Ind. trooper lauded as 'hero' for citing 'slowpoke' driver

[rk911]

Clicky

[dodge_guy]

I loved it when I had my Grand marquis because coming up on a slow moving vehicle in the left lane they would immediately pull over when they seen the outline of the front of the car. I missed that after I sold it. I now have a newer Explorer I have that back. cars are always moving over when I come up on them. And when I have the X on the hwy, well lets just say no one likes to see the front of a HD truck barreling down on them!

If you don't know how to use the roads stay off! You can`t drive in the left lane at 55-60mph when the speed limit is 65. and if the limit is 55 then stay right! that's where you belong!

[fj12ryder]

Shoot, I had to look up who you were talking about.

[mich800]

What the roads need are fewer Gladys Kravitz‘s and wanabe police. If someone is going faster than you like in the left lane and gets a speeding ticket that is on them. Not for some drivers to police and try to prevent.

[fj12ryder]

"I am sorry if you happen to get behind me but....too bad."

And I am sorry if I make you nervous trying to pass you but...too bad.

Nah, I'm just kidding...I'm not really sorry.

[ken56]

What if everyone drove at the same speed on the E-way. What if everyone adhered to a safe following distance and was courteous to other drivers to let them change lanes when needed. What if....right. I am responsible for the safe operation of my vehicle at all times. I drive the speed I am comfortable with and feel is safe. I am sorry if you happen to get behind me but....too bad.

[wnjj]

pnichols wrote:

wnjj wrote:
Speed limits come from all kinds of places, some without proper engineering. The small town near me turned a major road into a 20mph school zone for over 9 blocks. The school’s completely fenced ball field touches 1/2 of a block of road frontage. When I wrote the city, I was told they didn’t have money for the engineering study (that I showed them was suggested by the state that they do) and that I could pay for one myself if I wanted.

That's one of the types of thinking where anarchy comes from .... "We don't like the restriction and/or where it came from .... so to heck with us complying with it."

Did you mean to quote someone else? Your response has nothing to do with my point. I didn't like the restriction so instead of "to hecking with it" I wrote the city to try to understand their methods as it was in direct conflict with the state DOT's recommendation for school zone design. Their response was pretty much "because we thought we should" as I predicted. My comment was directed toward yours when you said we should start respecting what the engineers do. In my example, there were NO engineers consulted and the guidelines from the state ones were ignored.

I comply with it despite it being ridiculous. It's often the site of "revenue enhancement" for the local police.

The irony is I'm more likely a hazard as I pass through there since I spend so much of my time watching the speedometer.

[fj12ryder]

pnichols wrote:
So .... laws should be based on "the majority rules"? This can sometimes be deadly baloney.

What about the LOP (Laws of Physics) and/or the statistics of complex systems failure rates? When I see those 75, 80, 85 MPH law breakers pass our RV (or daily driver), this is what goes through my head regarding those speed demons:

1. What if a brake assembly should freeze for whatever reason?
2. What if a tire should blow for whatever reason?
3. What if a tie rod connection should separate for whatever reason?
4. What if a drive shaft universal joint should fall apart for whatever reason?
5. What if a small oil slick on the road surface should suddenly make itself known?
6. What if an AWD component should fail for whatever reason and suddenly lock up both front wheels?
7. What if a piston rod should suddenly fly through the engine block for whatever reason?
8. What if a toad hitch should suddenly separate for whatever reason?
9. .... and so on and so on?

Would you rather have another vehicle beside or ahead of you experience 1. through 9. traveling at the law's speed limit or their driver's own frantic speed limit?

What one has been getting away for years is no proof that they're going to continue getting away with it ... and when statistical fringe LOP reality someday catches up to them would it be better that they be traveling faster or slower ... especially when they might take others around them with them on that fateful day?

My vote is for slower.

I can't believe you didn't pull a tendon with a stretch like this one. :R

[jplante4]

Around here, they call the right lane the through lane...because it's the lane you got through to get on and off the highway. I see it all the time. They get on, and regardless of whether they're going fast enough to even travel in the right lane, get immediately into the left. Left laners stand on the brakes and the horn but it means nothing. It's their road. They stay in the left lane until 200 feet before their exit and cut across 2 lanes of traffic to get off. Meanwhile 1/2 mile up the road is statey with radar pulling over drivers from CT for 10 over. Who's the biggest threat to safety?

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

pnichols wrote:
So .... laws should be based on "the majority rules"? This can sometimes be deadly baloney.

What about the LOP (Laws of Physics) and/or the statistics of complex systems failure rates? When I see those 75, 80, 85 MPH law breakers pass our RV (or daily driver), this is what goes through my head regarding those speed demons:

1. What if a brake assembly should freeze for whatever reason?
2. What if a tire should blow for whatever reason?
3. What if a tie rod connection should separate for whatever reason?
4. What if a drive shaft universal joint should fall apart for whatever reason?
5. What if a small oil slick on the road surface should suddenly make itself known?
6. What if an AWD component should fail for whatever reason and suddenly lock up both front wheels?
7. What if a piston rod should suddenly fly through the engine block for whatever reason?
8. What if a toad hitch should suddenly separate for whatever reason?
9. .... and so on and so on?

Would you rather have another vehicle beside or ahead of you experience 1. through 9. traveling at the law's speed limit or their driver's own frantic speed limit?

What one has been getting away for years is no proof that they're going to continue getting away with it ... and when statistical fringe LOP reality someday catches up to them would it be better that they be traveling faster or slower ... especially when they might take others around them with them on that fateful day?

My vote is for slower.

