.

[DohcBikes]

The only thing that bothers me about the whole deal is that law enforcement spends so much time watching traffic. I could not care less if they break the law while driving, as long as they aren't hypocritical about it.

I know that some here are law enforcement officers, maybe you can answer this....

Why do the police spend so much time on traffic violations? Aren't there likely more serious crimes being commited and needing investigation than this, even at that exact moment? One might suggest that most of the the tougher cases should be worked on before giving tickets for bad driving...

I suppose maybe its because solving a case of theft, harassment, assault, etc. does not produce any revenue.

Are all police/sheriffs/troopers trained to work other stuff than just traffic, or are some of the officers only familiar with traffic enforcement?

[dlmeyer0325]

Dohcbikes: I am a deputy sheriff in Indiana and I will try to shed some light on your questions. First traffic violations are where we find a majority of the criminal activity whether it be drugs, warrants etc. also, like it has been stated above, we have worked the bad wrecks and have seen what the average driver can do to themselves or others by not driving safely I.e. obeying speed limits, using turn signals, disregarding stop signs.

Second, investigating crimes, working cases: when you dont see us pulling some one over this is what we are doing. I come from a small department and every deputy has to do their fair share of work whether its working battery, rape or theft cases etc.

As for the speeding, just about every officer just like almost everyone else on the road has been guilty of speeding for no reason at some point or another. I can tell you that 9 out of 10 times when you seen an officer speeding he is going to a call.

[RIDE-RED 250r]

Frankly, I would like to see them stiffen up enforcement on alot of the "petty" traffic violations... changing lanes without turn signal, aggressive driving, failure to move over for stopped police/emergency personnel on the side of a major highway, towing/hauling way out of class for the vehicle towing/hauling, no lights on in inclement weather when visibility is poor...... to name a few.... But I know some things are more or less "pile-on" things they will hit you with if you are the cause of an accident and not something they can initiate a traffic stop solely for.

All of these and several others I didn't mention do pose a significant threat to public safety on the highways. I think overall, pretty much everybody could stand to take a deep breath and chill the frick out on the roads, LE and private citizen alike.

But it's funny how all of the sudden everybody drives so perfectly when there is a Police car around... That tells me people do in fact know how to properly drive..when they need to.

The ATA did a Police ride-along with a trucker sort of thing a few years back. Most cops after spending the day in the passenger seat of a big rig seeing how people behave around trucks when they don't think a cop is watching couldn't believe they were traveling the same roads they usually patrolled.

[fabiodriven]

Frankly, I would like to see them stiffen up enforcement on alot of the "petty" traffic violations... changing lanes without turn signal, aggressive driving, failure to move over for stopped police/emergency personnel on the side of a major highway, towing/hauling way out of class for the vehicle towing/hauling, no lights on in inclement weather when visibility is poor...... to name a few....

Amen brother! I see it all day, every day going in and out of Boston. People just completely disregard the right of way up here and the number one thing I see every day; People pulling on to the highway without even looking never mind yielding. It gets ugly fast when you start rubbing fenders with 70,000 lbs doing 65.

I saw a guy on my last load out of the city yesterday in a disgraceful Super Duty with a clapped out car trailer in tow. I assumed he was a scrapper and was getting rid of the trailer. No lights with lenses, which doesn't matter when they don't work anyways, fenders destroyed to the point they were almost touching the tire, just a mess. Guy's going down the Southern Aatery (Artery) like it's no big thing. I was thinking the guy had balls for hauling that turd to the junk yard, it definitely wasn't safe. So then I'm on my way into Boston this morning and who ends up next to me again? Turd trailer guy. Dude uses the thing every day apparently. What DOT is letting that clown drive up and down the highway in that thing?

I could go on all day... Cars with no brake lights, headlight out so let me drive around with the high beams on... People would call the cops ball busters for pulling them over for lights out but guess what? If they didn't get pulled over they'd never fix the shite! I did inspections for 5 years and trust me when I tell you that people will absolutely drive for a year with the same light out, no BS.

