Quote from: froggie on August 29, 2010, 08:05:24 PM
State law sets the "start point" at 12 over the limit in work zones.
that, frankly, is utterly fucking stupid.
speed limits should not be a guessing game. if you're going to have them, enforce them. if you're going to enforce them, enforce them consistently. otherwise just take down the big white signs with big black numbers and tell the world "you, you poor puppets, have no idea how fast you're allowed to go" because that's how it really is.
With that policy, if you keep the needle on the speed limit, you probably don't even have to slow down in work zones! They could simply set up a zero-tolerance policy for speeding (ticket for even 2 over the limit) and accomplish the same goal.
Quote from: deanej on August 30, 2010, 09:17:53 AM
With that policy, if you keep the needle on the speed limit, you probably don't even have to slow down in work zones! They could simply set up a zero-tolerance policy for speeding (ticket for even 2 over the limit) and accomplish the same goal.
Except you cannot do that, because speedometers probably have a normal margin of error of at least ±2 mph.
That's specifically for the work-zone/school-zone cameras. There's nothing stopping the Maryland cops from pulling you over for going less than that amount, though based on personal observation, they tend to wait for the speedsters that are flying down the road at 80-90+.
Quote from: Scott5114 on August 30, 2010, 09:49:47 AM
Except you cannot do that, because speedometers probably have a normal margin of error of at least ±2 mph.
there's a wide world of sports difference between 2 and 12.
Quote from: Scott5114 on August 30, 2010, 09:49:47 AM
Except you cannot do that, because speedometers probably have a normal margin of error of at least ±2 mph.
Which you can figure out with GPS and any signs that report your speed to you (I happen to know that my speedometer reports itself as 3mph faster than my car is actually going due to a couple of signs on a local road that say "Speed Limit 35; Your Speed XX"). I don't believe digital speedometers have this margin of error. My Mom's car has one and it is EXACTLY right.
Quote from: deanej on August 31, 2010, 10:50:36 AM
Quote from: Scott5114 on August 30, 2010, 09:49:47 AM
Except you cannot do that, because speedometers probably have a normal margin of error of at least ±2 mph.
Which you can figure out with GPS and any signs that report your speed to you (I happen to know that my speedometer reports itself as 3mph faster than my car is actually going due to a couple of signs on a local road that say "Speed Limit 35; Your Speed XX"). I don't believe digital speedometers have this margin of error. My Mom's car has one and it is EXACTLY right.
Radar from those signs not perfect, and can vary by quite a bit. They usually show one as going slower than he/she is. In addition, speedometers are only good to +/- 5%, including digital speedometers. Odds are, the radar on those signs has not been calibrated recently. Even cops fail to calibrate their instruments on a regular basis (this can trip them up - ask for calibration records in court). GPS isn't perfect either.
Sure, but who the hell is going to actually find the variance in their speedometer and obsess over it constantly? If you get so draconian to write a ticket for 1 to 2 miles over the speed limit, such that people actually trying in good faith to follow the law get screwed over, there will be hell to pay for the county sheriff.
Quote from: Scott5114 on August 31, 2010, 03:15:11 PM
Sure, but who the hell is going to actually find the variance in their speedometer and obsess over it constantly? If you get so draconian to write a ticket for 1 to 2 miles over the speed limit, such that people actually trying in good faith to follow the law get screwed over, there will be hell to pay for the county sheriff.
unless you're in some podunk southern town where you re-elect Cousin Ed every year.
Or New Rome...
NEW ROME DOESN'T EXIST.
Quote from: Scott5114 on September 01, 2010, 01:02:44 AM
NEW ROME DOESN'T EXIST.
Not anymore. :sombrero:
They got unincorporated!
Quote from: Brandon on August 31, 2010, 11:32:16 AM
Radar from those signs not perfect, and can vary by quite a bit. They usually show one as going slower than he/she is. In addition, speedometers are only good to +/- 5%, including digital speedometers. Odds are, the radar on those signs has not been calibrated recently. Even cops fail to calibrate their instruments on a regular basis (this can trip them up - ask for calibration records in court). GPS isn't perfect either.
Or ever. Those signs have been reporting the same way since they were installed 2-3 years ago. Don't they use the same radar the police use?
If those signs use the same radar as police do, I'm scared. Drove by quite a few on Monday and only two were within a few mph of my speedometer's speed. One was 22 mph off.
Those signs as well as the ones on portable VMSs Pennsylvania often use radar units that have become obsolete for police use.
Quote from: mightyace on September 01, 2010, 12:37:36 PM
Those signs as well as the ones on portable VMSs Pennsylvania often use radar units that have become obsolete for police use.
They just put one of these in my neighborhood on Monday. Walking by it, it clocked my speed at 7-10 mph.
