Quote:
Originally Posted by ReluctantGardenStater
You can be a hardliner and say "Even 1 mile over is speeding!", but that's an extreme and obviously not an accepted reality by the overwhelming majority of the country. Perhaps people do have an undeserved sense of entitlement, but law enforcement facilitates that all day long. In a strong majority of major roads around the country, going 7-8 over is generally overlooked. So you can imagine people would be a bit taken back and angered when issued tickets for much less than that. It is particularly infuriating when A) The police department in question is obviously just trying to shake down revenue for the county out of passersby and B) There will STILL be people to make excuses and pretend (This is what gets me) as if it's being done out of good-will and respect for "our safety".
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Oh, I won't argue those points. Everywhere else on 49 (except Alexandria), you can usually get away with 10 or 15 over and nobody will say "Boo!" to you. But, not in St. Landry Parish.
Still, though, the law is the law and if they want to strictly enforce it, there's not much anyone can do about it but slow down or pay up.
Here's a couple things I learned during 30+ years on the road which drivers should always consider:
1. Not every speedometer is correct. In fact, as the tires wear down, ALL speedometers lose accuracy, so never, ever trust that speedometer to be exactly right. Just because it says you're going 70 does not mean you are. The only sure way to tell (which is inexact in itself) is to time yourself between mile markers and divide the seconds it takes you to travel one mile into 3600.
2. Not ever radar is exact. They are supposed to be calibrated regularly, in some cases at the beginning of every shift, but they aren't always.
3. Enforcement practices change from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. There is no uniform standard, not even in the same county or parish. The State Police, city cops and Deputy Sheriff's may all have different standards or goals, so never, ever assume that because one law enforcement agency lets you get away with something that all will.
Worse, even within agencies, outside influences can result in an immediate change in enforcment policies which you are unaware of. For instance, a series of tail-gate wrecks can lead to stepped up enforcement of tail-gating, garnering you a ticket for distances that you got away with yesterday. Or, public outcry, or even the availability of specifically targeted government funding, can result increased enforcement which will radically change what you're allowed to do without prior notice.
The bottom line? Give yourself a 2 or 3 MPH edge to be sure, or pay the ticket without bitching.
Best advice? Roll with the flow and stay in the right lane as much as possible. Avoid frequent lane-changes because that indicates you're going faster than everyone else. And, for God's sake, don't be weaving in and out!
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