I honestly wish they would pull people over for right of way violations. People have gone absurdly overboard in this part of the country with "being nice" and stopping traffic to let other people pull out of side streets and driveways. They cause mass confusion and then everyone sits there figuring out what to do while the poor fawkers behind them are doing all they can to stop. Unless that person has a badge or a high vis vest and a hard hat they DO NOT have the authority to stop a main road to let anyone do anything! That is the entire point of having a right of way! Everyone is supposed to know and obey it yet they do not and nobody tells them otherwise. I can't even count how many times I've gone screaming around the side of a person who decided it was OK for them to stop a main route to let side street traffic in. Air horns cranked the entire way like a freight train is coming through, because it is.

It's comparable to putting a back seat to learning in order not to offend. Then end result is everyone gets dumber. In this case it's putting courtesy in front of common sense, safety, and the right of way. The common denominator is, everyone is happy and nice! Yay! Unfortunately everyone is also a lot dumber, a lot more maimed, and a lot deader as well.

[bkm]

The only thing that bothers me about the whole deal is that law enforcement spends so much time watching traffic. I could not care less if they break the law while driving, as long as they aren't hypocritical about it.

I know that some here are law enforcement officers, maybe you can answer this....

Why do the police spend so much time on traffic violations? Aren't there likely more serious crimes being commited and needing investigation than this, even at that exact moment? One might suggest that most of the the tougher cases should be worked on before giving tickets for bad driving...

I suppose maybe its because solving a case of theft, harassment, assault, etc. does not produce any revenue.

Are all police/sheriffs/troopers trained to work other stuff than just traffic, or are some of the officers only familiar with traffic enforcement?

You pretty much answered your own question, revenue, revenue, revenue. I am speaking for the agencies I've worked for and the ones that surround my area. It's all about the money and you are evaluated based on the numbers you produce.

I have worked with guys who couldn't work a simple stealing to save their lives, but could stroke the hell out of a traffic ticket, and they are the ones who rise to the top. Unless you work for a big agency with real crime, police work is not rewarded, but writing tickets and producing revenue is.

You also have to remember what is the one thing you do on a daily basis where you can be observed by law enforcement without cause.................driving. Most crimes happen behind closed doors and are not observed by police and are 99% of the time only aware of such because it's been brought to their attention. So they fall back on the one thing they can observe constantly, and that is everyone driving down the road.

Most of the time if a guy is speeding, he's probably going to a call on the other side of the town and may have his response times monitored like a hawk by his supervisors, so he kicks the speed up a notch. Does that make it right? No. But it's the nature of the beast.

I know the county where I live in, there are about 8-10 deputies (sometimes less) on at any given time and cover about 700 square miles. Do the math regarding response times and speed limits.

[El Camexican]

You said it señor. The police department is about the only government run agency besides the taxation branches that can turn a profit and does not need direct tax dollars to survive. It is accomplishes this by generating revenue by issuing fines. While there is no written rule I have been told by officers I know that there are quotas placed on them by their superiors i.e X times hours in patrol car has to = $omething. Simple economics, if all they did was write warnings all day your taxes would spike.

There is no money in busting a kid with a pin joint, or breaking up domestic disputes (every cops favorite activity :rolleyes:), so they have to hand out fines to cover all the other non-profit tasks they do each and every day that keep us safe.:beer

[El Camexican]

it's funny how all of the sudden everybody drives so perfectly when there is a Police car around...
Speak for yourself. Some of the most boneheaded things I’ve ever done on wheels have been right in front of cops. :cry:

[TrickShot]

Frankly, I would like to see them stiffen up enforcement on alot of the "petty" traffic violations... changing lanes without turn signal, aggressive driving, failure to move over for stopped police/emergency personnel on the side of a major highway, towing/hauling way out of class for the vehicle towing/hauling, no lights on in inclement weather when visibility is poor...... to name a few.... But I know some things are more or less "pile-on" things they will hit you with if you are the cause of an accident and not something they can initiate a traffic stop solely for.

All of these and several others I didn't mention do pose a significant threat to public safety on the highways. I think overall, pretty much everybody could stand to take a deep breath and chill the frick out on the roads, LE and private citizen alike.

But it's funny how all of the sudden everybody drives so perfectly when there is a Police car around... That tells me people do in fact know how to properly drive..when they need to.

The ATA did a Police ride-along with a trucker sort of thing a few years back. Most cops after spending the day in the passenger seat of a big rig seeing how people behave around trucks when they don't think a cop is watching couldn't believe they were traveling the same roads they usually patrolled.

