Police Stops (Raleigh, Wake Forest: safe, moving, license)

[nsa162]

I am from New jersey and i never heard of this move over law until now.It makes sense though. I always move over anyway because the police cruisers always have their car turned toward the road. I assume this is to protect the police officer.

[lamishra]

Saturn, the signs and times for school school zone hours are clearly marked in Cary. If you read the original post, he didn't say the speed limit for the school zone wasn't posted, he said the hours had changed from what he THOUGHT they were and that he didn't notice.

[Waterboy526]

Originally Posted by nsa162

I am from New jersey and i never heard of this move over law until now.It makes sense though. I always move over anyway because the police cruisers always have their car turned toward the road. I assume this is to protect the police officer.

You are correct. LEO's are taught to turn their vehicle and wheels towards the road when pulling someone over on the shoulder. The thought being that if the vehicle is hit from behind, then it will go out into the roadway and not hit the officer or other bystanders. It doesn't always work out that way however.

[RDSLOTS]

I may be in the minority here, too, but I am happy to see drivers being pulled for speeding, not coming to complete stops, talking on cell phones, and whatever else they happen to be doing that puts the rest of us at risk.

Just last week, I was returning to the area after being down on the coast. I set my cruise at 72, and was getting passed left and right, was flipped-off once by a young driver who then passed a whole line of us -- only to see him pulled over by a HP a few miles down the road. Hooray!

A speed limit is posted for a reason. Just as there are stop signs at intersections, posted for a reason.

[Xxtayce]

I'm just as glad that so many people are getting pulled for not paying attention. It makes driving like a sane person that much easier.

[saturnfan]

Originally Posted by lamishra

Saturn, the signs and times for school school zone hours are clearly marked in Cary. If you read the original post, he didn't say the speed limit for the school zone wasn't posted, he said the hours had changed from what he THOUGHT they were and that he didn't notice.

If he meant that he didn't notice the revised sign, I stand corrected. If not properly marked, an appeal would be appropriate. Even if the sign had just been revised, he might have been able to get the charge reduced by telling the ADA that he passes the school frequently but had no idea its hours were just changed.

Here in Raleigh, new/changed signs frequently are temporarily marked with red plastic flags to remind drivers to check them over for changes.

[travelmate38]

Been driving the streets of the US for over 22 years. Know how many citations of any type I've had? A big fat ZERO. This includes parking tickets! I've also never been involved in any motor vehicle accident that was my fault. The people gripping about getting citations are usually those who drive like lunatics. Tailgaiting, weaving between lanes with no signals, speed regularly at 10 mph + over the speed limit and run red lights. Contrary to popular belief, police do not just pull you over for no reason. Why would they when they have some many bad drivers to choose from? Think about it.

[pjs2004]

I think it's funny how people think that going the speed limit reduces accidents, or that going over the speed limit causes more accidents. It does not. Bad drivers cause accidents. I've driven on the Autobahn and I've read the statistics. There's a lot of research out there that proves this.

I moved here from the northeast, where you could, on average, go 10-20 mph over the speed limit for a certain extent of time and not have to worry about getting caught. Sometimes, when there's not many people on the road, it's nice to be able to speed a little, and during some other times too. It can be convenient.

While I love this area and there are a ton of positives, I definitely think the severe enforcement of the speed limit is a major annoyance. The police are like sharks around here for speeders. I think you can have a police presence and keep crime down without harassing people going 5 miles over the speed limit. It's completely for revenue purposes and not for safety. You know there's something wrong with the system when you get a ticket and the next day you get letters from 15 different lawyers.

Also, Reckless driving or reckless endangerment is much different than speeding and should not be lumped into the same category as simply speeding. A police officer can tell the difference.

[saturnfan]

Easier to catch speeders and illegal parkers than the real problem drivers.

To get them, officer must be lucky enough to see them act stupid.

Speeders and parkers are cash cows.

[Dire Wolf]

Originally Posted by pjs2004

The police are like sharks around here for speeders. I think you can have a police presence and keep crime down without harassing people going 5 miles over the speed limit. It's completely for revenue purposes and not for safety. You know there's something wrong with the system when you get a ticket and the next day you get letters from 15 different lawyers.

I must be driving different roads, because I rarely see people pulled for speeding unless it is a publicized crackdown. And I have never heard of anyone I know getting a ticket for speeding 5 over. I suppose it happens in neighborhoods or school zones, but not on the interstate.