Got nailed speeding in my fcar

Now thats funny!

 

I got pulled over in VA for "Reckless Driving" because I "accelerated too quickly" between a few stoplights, didn't get me on radar, he was just following at a distance and noticed that I was accelerating too quickly. (night time, couldn't see him) Bad judgement call by me doing it at night. He followed me into my friends neighborhood and pulled me over, told me to get out of the car and we had a very good talk about VA driving laws, reckless driving and what my fines, etc would be if he gave me a ticket. (I'm from TN) I was ready to pay the ticket and everything because I knew what I'd done and then he decided to let me off with a warning.

Just a reminder that not all LEO's just want to get revenue for the state, he just wanted to teach me (I'm under 18) a lesson for my safety and he did.

 

I have come to expect our leaders to be two faced and full of it. Gay Senators getting caught in Airport rest rooms, Governors spending tax dollars on Hookers, or flying off to Argentina for a little on the side. (this list can go on forever)
However,
I also expect these occurrences to be few and far between.

It is almost a daily occurrence to seeing Police, Governors, etc break the same speed limits that cost the common man hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. Seeing this time and time again is like rubbing salt in a wound.

The do as I say, not as I do attitude of government is insulting. The speed limit issue is the most obvious and frequent example of the government doing this.

 

Thats how I always spell it. I'm not very smart. I also call my coffee expresso. At my age I really don't give a freeking crap.

 

Ya also got no freekin' appreciation of irony

 

I'm starting to like you.

 

You're startin to scare me

 

Exactly what I was trying to say a few pages back.

To those who want to debate, I say go ahead and express your opinions. If you want some credibility, back up your claims with logic and evidence.

Present a well-reasoned opinion that differs from mine, and I might even change (or at least revise) my opinions.

But nobody ever changed his opinion because someone insulted him.

Let's all be civil to one another.

 

Were you "burning out"?

I've been expecting some cop to take exception to my pace off the line, but I think they don't try those moves on older guys. (That, or they're too surprised to see someone actually come to a full stop at a stop sign to notice the acceleration afterwards.)

I suspect the reason you were "let off with a warning" is that there's no actual law dictating how much time you should spend sneaking up on the speed limit.

I had a VA cop "let me off" for not having a tax sticker on my car ---- after my town stopped issuing them.
I've never had cops as blatantly lie to me as in Northern VA.
(Okay, that may be over-generalizing from one stop. But I've heard similar tales from others.)

And BMW demonstrated that fuel injected engines are *more* efficient at WOT. The "everyone knows" "jackrabbit start" inefficiency was directly tied to carburetor acceleration pumps ... so unless you're in a '38 Hudson, getting up to speed promptly can be fuel efficient.
(In the EVO, my best economy comes from accelerating just short of turbo boost.)

 

DGS,

I do think it's within the officer's discretion, but they could go a number of ways with that. If in their opinion it's reckless, they could, I suppose, cite for reckless. But, also, I'd think exhibition of speed could apply. Or, they could use street racing. Really up to them as they're is no specific cite for aggressively accelerating.

CW

 

Which would be why it would get thrown out in court.

 

Could be dismissed. Not would. If it boils down to an officer's opinion against the defendant's the Court usually (but not always) sides with the officer.

CW

 

The problem is that it's an opinion. You can't quantify it... the LEO can't say he did 0-45 mph in xx seconds which exceeds the limit of yy seconds, because that law doesn't exist. So what's he going to say to the judge, "he accelerated to the speed limit faster than I felt he should have"? It's nonsense. You could get pulled over and lectured but that would be about it. If the LEO really wants to ruin your day he could charge you with something and you'd have to show up in court but I doubt the prosecutor would proceed.

 

Didn't Lewis Hamilton get written up in Australia earlier this year for "exuberant acceleration" or something similar?

 

The way the law is written in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the officer is given much latitude in his opinion, luckily most realize the responsibility they are given and will only use it for blatant offenses.

 

It was “intentionally losing control of a vehicle” as he was doing a burnout. We could debate that one all day too, but I don't think he actually lost control of the car.

 

There is a lot of room for abuse there. How would you possibly mount a defense against a LEO's opinion?

 

If by "blatant offense" you mean not specifically against the law but p/o'd the cop.

 

0-25 in a blink of an eye in a school zone sort of thing. I have never heard it used when someone was not doing something stupid and outside the spirit of the law, even if not specificly outside the letter of another law. Yeah it has room for abuse, but that is why we have judges and jurys. Perfect, no, but somehow it generally works.

 

I think that this thread is all about if it works or not.

 

No sir, I wouldn't do that to my dads car. I think part of his issue was that I'm young and was on a business trip in Northern VA driving "daddys Porsche" (even though I paid for part of it with my own money that I earned working for him) with one of my friends from when I lived in Ashburn.

Exactly, it's a judgement call, the other thing I thought was interesting was when he told me that I took a right turn (on a green light) too quickly... for his police cruiser? yes. For a 911? No and I was waaayyy under the speed limit at the point. But his main reason was for my acceleration from 0 to 50. (5 over the speed limit)

I think the main reason he let me go is that I was being incredibly respectful, I offered to call my dad to tell him what I'd done and I was ready to face the consequences. Another could've been, as you said that there's no specific law dictating how quickly you can accelerate to the speed limit.

 

He mentioned street racing even though there was no traffic around at all. He also said that under VA law he could cite me for Reckless Driving since he deemed it reckless based on my acceleration and turn. He didn't get me on radar so he couldn't have gotten me for speed.

 

When I had my lowered truck I use to get cops flocking like flies on ****. Yet they never pulled me over, they just ran my plates.

It was utterly ridiculous the moves they would do (things that would get us tickets). On multiple occassions driving opposite directions, me doing the speed limit, they would slam on their brakes and do a 180 and then speed up and ride my ass, run my plates. See that I had a squeaky clean record and promptly slam on their brakes and do another 180 and continue to their original destination. One of these happened on extremely busy Hwy 6 outside College Station. Those who know this road know just how dangerous that is.

At first I thought it was hilarious. After a while it became annoying! The last time I remember it happening I was on I-45 going back to school, cruise set at 70mph. I glance in my rearview and this THP was on my ass so badly I couldn't see the front of his car and then some. Scared the **** out of me. He then obviously got pissed off at my record and exited at the very last second he could. He seriously could have hurt himself or someone else had he waited 2 seconds longer.

 

Actually the charge would have been "failure to maintain traction", it is a common charge against the 16-25 year old crowd if you spend a day in a DC, MD, or VA courtroom.

 

Or failure to maintain control of vehicle. I've seen that a few times, too.

CW