I wish we had a 12mph tolerance. Instead it's 10%+2mph so in a 30 the trigger speed is 35, 40 is 46, 50 is 57 and so on. On an open freeway where the limit is 70 the mobile Talivans that sit on bridges are nabbing people for doing 79 in perfect safety :banghead:
9 mph is a pretty decent-sized tolerance, though. I've always heard around here that the tolerance is generally 5 MPH.
Quote from: Scott5114 on September 01, 2010, 04:31:07 PM
9 mph is a pretty decent-sized tolerance, though. I've always heard around here that the tolerance is generally 5 MPH.
Tolerances seem to vary from place to place, and even from vehicle to vehicle. I've gone past cops on the expressways and tollways here at 10 over and never been bothered. But, then again, I follow at 2 seconds or more distance, don't drive like a douche, and keep my cell phone out of sight while driving with the flow of traffic. On the other hand, I don't really speed much on surface streets either, just the expressway.
Shall I completely ruin the point of this thread by bringing up relativistic effects? :P
Quote from: Scott5114 on September 01, 2010, 07:20:00 PM
Shall I completely ruin the point of this thread by bringing up relativistic effects? :P
just do it last week or something.
Oh, man are we going to get into weird time shit too? Predestination paradoxes are DELICIOUS.
Quote from: Scott5114 on September 01, 2010, 07:22:15 PM
Oh, man are we going to get into weird time shit too? Predestination paradoxes are DELICIOUS.
we were, but then we won't be. except for when we will, at which point we will have done so.
Do they still have the NO TOLERANCE auxiliary signs in Oklahoma below the speed limit signs? When I worked there in '85, they were all over the place.
Not on freeways. They might still be posted sporadically on turnpikes, which have a higher speed limit.
Quote from: RoadWarrior56 on September 01, 2010, 08:01:56 PM
Do they still have the NO TOLERANCE auxiliary signs in Oklahoma below the speed limit signs? When I worked there in '85, they were all over the place.
Quote from: Scott5114 on September 01, 2010, 09:40:30 PM
Not on freeways. They might still be posted sporadically on turnpikes, which have a higher speed limit.
I think there are still some on the Muskogee Turnpike.
Quote from: RoadWarrior56 on September 01, 2010, 08:01:56 PM
Do they still have the NO TOLERANCE auxiliary signs in Oklahoma below the speed limit signs? When I worked there in '85, they were all over the place.
Arkansas has those as well, or "strictly enforced" or something similar.
Quote from: Scott5114 on September 01, 2010, 07:20:00 PM
Shall I completely ruin the point of this thread by bringing up relativistic effects? :P
Just don't speed on the surface streets. Running the red light because it's green at your speed is very dangerous.
Quote from: Scott5114 on September 01, 2010, 07:20:00 PM
Shall I completely ruin the point of this thread by bringing up relativistic effects? :P
How about relative velocity? As my physics professor explained, it's a very good topic to know about if you're ever caught speeding.
The three times I've ever been pulled over for speeding: 88 on 80 ... 80 on 75 ... and 73 on 70 (all in Texas), none of them got me tickets, but each of the officers did give me a stern warning to slow it down.
So now, even going 2-3 over, my pulse races when I see a police car within sight.
Seriously? 3 over? Was there a night speed limit involved or something?
It was broad daylight, clear skies, and no one else on the road for miles. The officer had the legal right to stop me as I was technically breaking the law, so I was bracing for a ticket, but was relieved that I got off the hook without one.
The posted limit was 70 MPH, and the officer said that he clocked me at 73. I didn't realize my speed at the moment he pulled me over.
Quote from: jgb191 on September 05, 2010, 07:50:32 PM
It was broad daylight, clear skies, and no one else on the road for miles. The officer had the legal right to stop me as I was technically breaking the law, so I was bracing for a ticket, but was relieved that I got off the hook without one.
The posted limit was 70 MPH, and the officer said that he clocked me at 73. I didn't realize my speed at the moment he pulled me over.
What an anal prick of a cop.
According to Wikipedia, U.S. law allows a 5% margin of error on speedometers. At 70 MPH, this translates to ±3.5 MPH. Had he ticketed you, you probably could have successfully challenged it.
I just learned something....thanks Scott.
Quote from: Scott5114 on September 05, 2010, 09:06:43 PM
According to Wikipedia, U.S. law allows a 5% margin of error on speedometers. At 70 MPH, this translates to ±3.5 MPH. Had he ticketed you, you probably could have successfully challenged it.
At the tollbooth on the Muskogee Turnpike just south of Muskogee, there are electronic signs that tell you how fast you are going. When my speedometer indicates 30 MPH, the signs say 27-28 MPH. I don't know how accurate those signs are, but they can't be any more inaccurate than police radar.
