I haven't added much discussion to this page yet. Here is what prompted me to start the thread. This exchange was from the made/ruined thread.
FJones --
Made -- I somehow talked the Judge into reducing my fine and points, despite 7 speeding tickets on my record. I was so persuasive, he said I should be in sales. I avoided a huge fine and I avoided a suspension.
Maybe I will actually slow down and start obeying traffic laws.........
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Thizzerfershizzer --
^ speed laws are for pussys
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FJones --
Well, obviously I agree with you about the speed laws, you know that
But After 26 speeding convictions, another 2 or 3 that I got out of because the cop didn't show up, and about 7 or 8 warnings, I figure eventually my luck will run out and they will actually suspend my license. I don't want that to happen, because as frustrating as driving is, I still need to do it.
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BLer --
Or, you know, you might hit a pedestrian and kill them.
... sheesh.
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FJones --
I don't drive on the sidewalk. Also, when was the last time you saw a pedestrian on the highway?
Do you actually have close encounters with pedestrians when you are driving?
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BLer # 2 --
So ALL 26 convictions were on highways? Hun, if i were you i'd drive more carefully. Accidents are not cool, especially for the poor fellow or lass who is abiding by the road laws.
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FJones --
Gee, I don't know, If speeding were so dangerous, I figure I would have had an accident by now?
Yes, I should be more careful, because the cost of the tickets and insurance is starting to add up. And, I do not want to lose my license.
I am a bit surprised that some people still buy into the notion that speed traps are about safety and not money.
Speeding tickets generate a lot of money for the state. And they do very little to stop people from speeding, in fact, they almost encourage it. They don't want people to stop speeding, they just want to catch them and collect fines.
I wrote a long essay on this in my blog.
The Maryland driving handbook actually acknowledges that speeding on the highway is not a major factor in accidents, and that most accidents are caused by other things. Yet they rarely if ever ticket those other things.
I think 23 of my tickets were on the highway. This is where most cops sit for speed traps, even though speeding on a highway is not really dangerous. They don't sit on non-highway roads much because there is less chance to gt people for the big tickets, like 30 MPH over the limit.
Also, the three tickets that I got that were not on the highway -- I don't speed through red lights or stop signs, so again, I am not sure how a pedestrian would ever be at risk because of my driving.
If I were plowing through stop signs and red lights and driving on the wrong side of the road, you would have a point. But I don't do that. I just drive a little faster than everyone else. Big deal. I get where I am going faster and the state gets lots of my money.
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BLer # 2 --
Fjones: Tell the people who have lost a loved one because of drivers like you that speeding doesn't kill Man i'm not the most perfect driver on the roads at all, but 26 convictions! Seriously... Think about what you're saying.
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FJones --
I haven't killed anyone's loved ones.
Can you show me that driving 80 MPH on the highway is likely to kill people? You cannot. Do you have any facts whatsoever? No, you just want to be judgmental.
The notion that 80 MPH is inherently unsafe is absurd. Do you realize that if I lived in a different state, like Montana, I wouldn't even be speeding? Does this really seem logical to you?
How many highway accidents do you really think are caused by SPEEDING ALONE, and nothing else? I would wager the answer is close to zero. Things that cause accidents --
Tailgating
Cutting people off
Driving while sleepy
Driving under the influence
Not paying attention
Skidding on Ice / Rain
Last minute decisions
Poor vision / reflexes / reaction time
I would wager that almost every accident attributed to speeding was PRIMARILY caused by one of those things.
The "I lost a loved one" argument is the worst argument I have ever heard. Thousands of people die every from any number of things. I wonder if you are consistent in your beliefs? Do you think every drug should be banned, including caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and of course all the illegal drugs?
Because those kill lots of loved ones.
By the way, why do you think they don't really punish speeders? Could it be that they KNOW it's all a bunch of bullshit?
If speeding was so dangerous, why don't they END SPEEDING ONCE AND FOR ALL?
Anyone caught speeding gets
12 points
$1000 fine
One year suspension
How many people do you think would speed?
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FJones --
Let me put it another way. Most people agree that one reason the Government lost credibility with its anti-drug campaigns was that people started to notice that the drugs weren't as dangerous as they made them out to be.
When I was younger, they made it sound as though smoking weed would ruin your life. They actually ran ads saying that 4 out of 5 people who snort coke become addicts.
What was the result? People started to notice that none of this happened when they used coke or weed. So they began to disregard the message and every other associated message.
Well, with regard to speeding, I can only listen so much to the supposed hazards of speeding.
When I have driven close to 200,000 miles without my speeding resulting in an accident, and different states have arbitrarily set speed limits, and other countries have vastly different speed limits, how do you really expect me to buy into this notion that speeding is inherently unsafe?
Then, factor in that the state does very little to actually stop speeding, and I think it is pretty obvious that like most things, it is all about the money.
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