That's quite a list! :E I have Rv'ed for over 40+ years and the only one of those things happening to me was I had one tire blow. What happened? Nothing. In fact I didn't even know anything happened except for the slight vibration in the steering wheel.

Have you ever had any of those happen to you. What about your friends? Any of your friends EVER toss a rod while towing? Ever?

As far as the laws speed limit or their driver's own frantic speed limit; I've towed at 55 (my states speed limit) and I've towed at 80 Utah's speed limit, and every thing in between. That was what the law said the safe limit to travel was so when in Utah...……………………………..:B

[jdb7566]

pnichols wrote:
So .... laws should be based on "the majority rules"? This can sometimes be deadly baloney.

What about the LOP (Laws of Physics) and/or the statistics of complex systems failure rates? When I see those 75, 80, 85 MPH law breakers pass our RV (or daily driver), this is what goes through my head regarding those speed demons:

1. What if a brake assembly should freeze for whatever reason?
2. What if a tire should blow for whatever reason?
3. What if a tie rod connection should separate for whatever reason?
4. What if a drive shaft universal joint should fall apart for whatever reason?
5. What if a small oil slick on the road surface should suddenly make itself known?
6. What if an AWD component should fail for whatever reason and suddenly lock up both front wheels?
7. What if a piston rod should suddenly fly through the engine block for whatever reason?
8. What if a toad hitch should suddenly separate for whatever reason?
9. .... and so on and so on?

Would you rather have another vehicle beside or ahead of you experience 1. through 9. traveling at the law's speed limit or their driver's own frantic speed limit?

What one has been getting away for years is no proof that they're going to continue getting away with it ... and when statistical fringe LOP reality someday catches up to them would it be better that they be traveling faster or slower ... especially when they might take others around them with them on that fateful day?

My vote is for slower.

What if covers a lot of things, like the zombie apocalypse.

[jdb7566]

Latner wrote:

Old-Biscuit wrote:
'Hero' :H

Trooper did his Job ---enforcing a Law that has been on the books since 2015

Glad lady got caught and citation issued.

But the 'Hero' part is a bit too much

I spend a lot of time on the road and can say it's not enforced enough, so yeah, he's a hero in my book. He'd probably be given a parade if he worked in Minnesota.

If it were a Minnesota Trooper, he would have passed the "offender" and been on his way.

[pnichols]

So .... laws should be based on "the majority rules"? This can sometimes be deadly baloney.

What about the LOP (Laws of Physics) and/or the statistics of complex systems failure rates? When I see those 75, 80, 85 MPH law breakers pass our RV (or daily driver), this is what goes through my head regarding those speed demons:

1. What if a brake assembly should freeze for whatever reason?
2. What if a tire should blow for whatever reason?
3. What if a tie rod connection should separate for whatever reason?
4. What if a drive shaft universal joint should fall apart for whatever reason?
5. What if a small oil slick on the road surface should suddenly make itself known?
6. What if an AWD component should fail for whatever reason and suddenly lock up both front wheels?
7. What if a piston rod should suddenly fly through the engine block for whatever reason?
8. What if a toad hitch should suddenly separate for whatever reason?
9. .... and so on and so on?

Would you rather have another vehicle beside or ahead of you experience 1. through 9. traveling at the law's speed limit or their driver's own frantic speed limit?

What one has been getting away for years is no proof that they're going to continue getting away with it ... and when statistical fringe LOP reality someday catches up to them would it be better that they be traveling faster or slower ... especially when they might take others around them with them on that fateful day?

My vote is for slower.

[valhalla360]

colliehauler wrote:
(Yes, some roads require a little enforcement to bring the top speeders back into line)

And that's exactly what the highway patrol does. It goes after those driving faster then the flow of traffic and those impeding the flow of traffic.

Exactly, police action should be limited to outliers (high or low).

If 90% of traffic is exceeding the speed limit, the problem isn't the people, it's the limit. If you set it at the 85%, you have 85% of traffic automatically following and the vast majority of the remaining 15% are within 5-7mph of the limit.

[valhalla360]

pnichols wrote:
Why is it that if "speed differential is the problem" ... the conversation ALWAYS winds up going somewhere like "the at or under the speed limit drivers should for safety speed up to match those going over the speed limit?

How about the other way around .... the gas pedal can be lifted as well as depressed.

Where do the Over-The-Limiters think speed limits come from? I guess they think that highway engineers know nothing and are wasting tax payers' dollars ... might as well fire them all. Yeah .... let's move onward and upward to vehicle speed anarchy where drivers can do as they please speed-wise all the time, everywhere.

Turn the nervous system jitters down a notch, relax, listen to some music, and start respecting a bit more what highway engineers do.

The best thing to do is set the speed limit appropriately. When you post an artificially low speed limit a small percentage will try to follow it. Others will become frustrated and try to make up by aggressive driving.

If you set it correctly, the differential in speeds tends to be lowest.

[valhalla360]

Lynnmor wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:


Enforcement doesn't work. Drivers (as a group) are very good at determining an appropriate speed and short of permanent ongoing enforcement, you won't have any impact on the long term average speed. It will go down while heavy enforcement is in place but as soon as you stop, it will go right back up.

Worse, those familiar with the heavy enforcement may slow down but those not familiar will try to continue at reasonable speeds.

The old slogan "speed kills" is flat out wrong. It's "differential speed kills". Heavy enforcement tends to increase differential speeds.

What planet are you referring to? Here on Earth the opposite is true.

You are confusing your intuitive feelings with actual data driven decisions. I do it for a living and I've ran the crash statistics and set speed limits.