^^
I've seen some signs similar to these in my area, on neighborhood streets. They aren't the moveable kind like the police use; they're permanently installed.
Be well,
Bryant
I always thought the majority of cops give a 5 to 9 MPH tolerance(its probably mostly 5 MPH but ive never been stopped for doing anything lower than 10 MPH). All cops are different, but they or anyone else cant expect for a speedo gauge to stay perfectly aligned with the speed limit the entire time, and with most of the speed limits on these roads these days "artifically" set, no one is going to even want to drive slower than the speed limit on a general basis. I dont care what the law is, getting pulled over for doing only 5 MPH or less over the speed limit is an asshole move IMHO....
Quote from: bugo on September 05, 2010, 10:45:11 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on September 05, 2010, 09:06:43 PM
According to Wikipedia, U.S. law allows a 5% margin of error on speedometers. At 70 MPH, this translates to ±3.5 MPH. Had he ticketed you, you probably could have successfully challenged it.
At the tollbooth on the Muskogee Turnpike just south of Muskogee, there are electronic signs that tell you how fast you are going. When my speedometer indicates 30 MPH, the signs say 27-28 MPH. I don't know how accurate those signs are, but they can't be any more inaccurate than police radar.
May have more to do with the accuracy of your speedometer than radar. The speedometer in my previous car would overstate my speed by 2 or 3 MPH, according to a GPS unit I have. I haven't done that test with my current car yet.
In Georgia, it is illegal for a county, city, or campus officer to pull you over unless your speed exceeds the posted speed limit by more than 10 miles per hour on most federal and state routes (most exceptions are within city limits). It is the extremely rare occasion when a Georgia State Patrol officer will pull you over for doing 10 mph or less over the posted speed limit on an interstate or other major highway (maybe heavy rain or construction zone). As a result, my common practice is to set the cruise control as close to 9.5 mph over speed limit as I can get it. In doing so, I have not been pulled over for speeding in that type of situation (many years).
In contrast, on a recent trip to Colorado, I set cruise-control at "speed limit + 9.5" and was pulled over on I-70 a little bit east of Grand Junction. The officer was kind enough to let me off with a warning, but told me in no uncertain terms that the "Georgia custom" did not apply in Colorado.
In general terms, which custom is more common in the states: the Georgia "SL + 10" custom, or the Colorado "the SL IS the SL" model?
really, 9.5 over the limit in Colorado on I-70? that's a tad petty. Texas seems to be the only state that will pull you over for 5 over on the freeways ... but at least they sign up to 80 in some places.
you just cannot tell a lot of the time - it depends on the state, the day of the month, the cop's mood, whether someone shat in his donuts this morning, etc.
Tends to vary widely by road type
I found 7 to be a good maximum guideline on rural roads in Washington State- I passed several cops going 7 over without being pulled over. On Puget Sound area freeways, you're generally safe as long as you keep it under 70 (speed limit 55 on SR 18, 60 everywhere else)
Wyoming seems to be cool with 10 over off-freeway (SL usually 65) if there's not much traffic, but if you're going more than 5 over on the freeway (SL 75) you're at good risk of getting a ticket.
My Colorado experiences also vary by road- I-25 in Denver where the speed limit drops to 55 or 65, you tend to be good as long as you're under 75, but you couldn't go 95 in the 75 on I-25- there you're at risk if you're going much more than 82 or so. I passed a cop going 85 on I-76 east of Brush once and did not get pulled over
Idaho is all over the map- some parts of the state are cool with 10 over (those tend to be the eastern parts), but if you're in western Idaho it's pretty common to get tickets for going more than 5 over, especially in towns.
In all of the Great Lakes states, I haven't been bothered for anything under 10 over on the highway.
I've been pulled over twice for exactly 10 over by local cops; both times I was let off with a warning. At least one of those was a "drunk check" at 2:30am (the officer said as much)
I'm not sure it's possible to get pulled over for anything under 20 over on Chicago area freeways, at least judging by the sheer volume of people blowing me off the road while I'm doing 10 over. Same with metro Detroit.
The Pennsylvania State Police will let you alone up to 10 over the limit, but +11 is when you'll get noticed.
I got pulled over once for going 72 in a 65 zone in Wisconsin. I thought that was pretty lame. OTherwise, I usually drive 5-10 over the limit and never have a problem. I'm not totally sure what Wisconsin's standards are, but usually if you keep it under 10 over the limit you're ok.
I once got nailed for 74 in a 70 in Nevada. Horseshit! They tried to pass it off as 74 in a 55 but I insisted that I had not yet reached their mountain pass section, as I could clearly see the 55 drop in the distance (with just as little traffic as the straight section) and they dropped it to a $80 fine.
