Worse Penalty for Speeding

[dazzleman]

Since most of us here are confirmed speeders, which penalty for speeding do you find worse?  Would you rather write out a hefty check, or pick up litter at the side of the highway all day for a couple of weekends?

BTW, I vote that forced community service is worse.  At this point, my time is in shorter supply than money, so I would find a penalty that takes up large chunks of time more onerous than even a stiff financial penalty.

I've paid fines a number of times, but never actually done forced community service for a legal infraction.  I used to do a form of it sometimes when I got in trouble in high school, and had to do custodial work after school as a form of detention, which is pretty close to community service.

So having done both, I can say I'd rather pay a fine.

[omicron]

Community service is merely a cover for inept government funding of public services.

Unfortunately, I am addicted to spending, so taking away my money is even more of a burden. I'd much rather pick up rubbish on a freeway than pay out a few hundred - once again, the individual rules over the collective

[Raza]

I would hate community service.  I did some work as a farce to get a parking permit in my junior year of high school, but that was working with kids--punkass kids who don't follow the rules.

Let me tell you, when they split up for dodgeball and wouldn't go out when they were hit, Raza had to intervene.  There's something angelic about beating the shit out of 3rd graders in dodgeball.

[omicron]

The little shits didn't need their limbs anyway. Greedy bastards.

[Raza]

The little shits didn't need their limbs anyway. Greedy bastards.

I didn't break any bones, but I did hurt some kids.  I mean, they live in my area, get driven around in Lexus RXs, and dress like thugs at 8.  I might as well dole out some life lessons, right?  That's the real community service.

[so cal cookie]

I voted community service.
Picking up all the crap that people throw out of their cars does not appeal to me at all.

[saxonyron]

Since most of us here are confirmed speeders,

Hah! Speak for yourself, D-Man.  

If I were to speed, and if I got caught, it would frost my gonads to have to do community service.  Paying a fine is no fun either, but weekends are priceless.  I'd be OK with a punishment like that if it fit the "crime", but speeding is so far down the list of accident causes in my opinion.  Catman, I'd love to get your perpective on real causes of accidents.  How much is speed related vs. just stupidity related (cell phones, coffee, just not paying attention, etc.)  To me, when I speed .....uhhhh...if I were to speed, I concentrate so much more, and provided I don't pull some retarded stunt and take an exit ramp at 60, there are pretty low odds for accidents when I'm in a heightened state of awareness. Of course, that's valid when there's little or no other traffic.  I'm sure traffic friction is a big issue with accidents.  

10 years ago, I blew out my MCL skiing on a flat section of trail after doing black diamonds all day.  I was just lolling along, not paying attention, and Wham! I crashed. I'd say that's analogous to driving.  Therefore, I think we should institute minimum highway speeds of 80 just to get everyone to pay attention!  

[L. ed foote]

10 years ago, I blew out my MCL skiing on a flat section of trail after doing black diamonds all day.  I was just lolling along, not paying attention, and Wham! I crashed. I'd say that's analogous to driving.  Therefore, I think we should institute minimum highway speeds of 80 just to get everyone to pay attention!  

And to weed out the ones who don't    

[MX793]

I'd rather pay a fine than do a crapload of community service.  The only way I'd take community service would be if I just couldn't afford the fine.

[Lebowski]

I agree with most of you guys, fines suck, but my weekends are far too valuable to give up.

[Tom]

I would much prefer the community service.  1) I don't have a lot of money 2) I don't want to give it to the government for something I probably   don't deserve.

[Fire It Up]

The little shits didn't need their limbs anyway. Greedy bastards.

I didn't break any bones, but I did hurt some kids.  I mean, they live in my area, get driven around in Lexus RXs, and dress like thugs at 8.  I might as well dole out some life lessons, right?  That's the real community service.

 

[sparkplug]

I think I'd just go postal and start killing everyone. 1 down, 5,999,999,999 more to go.

Just kidding.

In truth the punishment should fit the crime. You speed, your insurance should go up. And hey that's what happens, doesn't it? Especially police officers not on duty. They have set an example, you know. Right Catman

[Lebowski]

. You speed, your insurance should go up.

Why?

[TBR]

At this point, the fine.

[sparkplug]

. You speed, your insurance should go up.

Why?

Increased liability to the insurance company caused by greater severity of injuries when involved in a collision.

Speed limits serve a purpose to slow people down to reasonable speeds where in the event of an emergency they would be able to react more effectively with less severe injuries in the result of an accident.

[dazzleman]

Do you guys think fines should be a set amount, or a percentage of income?

$500 is not really the same amount to a person who has a lot of money, as opposed to a person who doesn't have a pot to piss in.

Of course, 20 hours of community service is a lot less of a punishment to somebody with a lot of time, as opposed to a person with a busy schedule.

I don't think there's really an effective way to account for these differences that makes sense for minor infractions, though they should be looked at for major infractions/crimes.

[Raza]

Do you guys think fines should be a set amount, or a percentage of income?

$500 is not really the same amount to a person who has a lot of money, as opposed to a person who doesn't have a pot to piss in.

Of course, 20 hours of community service is a lot less of a punishment to somebody with a lot of time, as opposed to a person with a busy schedule.

I don't think there's really an effective way to account for these differences that makes sense for minor infractions, though they should be looked at for major infractions/crimes.

Commie. 

[Colonel Cadillac]

I don't make very much money, so I vote for community service. Plus, the fun doesn't start until the night anyway.

[Colonel Cadillac]

However, in a few years I will much prefer just paying a fine.

[dazzleman]

I don't make very much money, so I vote for community service. Plus, the fun doesn't start until the night anyway.

But if you've spent all day picking up trash, you may be too tired to have fun at night...

[JYODER240]

But if you've spent all day picking up trash, you may be too tired to have fun at night...

We're still young

[dazzleman]

We're still young

[SaltyDog]

Walking along a highway picking up trash?  That's cake, and picking up litter is a good thing anyway.  Screw paying hundreds of dollars.

[dazzleman]

Walking along a highway picking up trash?? That's cake, and picking up litter is a good thing anyway.? Screw paying hundreds of dollars.

Dude, it depends on which you value more, your time or your money.

Those are the two main commodities in life.  All else flows from them.  Some people use time to save money, and others use money to save time.

For me right now, I have more money than time, so I'd much rather pay a fine, even a steep one, that have to spend a large chunk of my free time doing something I'd rather not be doing.  I do enough of that all week -- it's called work. 

[SVT_Power]

At this point, my time is in shorter supply than money, so I would find a penalty that takes up large chunks of time more onerous than even a stiff financial penalty.

Life must be good

[dazzleman]

Life must be good

In a lot of ways it is. 

But keep in mind, time and money are commodities of roughly equivalent value.  A shortage of time to do things you enjoy, even if you have a lot of money, can be in its own way as much of a hardship as a shortage of money.

I wouldn't have understood that at a younger age, but once you get to a certain age, you start to see that a person's time and energy, like money, is definitely finite and should be used with the same care.

[Raza]

As the saying goes, time is money.  Davey's right. 

[omicron]

I could use about four extra hours in every day.

[Raza]

I could use about four extra hours in every day.

Same here.

Oh, I thought you said drinks and lines of coke.

The time comes in handy too, I guess.