Are speeding fines too low? (Phoenix: high school, gated, living)

[Soviet]

If many motorists are driving in excess of the speed limit, then it's a serious sign that the speed limit is too low. All speed limits should be regulated by the 85th Percentile Rule.

[Valley Native]

It always amazes me how in this day & age with wider roads & cars made for faster speeds, there are those who still call for either lowering the speed limits or more enforcement. The so called experts who initiate these ridiculously low speed limits on many streets & freeways are completely clueless. Most everybody drives 5 to 10 over, especially on freeways ... and there are times when it's very safe to do 15+ over so long as the driver is attentive.

In a place like Phoenix where there are wide multi laned freeways and few adverse weather conditions, there is really no excuse to drive slow when the traffic conditions allow for faster travel. It seems that many of the slower drivers are transplants from colder climates: they move here for the "better" weather, but they drive like they're waiting for a blizzard or ice storm to move in. Makes absolutely no sense!

[wase4711]

its pretty simple; the speed limits are the legal maximum speeds, regardless of what any individual thinks is a "safe" speed to drive at..
If you feel those speeds are too high or low, then lobby/contact your legislators and ask them to work to raise or lower the legal limits.

being a member of any society used to mean that you agree to abide by the laws on the books, or work to get them changed; if we all just decide that certain laws are stupid in our eyes, and decide to not obey them, what kind of society would this be?

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by wase4711

its pretty simple; the speed limits are the legal maximum speeds, regardless of what any individual thinks is a "safe" speed to drive at..
If you feel those speeds are too high or low, then lobby/contact your legislators and ask them to work to raise or lower the legal limits.

being a member of any society used to mean that you agree to abide by the laws on the books, or work to get them changed; if we all just decide that certain laws are stupid in our eyes, and decide to not obey them, what kind of society would this be?

A little dramatic, don't you think? Do you drive at or below the speed limit, or are you too contributing to our lawless society? We're not talking about rape or murder. Going 10-15 mph over the speed limit isn't causing the destruction of societal structure.

[wase4711]

Not meant to be dramatic, only making a point about whether or not we are a nation of laws or arent we..

Yes, I prefer to drive near the speed limit, and yes, I do break the law at times while driving 5-10 mph over, and, yes, if I get a ticket for doing it, then I would pay it and know that I deserved it..

of course, rape/murder and other heinous crimes are different than doing 60 in a 40 zone; my only point is that breaking the law because you don't think its applicable should and does have consequences; if you are ok with that, then thats up to you.
and, society eventually catches up with what the public decides it wants changed; a few years ago pot was illegal everywhere, gay marriage was unlawful in many states, and sex changes were a forbidden topic..

those are just 3 examples of how society can drive changes in our laws; somehow, I doubt that we will EVER allow folks to just drive what ever speed they feel is safe or appropriate for where they live..

[hikernut]

To a point I personally don't care about the speed of other drivers as long as they're being safe and reasonable about it. Of course they are risking fines, license suspension, and potentially even jail time. Are the limits too low? 65 seems okay to me, especially knowing that in reality it means 70-75 flow a lot of the time. There's no need to go 90 in the metro area IMO.

What I don't like are drivers who are not being safe, whether it's being fixated on their phone, doing their makeup while driving, or doing a slalom route around cars at 20+ what the traffic flow is doing. And I don't want be coerced into going 20 or 30 mph over. I'm fine doing 10+ if that's what traffic is doing. But if I need to get over into the left lane to make an exit I don't want some a-hole flashing his lights and pulling up ten feet behind me. It's not anyone's RIGHT to expect to drive 20-30 over.

[Prickly Pear]

Originally Posted by stinkingliberal

The real question is, is a $250 fine the same punishment for a housemaid who makes $1500 a month and a lawyer who makes $15000 a month? They may both be late for work, but the lawyer can just shrug off the fine.

Speeding tickets have never been a deterrent for the simple fact that your odds of getting one at any given time are pretty low. They have never been intended as a deterrent, either. They are simply a driving tax, imposed at the local level. When the vampires get thirsty, they bite more people, so sometimes you see "enforcement" efforts ramped up. But as another poster pointed out, if they gave a poop about safety, they's be pulling over Grandpa Ferd, who is doing 52 in the left-hand lane.

Cops have a quota to meet every month, you will always see more of them prowling to handle tickets towards the end of the month.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by wase4711

its pretty simple; the speed limits are the legal maximum speeds, regardless of what any individual thinks is a "safe" speed to drive at..
If you feel those speeds are too high or low, then lobby/contact your legislators and ask them to work to raise or lower the legal limits.

being a member of any society used to mean that you agree to abide by the laws on the books, or work to get them changed; if we all just decide that certain laws are stupid in our eyes, and decide to not obey them, what kind of society would this be?