US-50 - not the loneliest road in the US. It's swarming with cops. You can gamble, you can find hookers ... but don't you dare go fast on the open road, it ain't 1972 no more.
Quote from: PAHighways on September 15, 2010, 09:06:36 PM
The Pennsylvania State Police will let you alone up to 10 over the limit, but +11 is when you'll get noticed.
I was on I-476 several years ago keeping up with the rest of the traffic doing 80 in a 55 and no one braked upon seeing a cop car parked in the median, nor did the cop give chase.
Quote from: tchafe1978 on September 15, 2010, 11:14:51 PM
I got pulled over once for going 72 in a 65 zone in Wisconsin. I thought that was pretty lame. OTherwise, I usually drive 5-10 over the limit and never have a problem. I'm not totally sure what Wisconsin's standards are, but usually if you keep it under 10 over the limit you're ok.
TECHNICALLY: Wisconsin's standards are >= 1mph over - but that's often the judgment of the cop. Remember - fines go towards profit for the state and cops's salaries. They probably have quotas.
In NY you can get pulled over for even 1mph over, but you're virtually guaranteed to get away with up to 5 over, and it's rare to be pulled over for anything less than 10 over, though I have heard rumors of a threshold of 68 mph. Also watch out at the end of the month and heavy travel weekends - those are when the police are looking to ticket people. Also, buses don't get pulled over for less than 80.
Quote from: Truvelo on September 16, 2010, 11:55:20 AM
Quote from: PAHighways on September 15, 2010, 09:06:36 PM
The Pennsylvania State Police will let you alone up to 10 over the limit, but +11 is when you'll get noticed.
I was on I-476 several years ago keeping up with the rest of the traffic doing 80 in a 55 and no one braked upon seeing a cop car parked in the median, nor did the cop give chase.
That is a very, very rare situation.
Quote from: Master son on September 16, 2010, 12:00:22 PM
Quote from: tchafe1978 on September 15, 2010, 11:14:51 PM
I got pulled over once for going 72 in a 65 zone in Wisconsin. I thought that was pretty lame. OTherwise, I usually drive 5-10 over the limit and never have a problem. I'm not totally sure what Wisconsin's standards are, but usually if you keep it under 10 over the limit you're ok.
TECHNICALLY: Wisconsin's standards are >= 1mph over - but that's often the judgment of the cop. Remember - fines go towards profit for the state and cops's salaries. They probably have quotas.
Racine County's standards are even lower for Illinois plates. I think they're at 0.1mph over the limit. :ded:
I've gone 100 mph on I-45(it was in the middle of nowhere)
It should be noted that in Ontario, Canada, If you're 50 km over the limit (typical is 100km, 50km over is 93 mph), they fine you CAD$5,000
Quote from: PAHighways on September 16, 2010, 02:44:26 PM
Quote from: Truvelo on September 16, 2010, 11:55:20 AM
Quote from: PAHighways on September 15, 2010, 09:06:36 PM
The Pennsylvania State Police will let you alone up to 10 over the limit, but +11 is when you'll get noticed.
I was on I-476 several years ago keeping up with the rest of the traffic doing 80 in a 55 and no one braked upon seeing a cop car parked in the median, nor did the cop give chase.
That is a very, very rare situation.
Maybe in Pennsylvania, but in Michigan, especially Detroit, it's par for the course. The old joke about Detroit freeway traffic is that the limit is 70mph, traffic is moving past the cop on the side at 85mph, and he's only looking for people doing triple digits.
I've lived in Indiana all my life and have never, ever had a run in with the Indiana State Police, even though in my younger days I routinely pushed the envelope on the Interstates here. The ISP has a reputation for being fairly relaxed about speeding up to 10 mph over, and tolerant beyond that if you're not stupid about it (e.g., passing a cop at 15 over the limit). There are exceptions, including a well-known trooper who likes to patrol US 31 near where in intersects with US 24. I've been driving Indiana's Interstates and expressways for 24 years and have never once been popped on them, despite driving considerably more stupidly when I was still in my 20s.
jim
Quote from: PAHighways on September 16, 2010, 02:44:26 PM
Quote from: Truvelo on September 16, 2010, 11:55:20 AM
Quote from: PAHighways on September 15, 2010, 09:06:36 PM
The Pennsylvania State Police will let you alone up to 10 over the limit, but +11 is when you'll get noticed.
I was on I-476 several years ago keeping up with the rest of the traffic doing 80 in a 55 and no one braked upon seeing a cop car parked in the median, nor did the cop give chase.
That is a very, very rare situation.
It was in the news a couple of months ago that police along I-79 (I think somewhere between the Allegheny Co - Washington Co line and the Parkway West) were only targeting drivers doing 80+, and were still surprised at the amount of tickets they wrote.