Tennessee has a Semi to catch violations such as seatbelts, texting, unsafe lane change/driving etc. The truck was seized from a drug dealer and repainted to match TN Troopers cars, with lights and all. This pic was taken at my companys terminal in Chattanooga TN

[Scootertrash]

These are some of the things I like about cop bashing threads:


however yes it does suck to get stuck behind one playing interstate pace car.

If they are playing "pace car" and going the speed limit, what's the problem?


they do it around here deliberately to catch speeders.
:rolleyes: And if you're not speeding then you have nothing to worry about, right?


was on way to work one day and a guy decided to pass everyone on the shoulder and got nabbed by the cop at the front. felt bad for the guy because if the cop had been doing his job he would be enforcing left lane=passing lane law.

If the cop was going the speed limit and the rest of the traffic was going the speed limit, the left lane=passing lane law wouldn't matter. The guy would be speeding in the left lane too, and still get a ticket when he rolled up on the cop. AFAIC if you rip down the shoulder passing cars in a fit of road rage, you deserve a careless/reckless driving ticket too. Driving down the shoulder is a jackhole move that could cause an accident.



10 over without the lights on, like the rest of us, is fine but around here they consistently do 80-90 with no lights. I drive this speed normally and the few times i have been pulled over for it the officers are always super pissy with me for driving so fast. because "they are trained professionals."

So did you tail these cops or are you guessing that they are doing 80-90? Do you have experience in visual clocking of speeding cars?
Are you saying you "normally" drive 80-90 mph? And you've only been pulled over a few times? :rolleyes:

Have you ever taken a defensive driving course, or a course similar to the ones that some cops take to sharpen driving skills? They're better trained than you.

[RIDE-RED 250r]

Fabio: you are right about the uber-courteous.. It can be very dangerous playing "traffic cop" for the sake of being nice. People get confused, accidents happen. I have witnessed it personally. I was on a 4 lane boulevard in a smallish city near MIK6's place. A vehicle was waiting to come out of a side street on my left to make a left turn and go the same direction I was heading. Someone coming the other way stopped to let the person out... ON a 4-lane road, not a good idea. So you can probably predict, the car pulls out right in front of a JB Hunt truck coming at me in their left lane that didn't realize the car to his right stopped to let someone out.... Needless to say, it was just a minor fender bender, but that JB Hunt driver's day just got long and crappy.


But then there are those who occupy the complete opposite end of the spectrum. Put both groups on the same highways and this mess we have is what we get.

And then there are those who truly are clueless about right of way and general traffic rules. I actually spoke to an ignoramous who said that when she sees a construction zone with a lane closure ahead she intentionally stays in the lane closing as long as possible because in her feeble mind she believes it keeps traffic moving better....

I no longer drive tractor trailer. Did it long enough. I started a new job at my town highway department the first of this year and I like it alot better. I still drive trucks, they just have one hell of a cow catcher on the front!! People tend to give me room in that 10 wheeler with 14' of iron hanging off it! LOL!

[Scootertrash]

Let's not forget about the people who hit their brakes on the freeway to let drivers on the entrance ramp merge into traffic. It's the merging drivers responsibility to adjust their speed to merge, not the other way around. Drivers Ed 101.

[fabiodriven]

Which reminds me of my favorite move ever- Stopping at the bottom of an on ramp as they're trying to merge into traffic that's doing 65.

[Red Rider]

It's the merging drivers responsibility to adjust their speed to merge, not the other way around. Drivers Ed 101.Exactly! I see this all the time. Idiot drivers coming down the onramp, just cruising like they're out for a beautiful, Sunday drive. By the time they reach the bottom of the onramp, after having wasted the whole length of it, they're only going 40-45 mph, and then try to merge into traffic that's going 60-65. Just fricken brilliant!


Which reminds me of my favorite move ever- Stopping at the bottom of an on ramp as they're trying to merge into traffic that's doing 65.Glad to say I've never seen this manuever.

[Scootertrash]

Yup Fabio, I've seen that one too. Marooons! One the very few times I actually tailgate is coming down a ramp behind someone driving like they are going thru the drive thru at MikeyD's, giving them the "git movin'!! Hand signal

[El Camexican]

Which reminds me of my favorite move ever- Stopping at the bottom of an on ramp as they're trying to merge into traffic that's doing 65.

