Waldo Florida Spped Trap
Waldo, Florida on US 301 is back in the news again because of their speed trap. They have been told that they must write so many speeding tickets in a 12 hours shift. They are being investigated agai...
Forum Discussion
DutchmenSport wrote:
Just because it appears YOU or ME can drive it comfortably in bright sunny summer days, does not mean an 18 wheeler loaded with a million tons on hazardous material can speed effectively through that same spot in the fall when leaves start falling on the road, or it rains and gets slippery. Speeding then, would be disasterous.
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So the sign is put there based upon the worst case conditions. (And do I blow through that stop sign in winter when I'm the only one on the road and CAN see for 1/2 a mile all directions .... Yup! I SURE do!) Still ... am I wrong. Yes! technically, I should arrest myself! But, I'm not a policeman, so I just let myself off with a warning! Accident waiting to happen? perhaps someday! Yes.
The reasons you described above are exactly why most police officers use discretion about stopping or writing tickets. What's a safety issue for one vehicle, weather condition or time of day is not an issue for another. Speed limits set for "safety reasons" by their very nature cannot be one size fits all but must be for practical reasons: there's only room for one number on the sign.
What makes places like Waldo a "speed trap" is when all of that discretion is removed and tickets are written to anything/everything travelling over the "limit" without regard for any other factors.