(That was just their policy for this operation. Certainly no guarantee that you won't get a ticket doing less)
Quote from: Brandon on September 16, 2010, 11:16:19 PMMaybe in Pennsylvania, but in Michigan, especially Detroit, it's par for the course. The old joke about Detroit freeway traffic is that the limit is 70mph, traffic is moving past the cop on the side at 85mph, and he's only looking for people doing triple digits.
Speeding is commonplace in the urban centers here too. I'll have people blow by like I am standing still on the Turnpike outside Philadelphia or the Parkway East in Monroeville even going 75 (which is +20 on said sections).
I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've seen PSP sitting anywhere on the latter between Grant Street and the Turnpike over the years.
Quote from: mobilene on September 17, 2010, 07:44:10 AM
I've lived in Indiana all my life and have never, ever had a run in with the Indiana State Police, even though in my younger days I routinely pushed the envelope on the Interstates here. The ISP has a reputation for being fairly relaxed about speeding up to 10 mph over, and tolerant beyond that if you're not stupid about it (e.g., passing a cop at 15 over the limit). There are exceptions, including a well-known trooper who likes to patrol US 31 near where in intersects with US 24. I've been driving Indiana's Interstates and expressways for 24 years and have never once been popped on them, despite driving considerably more stupidly when I was still in my 20s.
jim
Both times I've been pulled over in Indiana have been by ISP, of course, both times I was going 15 over the speed limit, and both times it was in the morning, which might be the main explanation. I usually do 80 on the rural interstates and 70 in Indianapolis and have never had a problem, I figure if I'm going at least 20 over I'm probably asking for it.
Quote from: mobilene on September 17, 2010, 07:44:10 AM
I've lived in Indiana all my life and have never, ever had a run in with the Indiana State Police, even though in my younger days I routinely pushed the envelope on the Interstates here. The ISP has a reputation for being fairly relaxed about speeding up to 10 mph over, and tolerant beyond that if you're not stupid about it (e.g., passing a cop at 15 over the limit). There are exceptions, including a well-known trooper who likes to patrol US 31 near where in intersects with US 24. I've been driving Indiana's Interstates and expressways for 24 years and have never once been popped on them, despite driving considerably more stupidly when I was still in my 20s.
jim
You sure that's a trooper? Back when I was driving between Fort Wayne and Lafayette just about weekly, all I ever saw was Peru city cops.
I've been written up for 85 in a 65 in New York (state trooper), 80 in a 70 in Texas (county sheriff), and 81 in a 70 in California (CHP). In Rhode Island I got stopped for 45 in a 20 school zone but the officer (town officer) wrote down 30 in a 20, and the ticket eventually was dismissed. I grew up in Rhode Island and knew a lot of people getting pulled over for things like 90 in a 55, and being written up only for 10 over. The courtesy probably didn't extend to out of state plates.
Wow, just hearing about all these people doing 20-30 over the limit makes me kind of jealous. Just be glad you don't have to deal with the Texas law enforcement.
I've been pulled over doing 73 on 70 and 88 on 80, I was very lucky to escape without a ticket, the officers did administer a very stern warning to slow it down. Some of the people around me haven't been that lucky; they've been written up doing anywhere from 5-15 over.
By complete contrast, have briefly driven in Chicago for a couple of days and I was overwhelmed by the sheer madness and chaos, I was doing 65 on 55 (average speed was anywhere between 70 and 80) and even police cars honked at me as they blew past me. Makes me wonder why they even have a speed limit if nobody chooses to follow it.
Its a clear indication that the police think the 55 zone buffer around Chicago is ridiculous. on I-90 it extends as far west as Elgin and as far east as the West end plaza of the Closed loop portion of the Indiana Road. I-94 has it's 55 buffer as far north as the Waukegan plaza (only 3 miles of 65 exist on I-94 in Illinois).
New York City area doesn't have such a buffer whatsoever. The I-95 limit is 65 pretty much close to the middle of Westchester County, before its toned down to 55 - and then 50 once you get into the Bronx. The limit is 45 (variable) on I-95 coming off the GWB, but goes up by 10s until you get to the split. The boroughs are 50, but once you leave the city, you don't get far and it's 65 - esp on the Turnpike. Exceptions made for the bridges which have insanely narrow lanes (Gothals comes to mind.)) I only speak from an I-95 point of view though since that was the only route I took for the most part (I-278 was 55 for the most part in Jersey). I can't speak for I-87 or Long Island. (I'm assuming the Parkways are 50 or thereabouts.
Los Angeles has 65 pretty much everywhere except right downtown. Here I'm speaking only from an I-10 point of view.
So what the hell's wrong with Chicago that it warrants a huge 55 buffer? The state government wants money - but judging by a post above, the police tend not to cooperate.
