Warning sign leads to

[footoflead]

Link

if issuing speeding tickets is for the sole purpose of road safety, then why have a monthly quota that officers have to fill? Its a business.

[giant_mtb]

*sigh*  I'm not sure where to stand on that subject...though I would probably bias myself towards the sign-holder's side of the spectrum.  But of course I still have respect for the police and their point of view.

[ifcar]

"McLay acknowledged Zahn was slowing down motorists, but he said the goal is to alter people's driving behavior long- term, not just when someone is there holding a sign."

Exactly. The purpose of a speed trap is not just to get people slowed down around a speed trap, nor is it just to get money for the police department. It's to encourage drivers to always behave as if there's a speed trap just around the corner.

[footoflead]

(sorry iffy...i wasnt paying attention when i posted...my bad)

[ifcar]

Not a problem.

[TurboDan]

"McLay acknowledged Zahn was slowing down motorists, but he said the goal is to alter people's driving behavior long- term, not just when someone is there holding a sign."

"Long-term driving behavior" is a strange keyword he used.  Has a speeding ticket really ever slowed anyone down for that long?  

In addition, altering peoples' driving behavior is not really the job of the police department.  The PD's job is to ensure that motorists are proceeding on the roads as safely and quickly as the road permits.  If the PD placed a speed trap at this particular road, it was probably because there were some problems there.  

I would say that the sign would REALLY help the PD get the worst drivers - the ones that were in such an oblivion that they didn't even notice the sign and still got nabbed.

[dazzleman]

"McLay acknowledged Zahn was slowing down motorists, but he said the goal is to alter people's driving behavior long- term, not just when someone is there holding a sign."

"Long-term driving behavior" is a strange keyword he used.  Has a speeding ticket really ever slowed anyone down for that long?

I agree, TurboDan.  When I've gotten speeding tickets, I usually slow down for a few miles after I pull away.  After that, all bets are off.  The defiant side of my personality then takes over, and I make it a point to speed up just to prove to myself that I'm not cowed by the ticket.

There was one time when I got nailed, drove away, and got nailed again ten minutes later.  Man, was I pissed, more at myself than anybody else, for being such a weenie as to allow myself to get popped again so soon.  I was also pretty embarrassed, and didn't tell anybody about it for a long time.  I don't mind getting a ticket occasionally, but I do like to have some interval before the next one.  :P

The best post-speeding ticket behavior I ever observed was one time when I was riding with my buddy to Boston, and he got nailed doing about 80 mph in Connecticut.  After the cop handed him the ticket, he put the car in gear, and took it right back up to 80 mph, practically before the ink on his ticket was even dry.

The best part is, he came within a hairsbreadth of getting nailed two more times on that trip (it was a holiday weekend, and Connecticut was crawling with cops) and he STILL didn't slow down, except when he was in range of the cops' radar.  It's good to have balls like that.

[L. ed foote]

"McLay acknowledged Zahn was slowing down motorists, but he said the goal is to alter people's driving behavior long- term, not just when someone is there holding a sign."

"Long-term driving behavior" is a strange keyword he used.  Has a speeding ticket really ever slowed anyone down for that long?  

Half a mile.  Soon as the Statie hit the median and headed eastbound, I was back to my normal cruising speed.

[SaltyDog]

The best part is, he came within a hairsbreadth of getting nailed two more times on that trip (it was a holiday weekend, and Connecticut was crawling with cops) and he STILL didn't slow down, except when he was in range of the cops' radar.  It's good to have balls like that.

I hope he's a rich man :o  

[L. ed foote]

The best part is, he came within a hairsbreadth of getting nailed two more times on that trip (it was a holiday weekend, and Connecticut was crawling with cops) and he STILL didn't slow down, except when he was in range of the cops' radar.  It's good to have balls like that.

I hope he's a rich man :o

Eh, the fines really aren't that much (at least in NYS)

You ask yourself "what's the worst that can happen" and take it from there.  I've seen more moronic driving at the limit than 15-30 over.

Screw that.  If that's what LE wants to focus on, let them.  No hard feelings.  Anyone who has driven for an extended period of time should and does know that speed limits are hardly the problem people would like them to be

[Raza]

"McLay acknowledged Zahn was slowing down motorists, but he said the goal is to alter people's driving behavior long- term, not just when someone is there holding a sign."

Exactly. The purpose of a speed trap is not just to get people slowed down around a speed trap, nor is it just to get money for the police department. It's to encourage drivers to always behave as if there's a speed trap just around the corner.

Are you kidding me?

So, lowering the speed limit for no reason is about changing driving habits?  A speed trap also changes a driver's offense from doing around 2 over to doing 12, which isn't a hefty ticket--it's just right.  Big enough for the money, but not big enough to get people to fight it.  That's what happened on to my brother on 206 in Princeton.  Nothing about the road changed, except for the fact that the speed limit dropped from 40 to 30 while a copper was on my brother's tail, so he didn't slow down because he didn't want the car behind him to hit him.  So, he got slapped with a $100+ ticket.  

This isn't about safety, it's about profit.

[ifcar]

A speed trap isn't necessarily around a reduced-speed area, and nothing about this article suggests that this one is either.  

[SaltyDog]

The best part is, he came within a hairsbreadth of getting nailed two more times on that trip (it was a holiday weekend, and Connecticut was crawling with cops) and he STILL didn't slow down, except when he was in range of the cops' radar.? It's good to have balls like that.

I hope he's a rich man :o

"Eh, the fines really aren't that much (at least in NYS)

You ask yourself "what's the worst that can happen" and take it from there. I've seen more moronic driving at the limit than 15-30 over.

Screw that. If that's what LE wants to focus on, let them. No hard feelings. Anyone who has driven for an extended period of time should and does know that speed limits are hardly the problem people would like them to be"

I agree, but when it comes to dollars and cents, some people, like me, can't afford to speed a whole lot.  A couple speeding tickets could do some serious insurance damage to a 17 y/o male.

edit: forgot to quote^^

[dazzleman]

"McLay acknowledged Zahn was slowing down motorists, but he said the goal is to alter people's driving behavior long- term, not just when someone is there holding a sign."

"Long-term driving behavior" is a strange keyword he used.  Has a speeding ticket really ever slowed anyone down for that long?  

Half a mile.  Soon as the Statie hit the median and headed eastbound, I was back to my normal cruising speed.

I like the way you think.    

[dazzleman]

The best part is, he came within a hairsbreadth of getting nailed two more times on that trip (it was a holiday weekend, and Connecticut was crawling with cops) and he STILL didn't slow down, except when he was in range of the cops' radar.  It's good to have balls like that.

I hope he's a rich man :o

He's not rich, but he can afford the fines.  The nominal fine for the speed he was doing was in the $200-250 range, so 2-3 tickets certainly would have taken a nice bit out of his wallet.  I guess he thought it was worth the risk.  It's a decision we all make every day.