Speedtrap List

[Patrick M.]

funding the small town budget is even worse!

http://www.speedtrap.org/

[Frederick L. Simson]

As is obvious from the traffic flow, the speed limit is grossly under-posted and universally ignored.

Traffic is moving safely and expeditiously, but not legally according to the posted speed limit.

I beg to differ with the author's analysis.

[Roger H]

Fortunately, the author's website has First Amendment protections because for anyone who has ever worked within government, his premise is ridiculous. Getting cops together on the streetcorner and to get them to agree that they need to pick up $20 bills blowing around in the street is tough. Getting entire sections of government (legislative, executive, AND judicial) together to perpetrate this on the public is nearly impossible. Further, his information about where the fine monies go is flat wrong.

Cops run radar. Tickets are written. Fines get paid. Sometimes, a sergeant or chief even directs that a specific area needs speed enforcement and there's an organized effort to do enforcement for a while.

The idea of writing enough tickets to gain enough fine money to fund anything in small-town USA is just laughable.

All monies collected by governmental units are deposited into the "general fund" as revenues regardless of the source, even the parts of the fines that are earmarked to be returned to agency who issued the citation.

Law enforcement agencies are then funded through the "general fund" through a budget. Preparation on that budget is generally begun about four months into the current fiscal year, and the budget is approved by the elected body that governs the unit about six months prior to the new fiscal year start. Every expenditure must be authorized by that governing body; particularly those that aren't budgeted for.

I just love it when somebody with an axe to grind leaves out a few minor details in their "honest analysis" of the issue.

Roger

[Chester Taje]

Obey the law and dont worry about it .If you speed expect to pay sooner or latter.

[Patrick M.]

When I roll through a small town I always go the posted limit because:

1) I'm not in a hurry
2) There might be food
3) I've lived in a small town and the residents deserve respect for their rules.

#2 is the most important!

[CD Smith]

I estimate that the USA could cut oil imports by 10% to 15% if everyone never exceed the posted speed limits.

[Gina D.]

I LIVE in one of those small towns, and #3 is a pretty good reason to step off the gas. (#2, er, I mean food, ain't that plentiful here.)

Do you know if there is a school around the corner? A church or shopping area that would have lots of pedestrians and/or side traffic? You most likely don't, you are only passing thru and rarely get off the main drag. The folks that wrote the rules DO know.

It's the things you CAN'T see that are what the rules may be for, not the blatantly obvious. Here in Hooterville, we have 4 or 5 people hit by cars going too fast thru town each year. Not all of them live.

[Morgan]

I have a device on my dash that makes me virtually immune to speeding tickets.

It's called a speedometer.

[jdtrotter]

Almost every small town or village in Mexico has topes (speed bumps) at both ends of town, by the schools, and elsewhere. Not all of them are marked well, but after the first time one fails to see one of the really nasty ones, and speeds over it, he/she will remember to slow down for every village---that is if the car still works.

While they can seem like a real annoyance at times, they are very effective and save a lot of lives.

Diane

[Brian B-P]

I estimate that the USA could cut oil imports by 10% to 15% if everyone never exceed the posted speed limits.

I doubt that this is exactly true, since a huge part of that imported oil does not get used by road vehicles, and speed is really important to consumption only at highway speeds, but I agree that a meaningful amount of a limited an expensive resource would be saved by knocking off a bit of speed under highway conditions.

I try to be careful to avoid being too smug about using less fuel than the next guy (by driving a smaller car or more efficient van, or pulling a lighter trailer), since I also drive more than required (by living further from work than necessary), and pull a trailer (instead of staying in motels or tent camping). We are all part of the problem.

Of all the reasons to [b]slow down through towns on highways, Patrick has a great list and (more seriously) I think Gina has it right - go back up and read it again.

...not legally according to the posted speed limit.

The posted speed limit [b]is the definition of allowed speed according to the law, so this is a nonsensical statement.

Roger, I appreciate the insights you have given us into the world of [b]law enforcement officers, and admire that you have clearly kept your sense of humour in this challenging career. I'm not arguing with your analysis of the cash flow of fines, but I did notice that when Alberta regulations changed a few years ago so that fines collected by municipal bylaw officers were directed to the municipality (instead of, presumably, the province), some municipalities (without their own pollice department) suddenly acquired more cars, equipped them with red-and-blue lights, and started doing speed enforcement. Hmmm...