As my Dad says everyone someone pulls a move like that “He’s been driving 40 years and never had an accident… caused a few dozen though”

[bkm]

These are some of the things I like about cop bashing threads:



If they are playing "pace car" and going the speed limit, what's the problem?


:rolleyes: And if you're not speeding then you have nothing to worry about, right?



If the cop was going the speed limit and the rest of the traffic was going the speed limit, the left lane=passing lane law wouldn't matter. The guy would be speeding in the left lane too, and still get a ticket when he rolled up on the cop. AFAIC if you rip down the shoulder passing cars in a fit of road rage, you deserve a careless/reckless driving ticket too. Driving down the shoulder is a jackhole move that could cause an accident.




So did you tail these cops or are you guessing that they are doing 80-90? Do you have experience in visual clocking of speeding cars?
Are you saying you "normally" drive 80-90 mph? And you've only been pulled over a few times? :rolleyes:

Have you ever taken a defensive driving course, or a course similar to the ones that some cops take to sharpen driving skills? They're better trained than you.

This guy^^^^^ Pffft, look at him, trying to use logic and rational thought.

[DohcBikes]

You pretty much answered your own question, revenue, revenue, revenue. I am speaking for the agencies I've worked for and the ones that surround my area. It's all about the money and you are evaluated based on the numbers you produce.

I have worked with guys who couldn't work a simple stealing to save their lives, but could stroke the hell out of a traffic ticket, and they are the ones who rise to the top. Unless you work for a big agency with real crime, police work is not rewarded, but writing tickets and producing revenue is.

You also have to remember what is the one thing you do on a daily basis where you can be observed by law enforcement without cause.................driving. Most crimes happen behind closed doors and are not observed by police and are 99% of the time only aware of such because it's been brought to their attention. So they fall back on the one thing they can observe constantly, and that is everyone driving down the road.

Most of the time if a guy is speeding, he's probably going to a call on the other side of the town and may have his response times monitored like a hawk by his supervisors, so he kicks the speed up a notch. Does that make it right? No. But it's the nature of the beast.

I know the county where I live in, there are about 8-10 deputies (sometimes less) on at any given time and cover about 700 square miles. Do the math regarding response times and speed limits.


Did I forget to mention that was rhetorical? Ooops.

Glad to hear some truth on the matter:beer

[trike savior]

See this is what I love about cop threads on this forum. I give my opinion and then get nothing but grief from cops and daisy do-gooders about how bad my opinions are and how much of a jerk I am for driving the way I do.

Keep in mind I speak strictly from the stance of big city driving. Which is a big shock for most rural folk how and the speeds we drive. Driving 55 on highways around here actually opens you up to a lot more danger than traveling 65-70 like everyone else.

BKM said I need to choose one stance: thought I was clear that cops should do 10 over like everyone else. And I also appreciate the honest insight of our law enforcement community’s core values.

I have no problem with cops doing the speed limit but the ONLY time they do it is when they are on Bull$#!t trying to catch speeders or maybe need a confidence boost. Yes, I am usually the a$$hole who stops the BS and does 5 over right past them, and end up taking a whole bunch of followers with me. Admittedly I’ve been lucky and gotten away with it. But these days I have heard some agencies are now desperate and writing tickets for five over, so might think about it next time.

Don’t get me started on people that come to a complete stop to merge. Totally agree it is day 1 stuff that I see too often, and believe is the reason Chicago rush hour traffic has gotten as bad as it is now. Not sure if it is a ticket able offense but should be if it is not.

If I have the passing lane law incorrect than I would appreciate it if a law enforcement official would correct me. But my understanding is IT IS ILLEGAL TO SIT IN THE LEFT LANE of a multi-lane highway. This law is not only supposed to help increase the flow of traffic but keep a lane open for emergency vehicles. So the correct way to use the left lane is to be passing a slower vehicle and then get back over. Or if you travel at my speeds then you can stay there if you are consistently passing vehicles. YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING WRONG IF you are in the left lane and: 1) you are doing the same speed as the person to your right or 2) there is no one in the lane next to you. This is one law I wish law enforcement would enforce more. I am sick of running up on people doing the speed limit in the left lane and refuse to move, forcing me and countless others to pass on the right. Wouldn’t make me so angry if there was not a law against it.

