Today's speed traps - a new record!

[dck4shrt]

You're right, they would just pass on costs to drivers. I just can't figure why they are so adamant on enacting and enforcing laws to protect you from yourself. Yet you can smoke, drink, become obese or engage in any number of high risk activities if you are old enough. It seems they focus on the roads for some reason.

Society is only willing to tolerate a certain amount of death/injury/carnage on our roadways. When that threshold is exceeded, people call for greater enforcement, more severe penalties, and new laws.
Being fat, drunk, and stupid, is legal, and in general you will only hurt yourself. But if you want to get behind the wheel of a 3,000+ lb vehicle, you can cause a lot of havoc. Granted not wearing a seatbelt isn't going to prevent you from having an accident, but it will increase the death/injury/carnage factor on our roadways that society is occasionally interested in keeping to a minimum.

 

[thakidistight]

Granted not wearing a seatbelt isn't going to prevent you from having an accident, but it will increase the death/injury/carnage factor on our roadways that society is occasionally interested in keeping to a minimum.

But its not like not wearing your seatbelt is going to hurt anyone except you. Youre not gonna fly outta your vehicle and smash into another car, exploding it on impact. We let motorcyclists ride all over the place w/o seatbelts....what say you?

 

[jazz lady]

Coming home from BWI on Monday afternoon there was not a police car in sight thank goodness

I think they all went home by late afternoon. Driving to and from Wolf Trap yesterday, I never saw a speed trap and maybe 4 cops the entire trip. :shrug:

 

[desertrat]

But its not like not wearing your seatbelt is going to hurt anyone except you. Youre not gonna fly outta your vehicle and smash into another car, exploding it on impact. We let motorcyclists ride all over the place w/o seatbelts....what say you?

And if helmets are such a good idea on bikes,(they are) why not in cars? Why not, if they are serious about reducing carnage, build cars like NASCAR requires? Or require seat belts be fastened before the car will start. Selective regulations and enforcement, whatever is easiest, most popular and brings in the $$$$ the fastest.

 

[dck4shrt]

But its not like not wearing your seatbelt is going to hurt anyone except you. Youre not gonna fly outta your vehicle and smash into another car, exploding it on impact. We let motorcyclists ride all over the place w/o seatbelts....what say you?

It makes for a more pleasant evening news. Society in general is interested in having a minimal amount of injury/death on its roadways, and increasing the number of people wearing seatbelts is one (of many) ways to lower the amount of blood spilled.

Besides, I just said that when you hurt yourself by flying out of your vehicle for lack of a seatbelt, we all pay for it via higher premiums, so yes it hurts everyone, in the wallet. Run the insurance quotes on a car with side air bags and one without and you'll see what I mean.

 

[thakidistight]

Besides, I just said that when you hurt yourself by flying out of your vehicle for lack of a seatbelt, we all pay for it via higher premiums, so yes it hurts everyone, in the wallet. Run the insurance quotes on a car with side air bags and one without and you'll see what I mean.

So flying out of your car and dying and simply being crushed inside your vehicle (with a seatbelt on) have different effects on insurance premiums?

Plus, my car doesnt even have doors on it half the time, why do I care about side air bags?

 

[Dukesdad]

I saw a silver unmarked car at the body shop on Leonardtown Hollywood road with some spray painting on it. Looked like it said oink & pig along with other words. Maybe someone that got caught in one of the traps yesterday...

 

[ylexot]

I'd prefer it if the state tried to make drivers smarter/make getting a license more difficult.

 

[desertrat]

One of the best speed traps I ever saw was on I-8 just east of Yuma, AZ. They had a plane in the air on one side of a small mountain range and about 10 cars waiting to pounce on the other side when you were coming down the pass. You cannot tell me they were trying to keep speeds and accidents down on that stretch of road. Maybe they were protecting coyotes. Most people traveling that way only do it a couple times in their life. Yeah, they got me and I was quite surprised. On top of that the trooper went to high school with me.

 

[desertrat]

I'd prefer it if the state tried to make drivers smarter/make getting a license more difficult.

How about a graded system? The more qualified you were the faster, more powerful car you would be allowed to drive and the faster you would be allowed to drive it. The test would involve reactions, vision, knowledge and skills.

 

[dck4shrt]

So flying out of your car and dying and simply being crushed inside your vehicle (with a seatbelt on) have different effects on insurance premiums?

Plus, my car doesnt even have doors on it half the time, why do I care about side air bags?

If you wear your seatbelt, your chances of surviving a similar accident are greater than if you don't wear your seatbelt. Flying out of the vehicle is prevented, as is impact with doors, windshields, steering wheels, etc, as the car is being crushed. If you don't have a seatbelt on and aren't ejected from the car, you are still more likely to die than someone with their seatbelt on.

You don't have to care about side air bags, I was pointing out that if you have more optional safety features on your car, you are 'rewarded' with lower premiums because your chance of getting hurt or killed in an accident is decreased, and thats what insurance companies like to see. If you have a car that has the ability to be driven with its doors removed, your insurance undoubtedly reflects the increased risk of injury that you may incur in a wreck (if the Insurance Institute of America's statistics show their is an increased risk).

 

[desertrat]

"your chance of getting hurt or killed in an accident is decreased, and thats what insurance companies like to see. "
After all, if you are dead you don't make a very good customer....

 

[dck4shrt]

How about a graded system? The more qualified you were the faster, more powerful car you would be allowed to drive and the faster you would be allowed to drive it. The test would involve reactions, vision, knowledge and skills.