I-87 is 55 upon leaving the Bronx but waits until after the Spring Valley toll barrier to go 65. I imagine the parkways are 55 in Westchester County.
Sprain Brook's 50, and I think the Taconic is 55 all the way. The Hutch I'm pretty sure is 55.
Cross County Pkwy is posted 45mph.
Quote from: realjd on September 19, 2010, 08:10:10 PM
Quote from: mobilene on September 17, 2010, 07:44:10 AM
There are exceptions, including a well-known trooper who likes to patrol US 31 near where in intersects with US 24.
You sure that's a trooper? Back when I was driving between Fort Wayne and Lafayette just about weekly, all I ever saw was Peru city cops.
They patrol US 31/US 24, too, but this ISP trooper I'm talking about was so notorious that there was once a big profile of him in the South Bend paper.
Quote from: deanej on September 16, 2010, 01:14:37 PM
In NY you can get pulled over for even 1mph over, but you're virtually guaranteed to get away with up to 5 over, and it's rare to be pulled over for anything less than 10 over, though I have heard rumors of a threshold of 68 mph. Also watch out at the end of the month and heavy travel weekends - those are when the police are looking to ticket people. Also, buses don't get pulled over for less than 80.
That explains why a Greyhound Toronto charter blew past me on the Thruway WB in the Exit 39-40 construction zone. I was doing 55 (nighttime + workzone + no shoulders), and the Greyhound just BLOWS by me in the left-hand lane.
Makes me wonder if anyone enforces the "no trucks, buses, trailers left lane" stuff.
Quote from: deanej on September 24, 2010, 08:38:37 AM
Makes me wonder if anyone enforces the "no trucks, buses, trailers left lane" stuff.
They sure as hell don't on the expressways around Chicago.
Has anyone ever seen aircraft enforcing speed limits? Most of us have seen signs like this:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vapersonalinjuryaccidentattorney.com%2Fupload%2Ff5d075910.jpg&hash=b870663139c01cb0294d63831c166c25e1916993)
Ex: Virginia (recently suspended aerial speed limit enforcement detail)
I've only seen it once, and it was earlier this year. I was on my way to Olean via the Thruway westbound. I was riding shotgun, and I saw a chopper either hovering or moving very slowly. The driver was speeding, so I told him to slow it down - that the chopper was running radar.
Sure enough, there's a state trooper sitting on the next onramp, waiting for the chopper to vector him in.
Quote from: burgess87 on September 24, 2010, 01:31:58 PM
Has anyone ever seen aircraft enforcing speed limits?
yep, I see them all the time. Look for white horizontal lines on the shoulder - they will measure a car's speed by seeing how much time it takes for it to go between two white lines. Sometimes next to the white line, a little airplane is painted on the road surface as well.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on September 24, 2010, 01:49:24 PM
Quote from: burgess87 on September 24, 2010, 01:31:58 PM
Has anyone ever seen aircraft enforcing speed limits?
yep, I see them all the time. Look for white horizontal lines on the shoulder - they will measure a car's speed by seeing how much time it takes for it to go between two white lines. Sometimes next to the white line, a little airplane is painted on the road surface as well.
Like the government doesn't have anything better to spend money on than planes going after somebody going 5 over.
I've often wondered how the FAA looks at the speed patrol flights. I cannot imagine they're very happy with them as they want flight plans from everyone who flys any non-military aircraft in the US.
Quote from: burgess87 on September 24, 2010, 01:31:58 PM
The driver was speeding, so I told him to slow it down - that the chopper was running radar.
They don't necessarily use radar. Before it was discontinued in Pennsylvania, there were lines on the pavement 1/4 mile apart, IIRC. The cop in the plane/chopper used a stop watch to time you and if you took too little time, gothca!
I suppose OK used to use the aircraft-enforcement method, since the white lines are painted extensively on the state's interstates, but I have never noticed aircraft actively in use to do so. OK used to have a non-standard sign for this–a yellow diamond reading "WATCH YOUR SPEED: WE ARE" with silhouettes of a motorcycle, police car, and airplane. I've only seen one or two of them, however. One used to be on I-40 WB west of downtown OKC but I'm not sure if it's there anymore.
Quote from: Scott5114 on September 24, 2010, 09:24:30 PM
OK used to have a non-standard sign for this–a yellow diamond reading "WATCH YOUR SPEED: WE ARE" with silhouettes of a motorcycle, police car, and airplane.
I used to see this type of sign in Indiana often. They would typically be posted where "WATCH FOR ICE ON BRIDGE" signs would be placed during colder months.
See, Oklahoma used to use WATCH FOR ICE ON BRIDGE signs (with ICE in bigger letters) that folded up into a blue triangle reading "KEEP OKLAHOMA BEAUTIFUL" during the summer months. These were later replaced with the "Oklahoma: Keep Our Land Grand" anti-trash logo in the mid 90s. By the late 2000s these were done away with, and now there are plain yellow diamond signs reading "BRIDGE ICES BEFORE ROAD" which is left there all year.