You're definitely not wrong in what you stated, but this same logic could also be applied to you and others who are bothered by the way drivers speed. If you think the limits should be lowered, or more officers need to be on the freeways enforcing the current speed limits, then lobby/contact your legislators and ask them to allot more funding for law enforcement.

Until that happens, you should understand the reasons WHY people tend to drive fast here. It's not to intentionally irritate you ... it's because of factors like sprawl, road conditions, and lack of inclement weather. It's actually safer to drive at a fast rate of speed here than in many other parts of the country. Many cops realize this, and that's one reason why they don't often pull people over just for speeding. They're looking for the real dangers, such as intoxicated drivers, etc.

[new2colo]

Originally Posted by Dewey59

Maybe I wasn't clear in my original post.... I realize most people speed. So do I! What I was asking about are the maniacs that are going 85-90 down the 101, or 65 on Bell Rd. That's where the big fines come in. But yeah, I guess if there is little to no enforcement, then there is not really a disincentive to drive that fast. I really haven't seen much in the way of enforcement since I have been here. (So not sure how they are generating revenue - other than the cameras)

I know I will get beat up for this (facts be damned!), but study after study has shown that speed does kill. Most speed limits are based on scientific data to determine the best balance between traffic flow and safety. In all the states I have lived in, AZ has the highest speed limits. Many major cities have speed limits of 55 on their freeways and a road like Bell would be 35.

Again, 5 or 10 over is not terribly dangerous - especially if most of the traffic is going that speed. I'm just wondering what the motivation is for the a-wads going 20 or more over - especially considering the consequences if they do get caught!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_..._United_States

It doesn't sound like you've lived too many places then. 75 MPH is standard for rural areas of the west, with 80-85 MPH maximums in Texas, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and South Dakota. 65 is standard for most western urban freeways, including the LA area.

There is no reason that a six lane, straight arterial with three lanes in each direction should have a 35 MPH speed limit. Unlike many other cities, on street parking is banned on essentially every arterial, there are center turn lanes and dedicated turn lanes into many businesses/residential areas, and there are quite a few signalized mid-block crossings for pedestrians, especially in Phoenix proper. Lower the speed limit and the speeding problem will be that much worse. People go the speed they feel comfortable with driving. If people are already going between 45-60 MPH+ on Bell, lowering the limit to 35 would only mean that most people would be going 10-25 MPH over the limit, instead of up to 15.

I personally don't care too much what speed people are going on the freeway, as long as they're not reckless. Too many times, excessive speed here is accompanied by darting in and out of lanes every three seconds, driving on the shoulder, running up on people's back bumpers and almost taking them off, cutting people off within inches their front bumper and no turn signals. Chances are if you have to drive in that manner to maintain a high speed, you're going too fast for conditions. If someone is blasting by me in the HOV lane doing 90-95 and not engaging in anything of those activities, I don't have an issue. Most cars today can handle that speed without wheels rolling off, parts of the car snapping off, or bursting into flames.

[wase4711]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

You're definitely not wrong in what you stated, but this same logic could also be applied to you and others who are bothered by the way drivers speed. If you think the limits should be lowered, or more officers need to be on the freeways enforcing the current speed limits, then lobby/contact your legislators and ask them to allot more funding for law enforcement.

Until that happens, you should understand the reasons WHY people tend to drive fast here. It's not to intentionally irritate you ... it's because of factors like sprawl, road conditions, and lack of inclement weather. It's actually safer to drive at a fast rate of speed here than in many other parts of the country. Many cops realize this, and that's one reason why they don't often pull people over just for speeding. They're looking for the real dangers, such as intoxicated drivers, etc.

Actually, I am fine with the speed limits as they are; my only issue is with people who go SIGNIFICANTLY faster than the limit, especially on surface streets..
I live in th3 Happy valley road/67th avenue area...Happy valley road is a 45mph road for the most part; typically, most cars are doing 60-65. 67th avenue, is a residential area, with some commerical, high schools, and its 2 lanes in each direction; speed limit 40 in most areas; typical drivers doing 55-60.

Even if I am doing 5-10 mph OVER the limit, I'm being tailgated, cutoff, and looked at like I am a moron..

And, of course, you know the same thing happens on the highways here...

I dont want the speed limits lowered at all; it would just be much safer in this area, if folks just limited their crazy speeding to times of the day when no one was out around them....wanna do 100 on I 17; fine, do it at 2 am, not at 11 am. And, doing 20 over in residential areas is NEVER OK to me..