I don't think that could work because a chief contributor to accident rates is the difference in speeds that people are driving. If everyone is cruising at 70mph and giving themselves plenty of distance, its probably quite safe. If some of the people are going 45mph and others are going 90 mph, the amount of passing increases dramatically, and closing times (reaction time) decrease dramatically. Given American's penchant for driving in the left lane without passing I'm not sure how this could work (go to Germany to see how greatly varying speeds can be accomadated on a highway).

I guess alternatively we could have rookie/inexperienced/idiot drivers in a lane with padded walls and the rest of qualified folks could go about our business with less heartache.

 

[SeaRide]

But kids arent getting run over by cars on 235.....

not yet .. but people already got run over by cars on Great Mills rd... it doesn't matter to me if it's beltway or rt 301 or A1A in FL where people do get hit by cars.

This is completley off topic form what I was talking about (speed traps and Click it or Ticket citations) but I see what you are saying as well.. Unfortunatley they are two completley different beasts..speeding through a residential neighborhood and on the highway arent even close to similar.

you may think it's completely different beasts.. I disagreed... kids got killed on the beltway near Oxon Hill, remember? The fences were already in place but it didn't work. what's next?

When the 'Click it or Ticket program" doesn't work in the future, what's next?

M.A.D.D. wasn't even around until 1984 or thereabout and the idea of havng sobriety checkpoint set up more often was born. The idea where police set up sting operation to catch those selling liquor to minors sprung after 1984 which was new to me back then.

What's next? Cop pull you over for not having headlights on when your wipers are on? less than 2 mirrors on your car? cracked windshield?

It doesn't stop. Just wait another 20 years .. you will see something new over and over. Right now you are #####ing about "Click it or ticket" stuff.

I didn't limit my thinking to rt 235 because I commute from near Dunkirk to Pax. There were speed traps on secondary roads that go through town like St. Leonards and Prince Frederick (main street). I got a warning citation for speeding on Ponds Wood rd (in Calvert) couple weeks ago. Speed traps are pretty much everywhere.

But in a residential area where kids are getting plowed over in high numbers, then I would say, first I would install some spped bumps, and if that didnt work, maybe a patrol car every once in awhile, or one of those dummies that sit in the car that makes it look like a real cop.

That sounds fine. If that doesn't work, put up photo radar? It works in Fairfax city area. I 've seen speed bumps, patrol cars and photo radars in Fairfax city area. Now I know what actually works anytime.

If it's happening in almost every damn residential areas, does it cost the taxpayers more? You bet it does.

 

[thakidistight]

not yet .. but people already got run over by cars on Great Mills rd... it doesn't matter to me if it's beltway or rt 301 or A1A in FL where people do get hit by cars.

Yeah, old drunk guys, crossing at night, wearing dark clothing.

 

[desertrat]

I don't think that could work because a chief contributor to accident rates is the difference in speeds that people are driving. If everyone is cruising at 70mph and giving themselves plenty of distance, its probably quite safe. If some of the people are going 45mph and others are going 90 mph, the amount of passing increases dramatically, and closing times (reaction time) decrease dramatically. Given American's penchant for driving in the left lane without passing I'm not sure how this could work (go to Germany to see how greatly varying speeds can be accomadated on a highway).

I guess alternatively we could have rookie/inexperienced/idiot drivers in a lane with padded walls and the rest of qualified folks could go about our business with less heartache.

Hmmm, what about cops? You know the ones that think it's o.k. for them to taligate, run a stop sign here and there and drive about 20 miles over the speed limit?

 

[dck4shrt]

Hmmm, what about cops? You know the ones that think it's o.k. for them to taligate, run a stop sign here and there and drive about 20 miles over the speed limit?

i say put 'em in the padded lane.

 

[desertrat]

i say put 'em in the padded lane.

 

[jazz lady]

Calvert County report...

On June 19, members of the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office and the Prince Frederick trooper barrack conducted a joint traffic operation in Calvert County targeting speeders.

Members of both agencies worked in five separate stop teams along Calvert’s main artery in an effort to deter motorists from speeding. Similar initiatives were conducted along main corridors in Charles County and St. Mary’s County.

Deputies and Troopers issued 108 citations and 105 warnings during the three hour initiative. The warnings and citations ranged from seatbelt violations to speeding violations.

Cha-CHING! $$$

 

[ccrc1]

Just thought I would clear up a few misunderstandings:
1st, fines from all traffic citations issued by all Law Enforcement Agencys in Maryland go to the Maryland State General Fund. They do not go to the individual counties or the police agencies.
2nd, the enhanced traffic enforcement you are seeing is from the "Smooth Operator" grant. This site has a Calvert County press release posted on the home page. You can use that link to take you to the Federal Government web site that will explain the program and what type of infractions they are targeting. www.smoothoperatorprogram.com
3rd, having been a policeman in Maryland for 26 years and still active on the job, you may want to be carefull about the "Officers Thresholds". I will tell you that I very rarely will get out of my patrol car for any speeder unless he/she is traveling at least 20 over the limit. But, I still issue 80-100 citations a month for 20+ over the posted speed on major highways. What generally will get a motorist in trouble with me is when I am travelling the posted speed in the left lane, in my marked patrol car, and the aggressive driver passes me on the right doing 65-70 mph. I often wonder, how stupid do you have to be, to pass a patrol car who is moving at the posted speed limit???? Yet, I issued citations to 6 people just this week for doing exactly that!

4th, several readers asked why don't we (the Police) get aggressive at night when the teenagers are out driving. The answer is we do, but we don't work high visibility stop teams at night so the average citizen does't realize the officers are working moving radar. It just doesn't get the attention a stationary stop team gets so you assume we aren't working traffic enforcement. The primary reason we don't work stop teams at night is when we walk out on to the roadway at night, to stop a vehicle traveling 75+ mph, we tend to get run over!