Never speed in Virginia... - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

JB3 · #31 01-19-2015, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skippy

Worked at what?

This is why you don't out drive your line of sight.

I have a problem with this punishment. It simply isn't appropriate to jail someone just for driving fast. Speeding on limited access highways can be a great way to get caught. The local cops aren't real big on speed enforcement, but they will bust you on a freeway if you're going fast enough. In my area many of the rural two lanes are essentially unpatrolled. The speed limit doesn't mean anything if there's no one enforcing it. I don't know about your area, but in mine speed limits are set so low that 93 in a 55 can be relatively safe as long as you do it at the right time and don't get caught.

Was 75 an unsafe speed for you to be traveling under the conditions? We have a road here called Spooner Grade with is inexplicably signed 50 mph. Most people go 70-75. Fortunately cops are seldom seen on that road.

Worked as an incentive for him not to put himself in that position again. He says as much in the article

pretty much any speed over what, 45? Is outdriving your line of sight in the full dark with no street lights, as in my situation in the above example. I have another example, again at night where even at 50mph barely avoided a deer in the dark.

Everyone always assumes they are the greatest driver ever. The problem is line of sight is a constantly changing thing, and at over 90mph in this guys case during the day, his reaction time compared to his speed would be terribly degraded.

I consider speeding 10 to 15 over the limit, and i have a lead foot. Nearly twice the limit is stupid in extreme. With a 55mph limit in this guys place, i would have been doing 65ish, no more.

Skippy · #32 01-19-2015, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JB3

I consider speeding 10 to 15 over the limit, and i have a lead foot. Nearly twice the limit is stupid in extreme. With a 55mph limit in this guys place, i would have been doing 65ish, no more.

One mph over is speeding. Pretty much everybody speeds at least some of the time. This is why I advocate speed limit reform. From a legal perspective, doubling (or more) the speed limit may not be such a good idea, but there are places here and there where the speed limit is so out of whack with what's safe that double the speed limit (or more) doesn't necessarily constitute a safety issue. BTW, in that guy's place I would have been doing 55 and wishing that the event a) was being held on a race track instead of public roads or b) that they picked some state less nuts about speeding than Virginia. Say, Nevada. I'll give you an example. I have a co-worker who borrowed his brother's ZX-6R back when he was 16. Being 16 he decided to find out how fast it would go. He found it did about 160. So did Reno PD. Once he realized he was being chased, he pulled over and waited (rather a long time) for the po-po to catch up. Despite having gone 95 over the speed limit, with no motorcycle license, on a bike that wasn't his, he didn't go to jail, and the bike wasn't impounded. He did get a $2500 fine and a court order barring him from having a motorcycle license until age 21.

aklim · #33 01-20-2015, 12:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skippy

It simply isn't appropriate to jail someone just for driving fast. Speeding on limited access highways can be a great way to get caught.

I don't know about your area, but in mine speed limits are set so low that 93 in a 55 can be relatively safe as long as you do it at the right time and don't get caught.

It isn't appropriate to jail me for a beer either but when I slam 10 and go for a drive, it is a different story. IF our friend was going 5 over, you are correct.

Nothing is illegal till you get caught. If you are not willing to pay, don't play. I take the risk, I know the penalty so I should not be squealing like a stuck pig if I get caught. Writer should just "man up", as they say, do his time and move on. Instead we get to hear his subtle whine.

aklim · #34 01-20-2015, 12:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spdrun

I know that stretch of road well. 4-lane, semi-limited access, but with cross roads without traffic lights. Safe for maybe 70-75.

Seems like the county has themselves a hangin' judge though. And the state has a problem with laws that enable judges like him.

Safe for 70-75 based on what? Your vast knowledge as an traffic engineer?

Solution is simple. Don't cause yourself to go before him. As a kid, I occasionally went up against the school principle. Usually, I ended up bending over the desk and getting a cane swished on my ass repeatedly. Finally, I caught on. Don't do the things that get you there and you sit comfortably.

aklim · #35 01-20-2015, 12:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skippy

One mph over is speeding. Pretty much everybody speeds at least some of the time.

but there are places here and there where the speed limit is so out of whack with what's safe that double the speed limit (or more) doesn't necessarily constitute a safety issue

Yes we do it several times a day. What of it? We know that we run the risk of getting caught for anything when we do it. Can't go home crying to mama about getting pinched when we went to poke the bear.

