just when you thought you knew what stupid was

[ovrszd]

Since I moved back to NC around 2001, around 3 for speeding (one was less than 5MPH over the speed limit) and probably around 5 seat belt infractions (don't even know if that's considered a "moving violation"). Keep in mind, in 19 years here, I've driven over a million miles for work alone). Before that, I'd guess less as more than a couple of times I moved around for work out of state so quick I could have one states DL, another states tag and actually live in yet another state, so I drove way more carefully.

I've been driving 52 years. I've been stopped twice. Once for tail light failure. Once for speeding. You seem to draw a lot of attention.

 

[Jstpssng]

I've been driving 52 years. I've been stopped twice. Once for tail light failure. Once for speeding. You seem to draw a lot of attention.

Sometimes it's the right foot which causes problems. In the same time period I've had 1 speeding ticket, but in my younger days they were a bit too common.

 

[lman]

Since I moved back to NC around 2001, around 3 for speeding (one was less than 5MPH over the speed limit) and probably around 5 seat belt infractions (don't even know if that's considered a "moving violation"). Keep in mind, in 19 years here, I've driven over a million miles for work alone). Before that, I'd guess less as more than a couple of times I moved around for work out of state so quick I could have one states DL, another states tag and actually live in yet another state, so I drove way more carefully.

Sounds like you're a slow learner if you haven't figured out how to fasten your seat belt after 5 seat belt tickets.

 

[Sigarms]

Sounds like you're a slow learner if you haven't figured out how to fasten your seat belt after 5 seat belt tickets.

50 years from now, you can say the same thing about this very topic of mask wearing.

What happens by slight chance wearing a mask becomes a law? (slim, but think about it).

The difference is if business require you to wear a mask, you have to (wear a mask) or your get kicked out, no rights to buy at a private business are violated. For some people, we think we have rights to buy wherever we want for some reason, which is not the case.

Do I believe seat belts save lives? Statistically speaking, yes they do. By the same token, some peoples lives were saved because they weren't wearing a seat belt. I was driving with two suba tanks in my car one night coming home from training in winter, hit a icy spot around a corner (I was young, didn't learn from experience) and flipped the car over a couple of times until it came to a rest. Had to climb out of the passenger door as cells phones weren't common back then. Point being, when your time is up, your time is up and it's your time to go.

I wasn't a slow learner, but I believed that the state had no jurisdiction in determining if the sole occupant driving a vehicle HAD to wear a seat belt to protect their own lives. Personally, I knew I could get a ticket without wearing a seat belt, but it was worth it in thanking the officer that he carried a gun and was sworn to uphold the law, and he could take time out of his day to write me a ticket (my wife will tell you that I can be very stubborn). It was worth the price of "admission" (per the paid ticket) for myself to pay the fine.

As I've gotten older and wiser (I'd like to think), with my boys, I'd like to lead by example that seat belts do save lives. That said, how many states now have laws against driving with kids in the back of a pick up truck bed on the highway? One of my memories is my dad driving me and my cousins in the back of a 72 Chevy driving around the coal fileds of our local town growning up.

When I rode a street bike (KZ1000), I would always wear a helmet. The safety risk was to high IMO to ride without one with all the idiot car drivers out there. That said, should states require motor cycle helmet laws? IMO no they should not, even though if I see a guy riding a bike without a helmet I can't help but think he's an idiot.

 

[Sigarms]

I've been driving 52 years. I've been stopped twice. Once for tail light failure. Once for speeding. You seem to draw a lot of attention.

I always pushed my limits, particularly in my youth (how high could I jump out of a plane, how deep could I do a non decompression dive, how deep could I do a decompression dive, how high of a waterfall could I go over, how high could I climb solo... fluff, apologies). Needless to say with driving, it was always a question of speed. That said, in my defense, I would never put others at risk. The tickets I got were generally in the 10-15 mile over range as I did try my best to drive smart with others around me.

Here's some more fluff for you, my boys really have no clue what I've done in my life as a lot of things I use to do, as they really aren't into what I use to do (one does want to take suba lessons which I'll gladly cover, but I never realize you have to be 18 years of age to do a tandem jump skydiving)

3 speeding tickets with over a million miles of driving for work alone isn't to bad IMO. For the seat belt violations, it was only a LEO looking to write a ticket to make a point. I get it (I had state trooper drive by me seeing I wasn't wearing a seat belt for the sole reason he slowed down to pull me over). That said, that's why I thank them for looking out for my safety.

My wife is still glad I never did buy that 911. I see no reason in buying a very expensive sports car to drive 55 or 70 MPH:laughingmore fluff, but not really sorry).

 

[Sigarms]

Sometimes it's the right foot which causes problems. In the same time period I've had 1 speeding ticket, but in my younger days they were a bit too common.

Thank you.

Young and dumb...

 

[Sigarms]

Ayup. We don稚 even look at cars until theyæ±*e 10-15 mph over. Even school zones we give 5-6 mph.