Quote from: Brandon on September 24, 2010, 03:17:24 PMI've often wondered how the FAA looks at the speed patrol flights. I cannot imagine they're very happy with them as they want flight plans from everyone who flys any non-military aircraft in the US.
I was under the impression that flight plans are not generally required for planes flying under visual flight rules and thus not in controlled airspace.
Quote from: Master son on September 21, 2010, 04:28:35 PM
The I-95 limit is 65 pretty much close to the middle of Westchester County, before its toned down to 55
Wait, what? There's no 65 zone on I-95 in New York. You have to go past New Haven before you find one heading north.
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on September 22, 2010, 05:18:40 PM
Sprain Brook's 50, and I think the Taconic is 55 all the way. The Hutch I'm pretty sure is 55.
Pretty sure the Sprain is 55. Which is annoying; the Sprain/Taconic could proabably be 60 or 65 most of the way from Tuckahoe Rd up to the Putnam County line. It's a wide open modern road - sufficient shoulders, no sharp curves, none of those glorified right turn exits, not particularly urban...
Though, I wouldn't be surprised if it's against the law or at least against some policy to post a parkway at higher than 55.
The Hutch is 55 north of about exit 17 or so. South of there it's 50.
Quote from: citrus on September 22, 2010, 08:06:29 PM
Cross County Pkwy is posted 45mph.
Only west of route 22. The east end is 50.
The 45
really makes no sense. Coincidentally, the county police love to hang out along there. I wonder why? :spin:
Quote from: Duke87 on September 26, 2010, 07:01:25 PM
Pretty sure the Sprain is 55.
Sorry, mixed it up with the Saw Mill River Pkwy. I remember it being 50 when I drove it between the Taconic and I-287 back in August, but forgot which road it was apparently.
Quote from: Steve on May 16, 2011, 10:41:27 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on May 16, 2011, 10:12:26 PM
Welcome to California: speed limits now actually enforced.
Jake, I'd have put that one in Texas given my experience. Welcome to California: Se Habla Espanol.
Texas has always enforced their limits. on the rural sections of I-10 and I-20 with ever-increasing speed limit signage, I know that when the speed limit was 75, about 84mph was what they enforced. When they raised it to 80, the tolerance dropped and, again, it was 84 that they pulled you over for.
now that they are raising the speed limit to 85 ... I'd still worry about doing more than 84!
California was, in my experience, completely devoid of speed enforcement activity on its rural highways until recently. I used to be able to do a Sacramento-San Diego run (510 miles) in 5h 40 min, averaging 91-92mph... and that included moving 0mph for several minutes as I got gas twice! Usually I had cruise control on 98 or 99 and never thought twice about it.
Nowadays it just isn't possible anymore, as the state is broke and looking towards revenue from any source possible. I would estimate that between January and now, the presence of cops doing speed limit enforcement has gone up by literally a factor of 50.
nowadays I'm doing 81 in an 80 in west Texas... and in California, 73 in a 65 or 77 in a 70. I've talked my way out of 24 straight speeding tickets dating back to 2006; I do not intend for that streak to end!
[Adding quote for continuity purposes. -S.]
Quote from: Steve on May 16, 2011, 10:49:05 PM
In California, I raced with impunity along old 66, easily going 80 in 55 zones.
heh. last time I was there, I managed to take the rental car up to 126 before having to slow down for a dip. Usually, though, I set my cruise control for 66mph on that road. It seems appropriate.
QuoteIn Texas I got yoinked for 73 in a 70 on US 380 in the middle of nowhere.
Texas: the most honest speed limits in the nation. they have the highest postings, and the strictest enforcements. I'd actually wish that all states did it that way. I'm happy to do 75 in a 75 on a West Texas two-laner, or even 71 in a 75 when the road conditions are not quite up to snuff (and at night I find myself doing 53-60 when the limit is posted as 65, because I know that deer and cows have not yet been made retroreflective).
I just read somewhere a few weeks ago that Maryland's official tolerance is 12mph (so, 77 in a 65 before they start looking for you). If you're going to enforce 77, then sign 77! There should be at most 1-2 mph tolerance for a faulty speedometer; otherwise, to sign one thing and enforce another, keeping the population guessing, is the definition of lack of government accountability.