When you have traffic engineers state that, I'm all ears.

Txjake · #36 01-20-2015, 10:08 AM

holy crap, for a car & driver forum, we certainly have a few "don't speed, it's bad" types here. speed limits are mostly for revenue gathering. the whole system needs revising. now it is sort of "pay to ride the king's highway" sort of crap. This is especially true out in the boonies.

OTOH, I guess, most of you diesel guys think 65 or 70 is flying.....

I though VA was a progressive state, guess I was wrong.

aklim · #37 01-20-2015, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Txjake

holy crap, for a car & driver forum, we certainly have a few "don't speed, it's bad" types here. speed limits are mostly for revenue gathering. the whole system needs revising. now it is sort of "pay to ride the king's highway" sort of crap. This is especially true out in the boonies.

OTOH, I guess, most of you diesel guys think 65 or 70 is flying.....

I though VA was a progressive state, guess I was wrong.

The higher up you go, the more risky. I don't care how good you think you are. That much is fact. How much risk the public is willing to assume is another issue. As I said, you want to run against what the public wants, as long as you are able and willing to pay the price, go for it. Just don't come whining about it tomorrow when you get the bill, much like the writer in his subtle way. Take the attitude that if you want to play, you gotta be willing and able to pay and STFU when you get nicked. I chose to speed so I pay my dues. I don't whine about how expensive it is when they yank my license or fine me.

P.C. · #38 01-20-2015, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Txjake

holy crap, for a car & driver forum, we certainly have a few "don't speed, it's bad" types here. speed limits are mostly for revenue gathering. the whole system needs revising. now it is sort of "pay to ride the king's highway" sort of crap. This is especially true out in the boonies.

OTOH, I guess, most of you diesel guys think 65 or 70 is flying.....

I though VA was a progressive state, guess I was wrong.

You need to live in a state where the roads have hills and curves, sometimes at the same time. Speed limits are more understandable in such an environment.

aklim · #39 01-20-2015, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P.C.

You need to live in a state where the roads have hills and curves, sometimes at the same time. Speed limits are more understandable in such an environment.

Irrelevant where you live. They drew the line in the sand at the location. You choose to cross it at your peril. They post on our ATV trails "Stay on trail or stay home". Same thing here. If you choose to exceed the limit and get busted, it is the price of fun. I don't come whining about how unfair the law is when I am busted. Don't like it, change the law. Till then, comply or risk being fined. When it come up bad, remember, you chose that path. Don't grumble. STFU and take it.

Txjake · #40 01-20-2015, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P.C.

You need to live in a state where the roads have hills and curves, sometimes at the same time. Speed limits are more understandable in such an environment.

I have, and to a certain extent, you are right. laws are still too arbitrary though. That and repainting virtually every two lane road to be "no passing" is insane too.

MS Fowler · #41 01-20-2015, 11:21 AM

Living in Md, trips into and through Virginia are rather common.
It used to be that the worst routine enforcement was thru Richmond. Then they built the bypass and tough enforcement moved to the bypass. Never trust anyone who "knows" where are the traps; simply avoid speeding..
Or, if you choose to speed, be prepared to pay. You have all been warned.
Knowing how serious Va treats speeders,anyone who arrogantly asserts their RIGHT to speed is asking for trouble. No whining allowed.

About 25 years ago I drove the full length of I81 thru Va or a regular basis. Worst trap I saw was a series of 5 or 6 radar and pursuit teams at one mile intervals. Just when you thought it was safe to crank the speed back up, there was another radar team just waiting. No, they did not get me, but it was impressive.

aklim · #42 01-20-2015, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MS Fowler

Or, if you choose to speed, be prepared to pay. You have all been warned.
Knowing how serious Va treats speeders,anyone who arrogantly asserts their RIGHT to speed is asking for trouble. No whining allowed.

Problem is people want to be able to choose and NOT pay the bill when it comes. I want to eat 5 Big Macs a meal, 3 times a day but I don't want to be fat either. Oh, fries would be great to go with it.

