Texas Woman's speed trap warning lands her in jail

[jwolfer]

With most cities, counties and states begin close to broke we will more enforcement campaigns for the "public safety".  Its a way to build up revenue without raising taxes.  When you make under 50K a year a 150-200 speeding ticket can break the budget.  ( please no lectures) not to mention increased insurance rates.  Insurance companies have a vested interest in more tickets being issues for sure. 

My dad is a retired police officer and he didnt have quotas but rather "expectations" of the number of tickets issued.  The cops doa  great job but they are turned into collection agents for cities and counties

[hbelkins]

Usually the locals are the ones who want the lower limit in the first place.  They don't want non-locals to speed through and disrupt what they think is a quiet residential street (regardless of whether said street is actually a major through route), and the revenue from speeding tickets gives the local government more money.

Is that the case everywhere? In Kentucky, the local government is the last agency to get a cut from a traffic ticket. The state gets its cut first.

[cpzilliacus]

Usually the locals are the ones who want the lower limit in the first place.

That is correct.

They don't want non-locals to speed through and disrupt what they think is a quiet residential street (regardless of whether said street is actually a major through route), and the revenue from speeding tickets gives the local government more money.

Not in all states.  In my home state of Maryland, the state collects all fines from all "moving" violations (where an officer stops a vehicle and issues a ticket).  Even if the ticket was issued by a county or municipal officer, the revenue goes to the state. 

Different rules apply regarding parking tickets and tickets issued by automatic enforcement systems (such as "red light" cameras and "speed" cameras).

[mukade]

Not in all states.  In my home state of Maryland, the state collects all fines from all "moving" violations (where an officer stops a vehicle and issues a ticket).  Even if the ticket was issued by a county or municipal officer, the revenue goes to the state. 

AFAIK, Indiana is like this on state roads and that is why you rarely see local police speed traps on highways. State Police speed traps do exist. Occasionally during high enforcement periods, local police are recruited to patrol state roads.

[BigMattFromTexas]

Crappy photo, but I thought this sign on NY 40 north near NY 196 got the point across.

That sign is stupid.. If I was driving at 40, I probly wouldn't look at the small lettering on there, so I'd see "55" so I'd go 55, then I'd get ticketed for 55 in a 40. All because of that B.S. sign...
BigMatt

[Brandon]

Usually the locals are the ones who want the lower limit in the first place.  They don't want non-locals to speed through and disrupt what they think is a quiet residential street (regardless of whether said street is actually a major through route), and the revenue from speeding tickets gives the local government more money.

Is that the case everywhere? In Kentucky, the local government is the last agency to get a cut from a traffic ticket. The state gets its cut first.

It's the same here in Illinois, for all roads and streets, even the local residential ones.  This method usually cuts down on the number of speed traps and Barney Fifes.

[texaskdog]

Well, when they say its all about safety, this is proof it's not, it's just about writing tickets.  If they really cared they'd put their own signs up before every speed trap.  This would A) make the people who still got tickets look like real idiots and B) they could put fake signs up wherever they wanted to get people to slow down. 

[Compulov]

Well, when they say its all about safety, this is proof it's not, it's just about writing tickets.  If they really cared they'd put their own signs up before every speed trap.  This would A) make the people who still got tickets look like real idiots and B) they could put fake signs up wherever they wanted to get people to slow down. 

Isn't this supposed to be the point of areas where they have the Speed Limit sign with a smaller "Radar Enforced", "Speed Enforced from Aircraft", "Speed Strictly Enforced", or as we get here in PA "Speed Electronically Enforced"? I think there does need to be a balance of warning signs and actual enforcement, or people learn to ignore them. I've seen the NJ Troopers doing this on I-95 in Ewing. They sometimes park a car in a "hiding spot", but every now and again, I've seen a Trooper in the car. Since you never know if there's going to be a cop in the car or not, you slow down. Unfortunately, because there's only so many places to hide, you also learn to slow down in specific places and speed up in others. Personally, I just stick with a speed I'm comfortable with and that I'm confident the cops won't bother me at, but at the same time, I'll tend to go slower through unfamiliar areas, especially if it's off an Interstate or major highway where you have local police to contend with, since they can be unpredictable.

[hbelkins]

Isn't this supposed to be the point of areas where they have the Speed Limit sign with a smaller "Radar Enforced", "Speed Enforced from Aircraft", "Speed Strictly Enforced", or as we get here in PA "Speed Electronically Enforced"?

Or my personal favorite, often erected by municipalities, "Speed Controlled by Radar." WTF?

Personally, I just stick with a speed I'm comfortable with and that I'm confident the cops won't bother me at, but at the same time, I'll tend to go slower through unfamiliar areas, especially if it's off an Interstate or major highway where you have local police to contend with, since they can be unpredictable.

Not that it'll do anyone any good in Virginia, but I still maintain that a good radar detector is about the best investment a driver can make. After not having one for years, I got a speeding ticket in Ohio a few years ago. I bought a Valentine One after that and it has more than paid for itself in the intervening years.