I remember growing up in Massachusetts in the era of the NMSL, and my dad was driving 72 in a 55 constantly, saying "it's 75 that they enforce". Indeed, the entire speed of traffic was around 70-73, even when driving past a cop; no one bothered to slow down.
but now that we've moved past federal speed limit guidelines ... can we be a bit more practical about it??
to add further to the hypocrisy of speed limits (and please make this a separate thread, or combine it with a thread that mentions speed limits) - the state of Montana, which recognized the problem quite well for years.
before the NMSL of 1973, Montana had no speed limit on rural roads. If you were going clearly far too fast, they pulled you over for reckless driving. The rule was, generally, "try to keep it under 100".
in 1973, the speed limit became 55, enforceable by penalty. However, if Montana police pulled you over for anything between 55 and about 95 or so (which wasn't likely to be their target of attention in the first place) they issued you a $5 ticket, for "wasting natural resources" - which was payable, in cash, on the spot. Indeed, the rule was "try to keep it under 100".
in 1996 when the NMSL was banned, Montana adopted a policy of Reasonable and Prudent on its rural roads. It basically amounted to - you guessed it - "try to keep it under 100".
at one point, the ruling was challenged. It seems that someone, on a clear day, straight road, no traffic ... I-94 between Forsyth and Miles City, someone in a Camaro was pulled over for doing 134. The driver argued that he was, indeed, being reasonable and prudent, given the absence of traffic and the exemplary engineering of the four-lane interstate highway in front of him. He took the case to court. And it went high enough up that the "reasonable and prudent" law was thrown out by the Montana Supreme Court. So, for a few blissful months before they could enact new legislation, there was no speed limit at all. There surely were provisions for reckless driving, but, as written, the law wasn't even "try to keep it under 100".
In the middle of 1999 (gotta love legislative inertia ... I remember the Reasonable and Prudent signs existing in August, 1998), Montana enacted a fixed speed limit, being the fiftieth of fifty states to do so. It was 75 then, and remains 75 now. Its enforcement, however, remained somewhat spotty. Basically, word spread that the state police and the county sheriffs would tolerate a lot of leeway, because they have better things to do. Posted 75, but in reality - given that I've driven past police doing 92 in a posted 75 in Montana - the real rule is somewhat more lenient...
Montana's standard since the 1950s ... say it with me, folks!
try to keep it under 100!!!!
Quote from: Scott5114 on August 30, 2010, 09:49:47 AM
Quote from: deanej on August 30, 2010, 09:17:53 AM
With that policy, if you keep the needle on the speed limit, you probably don't even have to slow down in work zones! They could simply set up a zero-tolerance policy for speeding (ticket for even 2 over the limit) and accomplish the same goal.
Except you cannot do that, because speedometers probably have a normal margin of error of at least ±2 mph.
Tell that to the government of Victoria. The speed cameras there will ticket you for going 3 km/h over the limit, even though Australian federal law allows an official tolerance for speedometer error of 10%. In a 100 km/h zone, that means Victoria allows you less than 3% tolerance.
in many dozens of rental cars, where I have compared my speedometer to my GPS, the largest margin of error I've ever seen is 2 mph.
and it seems that about 90% of vehicles I've rented overestimate their speed. so, for example, when it says 80mph, I am really doing only 78.
I've had only one or two that were underestimators. And that, again, by only about 1 or 2 mph.
Quote from: RoadWarrior56 on September 01, 2010, 08:01:56 PM
Do they still have the NO TOLERANCE auxiliary signs in Oklahoma below the speed limit signs? When I worked there in '85, they were all over the place.
I remember seeing one in 1980, below a sign where "55" had been painted over "70".
Quote from: Duke87 on September 26, 2010, 07:01:25 PM
Quote from: Master son on September 21, 2010, 04:28:35 PM
The I-95 limit is 65 pretty much close to the middle of Westchester County, before its toned down to 55
Wait, what? There's no 65 zone on I-95 in New York. You have to go past New Haven before you find one heading north.
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on September 22, 2010, 05:18:40 PM
Sprain Brook's 50, and I think the Taconic is 55 all the way. The Hutch I'm pretty sure is 55.
Pretty sure the Sprain is 55. Which is annoying; the Sprain/Taconic could proabably be 60 or 65 most of the way from Tuckahoe Rd up to the Putnam County line. It's a wide open modern road - sufficient shoulders, no sharp curves, none of those glorified right turn exits, not particularly urban...
Though, I wouldn't be surprised if it's against the law or at least against some policy to post a parkway at higher than 55.
The Hutch is 55 north of about exit 17 or so. South of there it's 50.
Quote from: citrus on September 22, 2010, 08:06:29 PM
Cross County Pkwy is posted 45mph.
Only west of route 22. The east end is 50.
The 45 really makes no sense. Coincidentally, the county police love to hang out along there. I wonder why? :spin:
Yeah, New Yorkers know how to break the speed limit like nobody's buisness. Personal favorites are 85 on Saw Mill in N. Yonkers [around Executive/Farragut Blvds, with Stoplights] or 100mph on 684.