noplace2 wrote:
I'll ask it for a 3rd time:
If, as you asserted above that most LEOs will ignore 10-15 above the posted, why have speed limits at all?
Not sure what you want from me here... I don't make the rules, I only enforce them. I try to enforce them as fairly as possible, with as much common sense as possible. Like I stated before, legally I could pull you over for doing 56 in a 55. I don't think that is fair, for reasons I listed above.
I could pull you over for 60 in a 55... but then I would be pulling over (or attempting to pull over) about 90% of drivers. I've gone fishing before... I have NEVER caught every fish in the sea.
I could pull people over for doing 64 in a 55... but in all honesty I usually drive about 9 mph over the speed limit. I think it is hypocritical to pull people over at a speed that I tend to drive.
Therefore I usually give you 14 mph over the speed limit. 69 in a 55 won't get you pulled. 70 will.
That is just how I do it. I know that the general consensus is that all cops are A-holes and looking for any reason to mess with people. That's not true. I also love the general statements that we always target people who live out of state for tickets. I generally try to give warnings to out of state people, because I think that EVERYONE should have the right to have a trial if they want... even though I know without a doubt they are guilty of the infraction that I issued a citation for.
We have to have some rules, or else it would be anarchy. If you give people an inch, they will take a yard. Legislators have to set some precedent, some limit. It is then up to executive branch (cops and courts in this case) to determine how they are going to enforce this. Again... 56 in a 55 is speeding. I doubt a cop would write for 1 over. I really doubt and court around me will convict for 1 over. There is a gray area. That gray area depends on a lot of circumstances, most of which are beyond my control. I can only enforce law with my own sense. My sense tells me that 70 in a 55 isn't reasonable. That is where I draw my line in the sand.
I cannot speak for anyone else in those regards. When I am not in my local area, I try to keep within 10 to 12 mph of the posted limit. If I see signs warning of STRICT ENFORCEMENT, I usually get to within 4 or 5 of the speed limit.
In 18 years of driving I have 1 speed ticket and stopped one other time for speeding and was given a warning. If I am doing 67 in a 55 and get stopped and ticketed, I don't blame the cop. I make a conscious decision to adhere to a set speed when I drive, and nobody but me is responsible for that decision. If a cop has the *audacity* (read that sarcastically) to enforce the law on me, I accept responsibility. It is a calculated gamble. You win some, you lose some.