[Brandon]

Well, when they say its all about safety, this is proof it's not, it's just about writing tickets.  If they really cared they'd put their own signs up before every speed trap.  This would A) make the people who still got tickets look like real idiots and B) they could put fake signs up wherever they wanted to get people to slow down. 

Or use unmanned scout cars as the Illinois State Police used to.  They'd set one up under a bridge and people did believe for a while until they noticed that the things were empty 24/7.

[1995hoo]

....

Not that it'll do anyone any good in Virginia, but I still maintain that a good radar detector is about the best investment a driver can make. After not having one for years, I got a speeding ticket in Ohio a few years ago. I bought a Valentine One after that and it has more than paid for itself in the intervening years.

I've used a Valentine One in Virginia without any problems (only at night, mind you, with the concealed-display module on). It's an outstanding device and it appears the anti-VG2 feature works quite well, as I've driven past state troopers who had the radar mounted on the outside of their car when I had the V1 on and they didn't notice. Only thing in Virginia is that if you have a detector on and you slow in response to it, and the cop sees you do it, you've given him probable cause to search your vehicle for a radar detector (the Virginia Court of Appeals ruled exactly that way when someone tried to challenge a search). But depending on how fast you're going, that might be the better option than the speeding ticket. My V1 went off on northbound I-85 near the US-460 exit one night back in the 1990s when I was on my way back from Duke and I was doing in excess of 90 mph. In that situation, stomping on the brakes and risking a detector ticket made sense.....and it turned out the cop already had someone stopped and he was just being an asshole by not turning off his radar.

Lately I just drive slower than I used to and I haven't felt the need to use a detector. Didn't even take it with me on our trip to Florida last month. I suppose it's fair to note that I purchased my V1 in 1996 when I was in school at Duke and so there's a good chance it's a bit obsolete because I haven't taken advantage of the company's upgrade policy.

[kphoger]

I recently saw full-sized (flat) wooden mock-ups of the Federales in México.  I saw probably five of them set up along the highway within, say, 200 miles.

[hbelkins]

Only thing in Virginia is that if you have a detector on and you slow in response to it, and the cop sees you do it, you've given him probable cause to search your vehicle for a radar detector (the Virginia Court of Appeals ruled exactly that way when someone tried to challenge a search).

How does the cop know that you are slowing in response to the detector going off and not in response to seeing him?

Wish I was technical-minded: I'd invent an under-the-hood detector unit that works in conjunction with an iPhone app.

[SSF]

Well, when they say its all about safety, this is proof it's not, it's just about writing tickets.  If they really cared they'd put their own signs up before every speed trap.  This would A) make the people who still got tickets look like real idiots and B) they could put fake signs up wherever they wanted to get people to slow down. 

Or use unmanned scout cars as the Illinois State Police used to.  They'd set one up under a bridge and people did believe for a while until they noticed that the things were empty 24/7.

Haha i ran into one of those in effingham.  I did a double take to make sure it was empty.

[algorerhythms]

Well, when they say its all about safety, this is proof it's not, it's just about writing tickets.  If they really cared they'd put their own signs up before every speed trap.  This would A) make the people who still got tickets look like real idiots and B) they could put fake signs up wherever they wanted to get people to slow down. 

When I went to Brazil a couple years ago, the professor I was visiting pointed out to me that there's a law there (I'm not sure if it's a federal or state law, so it might just apply to Sao Paulo) that all speed traps have to be marked in advance with signs. The signs are always fairly obvious: big white signs that read (translated to English) "Electronic Enforcement". He said that he once got out of a ticket because the police had failed to put a sign in place before the speed trap that caught him. To deal with the issue of people ignoring the signs in dangerous areas, they put flashing lights on the signs if, as it was explained to me, "they really mean it."

edit - just searched Google for an example of the signs, and found this article, which says that the law I mentioned was recently repealed.

[Compulov]

When I went to Brazil a couple years ago, the professor I was visiting pointed out to me that there's a law there (I'm not sure if it's a federal or state law, so it might just apply to Sao Paulo) that all speed traps have to be marked in advance with signs. The signs are always fairly obvious: big white signs that read (translated to English) "Electronic Enforcement". He said that he once got out of a ticket because the police had failed to put a sign in place before the speed trap that caught him. To deal with the issue of people ignoring the signs in dangerous areas, they put flashing lights on the signs if, as it was explained to me, "they really mean it."

I always thought it was funny that all of the speed cameras in AZ had warning signs at around 1/2 and 1/4 miles before the cameras (at least for the permanently mounted units). I did manage to get caught by one on I-10, though that was a van-mounted unit, and they usually do a lousy job of putting up the "PHOTO ENFORCEMENT ZONE" sign with enough warning to slow down. I didn't slow down because I *thought* was going under their enforcement threshold. Little did I know it was a 55 zone, not 65. Even my dad (who was in the car with me) thought it was a 65 zone. I managed to get out of the ticket because they issued it to him (his car), and he gave them my info on the form he sent back and they never contacted me about it.