So scootertrash this would have been relevant during the time I talked about because there was a line of cars sitting in the left lane not passing, everyone doing the same speed as the officer, 3 lanes wide (I call them jag-off walls). This made it so those of us that would have sped by, couldn’t, and would have saved that citizen a reckless driving ticket. ALSO the line of cars behind this cop was about a ½ mile long (that I could see behind me), what if there was an ambulance (with someone going to die) back there the officer could not see. How would they ever get by?

And I know the speed the cops around here travel because when they get about ¼ mile ahead I pull out and follow them at the same speed. The safest place to speed is often behind a cop. However if you are going to try this keep a safe distance and an eye in the rear view mirror because they sometimes travel in packs and the guy following him can be some distance behind. Pull out too soon and the second one might get ya.

I generally stick to no more than 10 over when driving in town. I realized in college 90% of my tickets from 16-20 were in town speeding. As soon as I stopped speeding in these areas I stopped getting so many tickets. There are just too many places for cops to hide and more officers per miles of heavily traveled roads. The odds are against you.

On the other hand highways are much easier to get away with speeding and if you can keep your high speed constant it is possible to really cut some time off a journey. My 2 most common destinations are Chicago to southern IL or Chicago to Iron Mountain MI. Both are roughly 5 hour trips at 70-75 mph (limit mostly 65mph) I found by keeping speed constant at 90-95 I could shave almost an hour off my travel time. The fastest I ever did Chicago to Carbondale was a little over 3 hours. But that was stupid fast, right after I modified my Mark VII (7), fairly constantly above 100mph with a few top out runs. Ford A9P computer limit 140 something mph. And before you get your panties in a bunch, let’s be serious, if you have never done something like this at least once in a fast car, it is because you have never had the chance or are too much of a tight wad.

As far as cops being better drivers, if you really believe that you are horribly naïve. The amount of police crash videos I have seen on the internet are proof that thought is BS. Defensive driving schools are a great tool to help but that and any civilian sport involving pushing a motor vehicle to the edge of its limits and beyond, will make you a better driver and more prepared when things go wrong. The amount of police crashes also prove no matter who you are, if you push it often enough, you will get bit from time to time. I think most are good drivers even though I have seen a few that were ridiculously simple maneuvers they crashed on. Not to mention how many forget to put it in park during a stop. LOL

In my opinion the most dangerous drivers on the road are the ones that consider themselves safe drivers in their own mind. Hands at 10 and 2, hunched over with face 6 inches from steering wheel, seatbelt on, doing 5 under the limit and stopping to merge. Ok exaggerations but you get the point, the average everyday driver, the 90% who has no interest in taking a course or even going and doing some doughnuts in a parking lot when it snows, getting some kind of experience of a vehicle out of control under safe conditions. These are the people that when they need to make an evasive action or lose control in bad weather, are not prepared to perform the proper actions and end up endangering their lives and those around them.

And even though I am a habitual speeder, I am all for police cracking down on more moving violations. I may speed but I obey every rule of the road and am sick of watching people change lanes without a signal, talking on cell phones and so many other things.

the best way to do this is to go completely to unmarked cars. that is the way quite a few municipalities have gone around here and I know Racine WI has most of their new vehicles coming unmarked. Hard to tell the new interceptor Taurus is really hard to tell from the civilian counterpart.

I got a ticket this past November up there. was cutting through gaps in traffic and blasted past the guy at over 100 mph (he was traveling in the traffic). just as I went past him I thought to myself that could have been a cop car, nailed the brakes hard and half a second later my valentine (radar detector) went off and I heard the sirens shortly after. one of the cooler cops I have encountered in a while, he said "I don't know how fast you were going when you went past me but I got you at 80". that was 1 of a short list of tickets I gladly accepted.


Sorry for the long post but wanted to express my full opinion.

[bkm]

Did you email your password to Barnett?

