Washington Louisiana. Is it a speed trap? (Alexandria, Port Barre: sales, home)

[darylwi]

Originally Posted by stillkit

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!

Nicely said, and very informative.

[Rosinante]

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".

In almost 50 years of driving professionally, this is the first time I've ever heard of the latitude being 7-8 MPH; IIRC, the LSP will generally give you 2-3 MPH in order to account for speedometer error in your car, but rarely can I think of any instances where anyone was able to get away with that many. In the you'd-think-I-would-have-learned department, the very same state trooper gave me a ticket for going 4-6 MPH over the limit on a stretch of LA 1 north of Natchitoches FOUR times in as many years.

If you're really concerned about getting a ticket for 1 MPH over the limit, then the best thing to do would be to drive 5 MPH BELOW the speed limit. A limit, after all, is just that... not an estimate or a suggestion.

[tijlover]

Originally Posted by imaterry78259

Speed traps cost small towns more tourist dollars than the proceeds of the tickets. Who would want to invest there when it discourage people to go there. Do not get me wrong-Speeding is bad

I couldn't agree more. All I have to do is run across a thread like this, and any dreams I may have of doing any driving on a vacation, expire. A vacation should be time spent away from your stressful day to day life and work, and not being stressed out every mile you drive on a vacation.

Thank God Light rail trains are coming back all over the country, so, increasingly I'm only traveling to cities with a good light rail system. Going to ride the rails in Dallas come Dec. and then onto Houston (I'll bus it over there and try to navigate the city bus system while there).

I'm so tempted to rent a car at that point, drive on up to Shreveport and to Tulsa and back, but before I decide that, I will consider the stress that will be involved in such a journey. And that also means no stopping off at some alluring bar along the way (don't want to stress out over getting a DUI).
And being a smoker, you can't smoke in rental cars anymore, so there spells more stress. Would all that stress be worth it?

As for speeding being bad, you'll have one helluva job convincing those accustomed to driving 100-150MPH on the autobahns of Germany. Ever hear of any deadly crashes on those autobahns over there?

[chopster3]

Always slow down at this location @ Washington and also where US 84 meets I-49 around Mansfield.

[chopster3]

I travel I-49 frequently f/ Shreveport all the way to Laffayette since I worked in the Gulf of Mexico. And everywhere except Washington & where US84 meets I-49 (20mins south of Shreveport) I keep my cruise control set @ 77-78mph and very rarely get stopped. I probably "speed" just as often as my wife, but I know where you can get away w/ it. She seems to do it in small towns and off the main highways & probably get 2 tix a year.

[Ranrich]

I travel from Shreveport to NO on I-49 a couple of times a year. I set the cruise on 73 and have never been stopped. Do the math...325 miles at 73 mph takes approximately 4.5 hours. 325 miles at 78 mph takes about 4.2 hours. Obviously no one could maintain this precise speed for the duration of the trip, but I feel the point should be made that you're only gaining a few minutes by speeding and you are risking a ticket by doing so! Also, if you are stopped, you've lost those precious few minutes you were trying to save by having to pull over and wait while the ticket is written. We enjoy road trips and I don't want the stress of worrying about getting busted, so we take it easy!

[fbbertusa]

I don't mean to be a smartazz or a dumbazz but What is a speed trap?I have been driving for about 45 yrs. or so and I have had My share of tickets for speeding.To me a trap is where something is put in a particular spot to attract something and then they get caught as in an animal trap.That being said,for the past 5 years or so I have been traveling from BR. to Shrevport on a regular basis and have never gotten a ticket because after a few very close call and noticing that every time I went there were basically cops at certain locations if not this trip the next.Hwy 190 has a cop at every small town Port Allen,Erwinville,Livonia,Krotz Springs,Port Barre.I-49 has a cop somewhere usually 5 places between BR. and Shrevport almost every time I go.So I bit the bullet and slowed down to the posted speed limit. Now every time I make the trip I see someone getting a ticket,one case the person getting the ticket was next to Me passing me when the cop pulled out Scared the crap out of Me but I new He was not after Me. Sure enough He got the car next to Me.My gas millage has improved a great deal and I am usually no more than 30 min. later than when I was driving 80MPH plus.I can say for certain that they will get You if You speed.I know it sucks because I love to drive fast but You just can't keep getting away with it ,as You know they will get You.

[wileywiley]

I got a 77 mph speeding ticket ($165!) in a 70 zone on I-49 when I passed TOWN OF WASHINGTON, LA. It is absolutely a trap!!! So many weird 77 mph speedings! My GPS indicated it was about 72-73 mph, even it's possible to go up to momentary 74-75 mph. Everybody, including TOWN OF WASHINGTON should know, it is not correct way of funding small towns. It does ruin the reputation of whole LOUISIANA!

[wileywiley]

How does 72-73 mph become 77 mph? Does police officer cheat? or, please read the following,

For speed to be accurately calculated, the object whose speed is desired ideally should be the ONLY MOVING OBJECT in the beam of the radar. If this is not the case, as in a police officer monitoring speed on a stretch of busy road, more articulation is needed in testifying to a particular vehicle's speed.

[JulesClement]

IN MY OPINION, The cops in Washington are racist. I got a ticket for driving 75 mph in a 80 mph zone (ON THE INTERSTATE!!). The next week they pulled me over for the tint on my chevy truck being to dark (ON THE INTERSTATE!!)

Best of all, my brother and my wife are police officers and my father was a police office and fireman!

They were very rude and did not care that I had a family member pay 'the ultimate sacrifice". SAD...

I WILL NEVER STOP IN THAT DIRTY LITTLE TOWN TO ANTIQUE SHOP AGAIN!!

Jules