[1995hoo]

Only thing in Virginia is that if you have a detector on and you slow in response to it, and the cop sees you do it, you've given him probable cause to search your vehicle for a radar detector (the Virginia Court of Appeals ruled exactly that way when someone tried to challenge a search).

How does the cop know that you are slowing in response to the detector going off and not in response to seeing him?

Wish I was technical-minded: I'd invent an under-the-hood detector unit that works in conjunction with an iPhone app.

I'd have to find and re-read the original Court of Appeals opinion. I suspect the guy slowed right as the cop activated his radar gun, which gives probable cause.

[Truvelo]

Crappy photo, but I thought this sign on NY 40 north near NY 196 got the point across.

That sign is stupid.. If I was driving at 40, I probly wouldn't look at the small lettering on there, so I'd see "55" so I'd go 55, then I'd get ticketed for 55 in a 40. All because of that B.S. sign...
BigMatt

I would replace NOT with SHOULD BE

[DTComposer]

Well, when they say its all about safety, this is proof it's not, it's just about writing tickets.  If they really cared they'd put their own signs up before every speed trap.  This would A) make the people who still got tickets look like real idiots and B) they could put fake signs up wherever they wanted to get people to slow down. 

Wouldn't this be the same as how they put up warning signs before DUI Checkpoints? In fact, don't they post warnings for those in newspapers? Seems like it would make sense.

I'm reminded how I read years and years ago about some teenagers who set up on a highway in Northern California...a couple had a "SPEED TRAP AHEAD" sign, then at some distance past the cop, another couple had a sign saying "TIPS". They were doing pretty well for themselves.

[agentsteel53]

I recently saw full-sized (flat) wooden mock-ups of the Federales in México.  I saw probably five of them set up along the highway within, say, 200 miles.

in stark contrast, I've never seen a single bit of evidence of speed limit enforcement in Mexico.  I was doing 130 km/h in a marked 80 km/h and getting passed by double-trailered trucks!

[KEK Inc.]

There was a local Facebook viral going around about how a couple of 12 year old kids in Bend, OR, had a cardboard sign before the speedtrap, and a tip jar right after.  I don't think the local law enforcement took action against the kids, but I thought it was pretty awesome.  Much better than the typical lemonade stand.  lol 

I'm so fed up with police abusing their power and authority, but this is pretty ridiculous.  It really depends where you are, and there's obviously plenty of cops who are respectful and do their job, but there's so many bad cops that give them a bad name in general.  Portland is a good example of a city with a corrupt police system.  The cops only really care about being on the news.  Unfortunately for them, they do appear on the news, but not necessarily in good light.

[drummer_evans_aki]

There was a local Facebook viral going around about how a couple of 12 year old kids in Bend, OR, had a cardboard sign before the speedtrap, and a tip jar right after.  I don't think the local law enforcement took action against the kids, but I thought it was pretty awesome.  Much better than the typical lemonade stand.  lol 

I'm so fed up with police abusing their power and authority, but this is pretty ridiculous.  It really depends where you are, and there's obviously plenty of cops who are respectful and do their job, but there's so many bad cops that give them a bad name in general.  Portland is a good example of a city with a corrupt police system.  The cops only really care about being on the news.  Unfortunately for them, they do appear on the news, but not necessarily in good light.

You are SO right on that. And our mayor is a complete doofus.

[KEK Inc.]

There was a local Facebook viral going around about how a couple of 12 year old kids in Bend, OR, had a cardboard sign before the speedtrap, and a tip jar right after.  I don't think the local law enforcement took action against the kids, but I thought it was pretty awesome.  Much better than the typical lemonade stand.  lol 

I'm so fed up with police abusing their power and authority, but this is pretty ridiculous.  It really depends where you are, and there's obviously plenty of cops who are respectful and do their job, but there's so many bad cops that give them a bad name in general.  Portland is a good example of a city with a corrupt police system.  The cops only really care about being on the news.  Unfortunately for them, they do appear on the news, but not necessarily in good light.

You are SO right on that. And our mayor is a complete doofus.

But he appears as a cameo on Portlandia!  He has his priorities straight!

[texaskdog]

There was a local Facebook viral going around about how a couple of 12 year old kids in Bend, OR, had a cardboard sign before the speedtrap, and a tip jar right after.  I don't think the local law enforcement took action against the kids, but I thought it was pretty awesome.  Much better than the typical lemonade stand.  lol 

I'm so fed up with police abusing their power and authority, but this is pretty ridiculous.  It really depends where you are, and there's obviously plenty of cops who are respectful and do their job, but there's so many bad cops that give them a bad name in general.  Portland is a good example of a city with a corrupt police system.  The cops only really care about being on the news.  Unfortunately for them, they do appear on the news, but not necessarily in good light.

Another thing they do is photo enforce lights.  They program the light for 28 MPH when the limit is 30.  It causes more accidents and unlike a traffic stop where they might let you off, this is automatic guilt.  It's never about safety its all about money.

[SidS1045]

I have an idea! Let's list all the speed traps we know!

Done and done.

http://www.motorists.org/speed-trap-listings/