JB3 · #43 01-20-2015, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Txjake

holy crap, for a car & driver forum, we certainly have a few "don't speed, it's bad" types here. speed limits are mostly for revenue gathering. the whole system needs revising. now it is sort of "pay to ride the king's highway" sort of crap. This is especially true out in the boonies.

OTOH, I guess, most of you diesel guys think 65 or 70 is flying.....

I though VA was a progressive state, guess I was wrong.

Are you serious?
93 in a posted 50 is being stupid as you can be. Who cares how safe or unsafe it is, the simple reality is you are going to attract law enforcement like moths to a flame.

He courted punishment, and was thusly punished. Had he been going even 5mph less, he probably would be telling a snarky story about how stupid the cops are in VA. Instead, he stepped over the boundary, and my opinion is he was made an example of probably because of the nature of his job. Were i the judge id assume this journalist would spread the word about what happened to him.

Viola, instant fame for VA for speed enforcement. I bet you everyone who reads that article watches his speed in the huge state of VA.

JB3 · #44 01-20-2015, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skippy

One mph over is speeding. Pretty much everybody speeds at least some of the time. This is why I advocate speed limit reform. From a legal perspective, doubling (or more) the speed limit may not be such a good idea, but there are places here and there where the speed limit is so out of whack with what's safe that double the speed limit (or more) doesn't necessarily constitute a safety issue. BTW, in that guy's place I would have been doing 55 and wishing that the event a) was being held on a race track instead of public roads or b) that they picked some state less nuts about speeding than Virginia. Say, Nevada. I'll give you an example. I have a co-worker who borrowed his brother's ZX-6R back when he was 16. Being 16 he decided to find out how fast it would go. He found it did about 160. So did Reno PD. Once he realized he was being chased, he pulled over and waited (rather a long time) for the po-po to catch up. Despite having gone 95 over the speed limit, with no motorcycle license, on a bike that wasn't his, he didn't go to jail, and the bike wasn't impounded. He did get a $2500 fine and a court order barring him from having a motorcycle license until age 21.

I think speed limits are set by realists. Pretty much everyone speeds some of the time. If i set a limit at 50, i have an average vehicle travel speed in the 60s. If i decide to bump it up to 65, now ill have a large percentage going 75, and so on.

Your co worker was lucky.

aklim · #45 01-20-2015, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JB3

Instead, he stepped over the boundary, and my opinion is he was made an example of probably because of the nature of his job. Were i the judge id assume this journalist would spread the word about what happened to him.

Viola, instant fame for VA for speed enforcement. I bet you everyone who reads that article watches his speed in the huge state of VA.

I don't think the cop cared one way or the other. He didn't get the break he wanted by claiming he was a journalist or a friend of Obama so he wasn't happy and hinted that he might have gotten a harsh sentence because of his vocation. I mean, WGAS about your job? I got pulled over and didn't tell the cop my life story. He just tried the "I'm a journalist. Give me a pass." routine and it didn't work. Perhaps he should have tried the "Do you know who I am?" routine that the celebrities often try to pull. Kudos to the cop for not giving a damn.

Quote:

(By the way, telling the cop you're a journalist doesn't get you out of speeding tickets. Quite the opposite, in some cases.)

I don't think they realized or even cared one way or the other.

Quote:

I covered the courts for a long time when I was a newspaper reporter in Austin, and I was floored to learn Virginia actually sends people to jail just for speeding.

Even by his own admission, he KNEW what the penalty was.

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It was great incentive not to screw up ever again, that's for sure. I'm never going back.

Right. And that is owning up to your mistake.

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I'm also writing to apologize to you all. I made the website I love look bad, and I made my profession look bad. I try to hold myself to a high standard and I fell short of those aspirations. I made a mistake, but I feel like I more than paid for it.

Nothing like a heartfelt apology. As my instructor used to say "Once you but the 'but' in, everything you said was just invalidated. "I apologize for driving drunk and killing your father but..."

Quote:

Once it's over I look forward to not going back to Virginia or D.C. — why I don't like that city is a story for another day — for a long time. But I'll never forget my time there, especially because the extra points on my license, the increased cost of my car insurance, and the fact that I now have a criminal record, won't ever let me.

Awwww. Did the crime but couldn't do the time. Well, it just sucks, doesn't it?