Because I had a loaded .44 doing 1 MPH over the speed limit when I was stopped in Utah, I though it best that I didn't argue anything considering I had out of state plates (God forbid people use common sense).

As mentioned though, that state trooper was really a nice guy after we started talking for a while about different things after I took the ticket. Even though my permit was reconinze in Utah, because the gun was out of sight, I didn't realize that per their state gun law, the next "round" in the cylinder had to be empty. He could of wrote me up for that, but he was nice enough that he didn't.

The reality is even if I'm doing 1MPH over the speed limit, I'm still breaking the law. Exactly how do you determine what that line is per breaking the "law"? It was a speed trap as another trooper had someone else pulled over in front of me down the road and I thought "what a sucker". Turns out I was the sucker as well. BUT... I'd like to think the conversation I had with that trooper after the fact was worth the money in learning for myself (being sincere as I will always remember what a nice guy he really was).

 

[Sigarms]

I will agree, there are some people in Law Enforcement who should not be, and also administrations that are totally chicken poop for setting up speed traps just to make money. I can think of several off hand.

This is why IMO you always respect the law, but buy the same token, you also need to fear the law and know your rights as a citizen.

At the end of the day, if a LEO takes you in for whatever reason, keep your mouth shut and let your lawyer earn thier pay. BUT, always be respectful.

LEO's are no different than any other human. You have good decent people trying to do their job as best as they can, but you also have others who are not as dilligent. The biggest difference with jobs though is that a LEO has power over you at that moment in time during your interaction like no other profession you can come into contact with that can really ruin your day The old adage "power corrupts" comes to mind. I also understand that you can't apply that to all people, but the reality is sometimes it does happen.

 

[Jstpssng]

What I wonder about when discussion turns to 1 mph over the limit; are speedometers even that accurate? I've been driving through a lot of construction zones with signs which which show your speed, as well as residential areas which have the same. With 2 out of 3 trucks they always show that I'm going about 2 miles less than my speedometer shows... the third truck was my Ranger which had slightly oversized tires.
I think of this every time somebody posts about "driving the speed limit and people passing them"...

 

[Sigarms]

What I wonder about when discussion turns to 1 mph over the limit; are speedometers even that accurate? I've been driving through a lot of construction zones with signs which which show your speed, as well as residential areas which have the same. With 2 out of 3 trucks they always show that I'm going about 2 miles less than my speedometer shows... the third truck was my Ranger which had slightly oversized tires.
I think of this every time somebody posts about "driving the speed limit and people passing them"...

The reality is if you pay the court system their money via a lawyer, it's called "equipment failure" (or to that extent on improper equipment use) on how you get out of it legally because you decided to pay a lawyer instead of just pleading guilty and take your knocks.

Worth the money than taking a hit on your driving record. Kind of organized crime, but oh well...

I use to hate getting a speeding ticket after I got married. Within the next couple of days of the ticket, we'd get about 20 letters in the mailbox from lawyers wanting to represent me. My wife wasn't that stupid LOL Does make me wonder how the lawyers knew...

For the record, generally drive 70 when by myself in the "open", drive slower with family.

Does anyone use a rabbit when driving? Sometimes they go even too fast for my own personal comfort.

 

[Sigarms]

Do that all the time, stop for a moving violation (points) but have a brake light out, I値l write the brake light, etc). I try not to write commercial drivers at all.

Honestly, you seem like a decent LEO who uses common sense.

Seems today that LEO's don't want to talk to people to see what's "going on", but are more accusatory in starting the conversation.

In the LEO's defense, the assumption is most people use common sense:laughing:

 

[RSR]

Does anyone use a rabbit when driving? Sometimes they go even too fast for my own personal comfort.

I used to do that when making the 12 hour trip from home to college (or back) across empty road out west. The speed limit was 75 mph. I'd wait until someone passed going much faster, tail them to get their speed (usually around 90 mph), then let them get about a mile ahead, and match them.

I now realize the risk of driving that fast under any circumstance, even when not in a beat up college car, just isn't worth the risk. So, I drive the speed limit and just try to enjoy the scenery.

 

[tallyho8]

I have lived In Jefferson Parish my whole life and been driving for 60 years. Jefferson Parish has the largest and best equipped police department in Louisiana and very highly trained deputies. I have never gotten a ticket from one of these deputies and have done many hundreds of thousands of miles of driving in the Parish.

There is also a Bridge Police unit in Jefferson Parish that has control over the Huey P Long bridge over the Mississippi and the Causeway bridge over Lake Ponchartrain. Their main purpose is to write speeding tickets (under the guise of improving safety). They are experts at hiding their cars while using their radar guns. The only speeding tickets I have gotten in the last 30 or so years were both last year by the same officer on the Huey P Long bridge. This is a nice newly remodeled bridge with 3 wide lanes each way separated by railroad tracks in the middle, shoulders on both sides, light traffic and high visibility. The speed limit is 50 but everyone goes 60 or more and I feel that it is safer to go with the flow of the traffic than to go the limit making people behind you change lanes to pass the whole time. Most accidents on the bridge are caused by people changing lanes. I am always very respectful to the Officer and go home and pay my ticket online as soon as I can, but I dis-respect the people in charge of giving these Officers the orders to set these speed traps.