I honestly just skimmed over it like a Barnett post,but this was my favorite part:

"I may speed but I obey every rule of the road"

[El Camexican]

FACT: As long as an officer is using engine lubricant with a minimum .467421% ZDDP content, iridium plugs gapped to 1.734mm, 92+ octane fuel and a tire pressure of no less than 16 sq. meganewtons there is no reason to question their speed.

[atc007]

This thread could NOT possibly get any worse so,,,Barnett was on yesterday...

[bkm]

This thread could NOT possibly get any worse so,,,Barnett was on yesterday...

These never do. I used to get mad, but now it's just comical. This is just a snippet of the mentality I deal with on a daily basis. This guy has himself convinced that he's the best driver on the road and traveling at speeds in excess of 100 mph for extended periods of time is safe. Bill, there's just nothing you can do with that level of thinking.

[trike savior]

glad you guys are enjoying my craziness. welcome to my world. anyone here ever hear of the autobahn in Germany. proof it is possible to have a safe road way with unlimited speed. Never possible here in America but just saying it is possible.

[El Camexican]

anyone here ever hear of the autobahn in Germany.
Keep in mind that you actually have to prove that you know how to drive to get a license in Germany.

[tripledog]

Keep in mind that you actually have to prove that you know how to drive to get a license in Germany.

Not necessarily. I got my license while stationed in Wiesbaden, Germany. Since I had a military license (which I was never formally tested for), all I had to do was take a written test to get my civilian license. I learned how to drive, or rather how NOT to drive, on the autobahn. When I got back to the States, driving at 80 mph felt like a slow crawl. I wish I had all of the money that I spent on speeding tickets back then!

[El Camexican]

Not necessarily. I got my license while stationed in Wiesbaden, Germany. Since I had a military license (which I was never formally tested for), all I had to do was take a written test to get my civilian license. I learned how to drive, or rather how NOT to drive, on the autobahn. When I got back to the States, driving at 80 mph felt like a slow crawl. I wish I had all of the money that I spent on speeding tickets back then!

Well Triple D, all I know for sure is that after many years of driving like an idiot and despising “the man” for giving me tickets because I believed that it was my God given right to drive as I pleased I have mellowed and now truly appreciate what 99% of officers do for us. I don’t know how old you are, but I hope it’s less than 30 so that there is still time for you to change your attitude and appreciate the good that cops do for us.

PS. I still speed, but I don't blame the cops for my tickets any more:lol:

[MattDragontamer]

If it happens again, call 911 and report a vehicle that is excessively speeding... give the plate number... see how quick the operator goes silent... hehe...

[tripledog]

El Cam, that was 30 years ago... Now I drive like the people I used to swear at as I was passing them!

[DohcBikes]

Barnett was on yesterday...Really? Well darn I thought the mob ran him out. Guess they didn't hang him high enough.... Lol.

[trike savior]

"Have you ever noticed that anyone driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?" --George Carlin

[Dirtcrasher]

This thread could NOT possibly get any worse so,,,Barnett was on yesterday...

I wondered about him lately, I must have missed some Barnett drama :)

If it weren't for him, we'd still have Mickey. However, Mickey is a grown man and should have weighed the pros and cons of being at 3WW. I'm sure 95% of us enjoyed his posts and then, he deleted them all; THAT is what I disagree with..............

[DohcBikes]

Pretty sure mickey left because he overreacted when Fabio got annoyed about him posting a Superbowl thread in trikesylvania. Actually I'm positive that's why, because that's exactly what happened, and we all saw it.

DC, you made a thread about it mickey leaving, and Fabio instantly chimed in with the same info I just gave here.

I don't see how that's Barnett's fault.

Mickey attempted to make barnett look bad (which he did not lol) and Barnett never responded once. Its all in black and white, if anyone wants to take the time to read it. Most choose to deny the FACTS, lol.

Barnett's a great guy. I talk to him several times a day. If someone would have taken the time to get to know him, then maybe he would have said who he is.

How would you react if someone DEMANDED to know your identity on a public internet forum?

Some people here are so obsessed, that they actually took hours and hours to track his computers location.

Lol. Ridiculous.

So ya, cops, and driving, and stuff like that.

[czac]

here in the good old "Un-constitutional State of CT... they are now making a big deal out of going after and catching tailgaters and guess whos the biggest tailgaters out on the highways here? yep, the good old CTSP!!!