The Speeding Tax! :0

[Brian R. VanCise]

This is some thing we all know about and truthfully it does not start with the police but instead in general with a city council, mayor, county administrator.

I am interested in people's perceptions.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Insurance/InsureYourCar/speeding-youll-pay-higher-taxes.aspx

No LEO bashing though. (that really is not what this is about)

 

[Tez3]

I think the simple thing is that if people didn't speed they wouldn't get stopped and fined! I assume that it's the same as here where if you speed you are breaking the law? It always makes me laugh when people are stopped for speeding then get so irate abut it, it's easy, don't speed! Police get 'go catch some real criminals' yelled at them but speeding kills yet everyne thinks they can drive at whatever speed they like.

You can't blame councils etc for looking at people's stupidity in speeding as a nice little earner. We have speed cameras here and the satnavs that most people have will pick up them and warn you. Drivers still get caught speeding though.

The most annoying thing here though is parking, it costs a fortune to park and a fortune in fines and being towed away, now that is annoying because you have to park up somewhere.

 

[arnisador]

The court costs etc. are getting out of line in my opinion, and seeing the red light cameras viewed first and foremost as revenue-enhancers (as it often seems to me they are) is bothersome. Public safety is a public benefit to be paid by the public--set the fees to discourage misbehaviour, not to raise revenues.

 

[Tez3]

The court costs etc. are getting out of line in my opinion, and seeing the red light cameras viewed first and foremost as revenue-enhancers (as it often seems to me they are) is bothersome. Public safety is a public benefit to be paid by the public--set the fees to discourage misbehaviour, not to raise revenues.

I think if you were to set the fines at a rate that would discourage lawbreaking they'd be a lot higher than they are now!
I'm sorry I can't see speeding as misbehavior, it's illegal here and for a reason, as I said, speed kills.

http://www.slower-speeds.org.uk/sk1.htm

 

[Rich Parsons]

This is some thing we all know about and truthfully it does not start with the police but instead in general with a city council, mayor, county administrator.

I am interested in people's perceptions.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Insurance/InsureYourCar/speeding-youll-pay-higher-taxes.aspx

No LEO bashing though. (that really is not what this is about)

In the 1970's, with the US Gas shortage the US government set a mandate of 55 MPH for a maximum speed limit. This limit was set for fuel economy.

By 1979 and through the 1980's there was a campaign of "Drive 55 and bring them back alive". They found that with the older cars that by slowing down more lives were saved with accidents.

That Mandate is no longer in effect. There are many states that allow 65 MPH and 70 MPH and even 75 MPH in some Plaines or Western States. Review the death rate and it is better today even with the increased speed. The Vehicle Manufacturers have done a good job for safety. The US Federal Safety laws have pushed for this as well.


The reason for speed limits is that under conditions speed can cause an accident as the person will not be able to react in time.


Everyone in Michigan knows that if you are from out of state and drive in Ohio, even by 0.1 mph you will be stopped and fined.

In many locations in the state of Michigan, 5 over is acceptable by the local police. In some areas on major Interstate Highways up to 8 or 9 mph over is ignored.

If certain municipalities decide to take advantage of how people drive then whose fault is it? It is the driver's fault. Yes or no were you over the speed limit?

So, I have no problem with police departments enforcing the law.


I do have issues with the automated systems, as I do not understand how one is allowed to fight it.


I do have issues such as in Georgia that have had Construction areas up in place for 5 years with no construction under going. I have a problem with this as if it is posted 55 and you do 55.1 the fine is doubled. This is unethical as it is true that people were breaking the law, but to leave up a construction zone for 5 years to get more money is something I find to be in poor taste.

 

[BrandonLucas]

Ok...

So, don't speed, and you won't get a fine. Think you were pulled over and given a speeding ticket, but you weren't speeding? Contest the ticket in court...but make sure that you're correct that you weren't speeding, even by 1 mph.

Where I live, I hardly ever see anyone getting pulled over anymore for speeding. I live in the country, away from town, and when I'm going back home from work, I'll get passed every day by the same cars, and I'm doing 60, and the speed limit is 55. And they aren't just passing me...they fly around me...they have to be doing between 75 and 80 mph. There's no need in going that fast everyday. People don't have emergencies everyday at exactly the same time, going the same direction. It just doesn't work that way.

It takes more gas to make your car go fast...that's a well known fact...but these people who speed around are often the ones who complain about high gas prices. But, what they won't realize is that they're contributing more to the usage of gas than I am, which in turn can drive the prices up as supply goes down. But that doesn't matter, as long as they get to speed in their "big trucks" to the bar or fly in their SUV's to their kids' soccer games.

Sometimes, I wish I was a cop. I always seem to find these morons driving around whenever the police are nowhere in sight.

I personally think that justified speeding tickets should cost the person the equivelent of 1 month's worth of gas that it would take to fill their vehicle from empty, assuming that they have to fill up once a week since their gas consumption is so high. I also think that repeat offenders for speeding should be forced to pay double the price of gas that the rest of us have to pay for no less than a year. That'll slow 'em down.

Sorry again....I think I'm just crotchety today.

 

[BrandonLucas]

In the 1970's, with the US Gas shortage the US government set a mandate of 55 MPH for a maximum speed limit. This limit was set for fuel economy.

By 1979 and through the 1980's there was a campaign of "Drive 55 and bring them back alive". They found that with the older cars that by slowing down more lives were saved with accidents.

That Mandate is no longer in effect. There are many states that allow 65 MPH and 70 MPH and even 75 MPH in some Plaines or Western States. Review the death rate and it is better today even with the increased speed. The Vehicle Manufacturers have done a good job for safety. The US Federal Safety laws have pushed for this as well.


The reason for speed limits is that under conditions speed can cause an accident as the person will not be able to react in time.


Everyone in Michigan knows that if you are from out of state and drive in Ohio, even by 0.1 mph you will be stopped and fined.

In many locations in the state of Michigan, 5 over is acceptable by the local police. In some areas on major Interstate Highways up to 8 or 9 mph over is ignored.

If certain municipalities decide to take advantage of how people drive then whose fault is it? It is the driver's fault. Yes or no were you over the speed limit?

So, I have no problem with police departments enforcing the law.


I do have issues with the automated systems, as I do not understand how one is allowed to fight it.


I do have issues such as in Georgia that have had Construction areas up in place for 5 years with no construction under going. I have a problem with this as if it is posted 55 and you do 55.1 the fine is doubled. This is unethical as it is true that people were breaking the law, but to leave up a construction zone for 5 years to get more money is something I find to be in poor taste.

What's funny is that what you're talking about in GA is mostly through the interstates and state highways. The local back roads around here just don't care...not that I've seen.

The construction zones around here are amazingly slow. In the town I live in, the on and off ramps for I-75 have been under construction for just over a year, and the temporary on and off ramps that are set up are ridiculuously dangerous. The ramps are sectioned off with those stupid orange barrells, and they don't give you much space on either side to drive at all...and then, the visibility getting onto I-75 is worse than it was to start with. I can't tell you how many wrecks have happened on those ramps...but will they even think about getting more done on construction?? No....

And the crazy thing is that they don't fine you for speeding at that section of 75...oh no, it's ok to fly through there...they get you closer to the small towns.

 

[terryl965]

Well it does not matter since I drive the posted limit allowed. I see it as do what is ask and no worries do as you like and pay the piper.