 

[Sigarms]

I used to do that when making the 12 hour trip from home to college (or back) across empty road out west. The speed limit was 75 mph. I'd wait until someone passed going much faster, tail them to get their speed (usually around 90 mph), then let them get about a mile ahead, and match them.

I now realize the risk of driving that fast under any circumstance, even when not in a beat up college car, just isn't worth the risk. So, I drive the speed limit and just try to enjoy the scenery.

Thus, the reason why I noted that sometimes they (the "rabbit") may even drive too fast for my own personal preferences, even at 0100 on a interstate highway with no other vehicles in sight other than the rabbit.

 

[Sigarms]

They are experts at hiding their cars while using their radar guns. The only speeding tickets I have gotten in the last 30 or so years were both last year by the same officer on the Huey P Long bridge This is a nice newly remodeled bridge with 3 wide lanes each way separated by railroad tracks in the middle, shoulders on both sides, light traffic and high visibility. The speed limit is 50 but everyone goes 60 or more and I feel that it is safer to go with the flow of the traffic than to go the limit making people behind you change lanes to pass the whole time. Most accidents on the bridge are caused by people changing lanes. I am always very respectful to the Officer and go home and pay my ticket online as soon as I can, but I dis-respect the people in charge of giving these Officers the orders to set these speed traps..

It's nice to know that within the last couple of years, apparently I'm a more safer driver than you according to ovrszd's opinion on his own driving record. Do I actually believe that? No I do not.

My wife has never had ANY ticket violations in her entire life other than one accident where the LEO even told her the other driver had to be speeding. I do joke with her that I've never totaled a car where it was determined I was at fault .

 

[MoMower]

Honestly, you seem like a decent LEO who uses common sense.

Seems today that LEO's don't want to talk to people to see what's "going on", but are more accusatory in starting the conversation.

In the LEO's defense, the assumption is most people use common sense:laughing:

Thanks Sig. there is definitely a generational/life experience gap in being able to talk to people with the younger officers. They usually learn petty quickly to use their words. Some never get it, some excel.

 

[MoMower]

And most definitely, if you are ever curious of the state of common sense in your area,

Take a fully marked police car and park it across a road, with the flashy bits activated. Some have no common sense.

(Directing traffic)

 

[aczlan]

And most definitely, if you are ever curious of the state of common sense in your area,

Take a fully marked police car and park it across a road, with the flashy bits activated. Some have no common sense.

(Directing traffic)

Or (per my co-workers who are volunteer firemen), try the same experiment with a firetruck with it's lights on.


Aaron Z

 

[Sigarms]

Thanks Sig. there is definitely a generational/life experience gap in being able to talk to people with the younger officers. They usually learn petty quickly to use their words. Some never get it, some excel.

No, thank you. Although I may fear the law, I also respect men who wear a badge and actually try to do good, and not talk down to people, but talk with people in their line of work.

I live in a small rural town. I say high to all the LEO's in my area when I see them. Some I know from shooting with. Good guys IMO. The local elected sheriff actually seems like a decent guy as well (the office went out of their way for boy scouts on many local occasions).

Honestly, in defense of the law enforcement profession, it seems the bigger the population density, the more screwed up people are. The way I figure it, it half the population are idiots, with only a county population of 30k, you're only dealing with 15k worth of idiots. Issue is, when the population gets over 100k in any particular area, you have a greater chance of dealing with an idiot if you're working as a LEO.

In my profession I try to stay away from idiots as it makes my life a lot easier in the long run. Working as a law enforcement officer, you HAVE to work with idiots The added reality, and my fear for my own son if he wants to go into law enforcement is if you try to be good with dealing with people, a slight mistake on your end could cost you your life dealing with a scumbag.

 

[Sigarms]

Thanks Sig. there is definitely a generational/life experience gap in being able to talk to people with the younger officers. They usually learn petty quickly to use their words. Some never get it, some excel.

No, thank you. Although I may fear the law, I also respect men who wear a badge and actually try to do good, and not talk down to people, but talk with people in their line of work.

I live in a small rural town. I say high to all the LEO's in my area when I see them. Some I know from shooting with. Good guys IMO. The local elected sheriff actually seems like a decent guy as well (the office went out of their way for boy scouts on many local occasions).

Honestly, in defense of the law enforcement profession, it seems the bigger the population density, the more screwed up people are. The way I figure it, it half the population are idiots, with only a county population of 30k, you're only dealing with 15k worth of idiots. Issue is, when the population gets over 100k in any particular area, you have a greater chance of dealing with an idiot if you're working as a LEO.

In my profession I try to stay away from idiots as it makes my life a lot easier in the long run. Working as a law enforcement officer, you HAVE to work with idiots The added reality, and my fear for my own son if he wants to go into law enforcement is if you try to be good with dealing with people, a slight mistake on your end could cost you your life dealing with a scumbag.