Almost busted! Dodged a bullet this morning.

Jim,
I always knew you are lucky guy. Otherwise how could you have a beautiful white 328 w/ a family who will go to SA w/ just for your enjoyment! (hehehe)

Welcome back, and this incident was a way Texas Troopers saying the same to you.

I'm going to the court tomorrow for speeding, 95 on 55 in early morning of Sunday. I thought you can speed if there's no one around you.

 

My friends were on a road trip once when a police officer did the same type of thing on the interstate. He braked, went into the median for a U-turn, and popped out RIGHT in front of a friend of mine in a sedan.

There was no time to brake, so my friend swerved to the side, clipping another car. The cop continued on to ticket the speeder, and was back in 15 minutes writing a ticket to my friend for careless operation and not yielding to an officer in pursuit.

CAN YOU SAY BS on the cop??!?!!?

Imagine if my friend caused someone to go off at 70mph into the trees. ARGH!

 

Actually in most states, speeding is considered an infraction. The difference? No normal legal rights, ie: jury trial.

Regards,
Bill

 

John, your friend needs a good lawyer.

 

This happened on an out of state trip in Alabama that became too much of a hassle to bother over the minor amount of $ needed to fix the cars. Much cheaper than the $ and time lost screwing around in Alabama.

But I know that if it was ME I would be like the dog that bites onto a rope and doesn't let go even if the rope is being spun around

 

That depends entirely on whether they are State Highway Patrol, City Traffic cops, or regular police officers. Regular cops don't tend to have much time for traffic violations, very true.

Personally I like CHiPs... they tend to go after idiot drivers, road ragers, tailgaters, and jerk drivers in general. Stuff that pisses them off. I can deal with that, they're actually trying to keep the roads safe. And most that I've met have been happy to let off a little spirited driving with a warning, as long as it was done reasonably safely.

It's the Traffic cops that are the Type A personality tightwad street Nazis. Death to the overgrown meter maids and radar gun bullies.

 

Ah, long story, but I'll try and make it short. Early '90s, my idiot exbf, just before I met him, borrowed his friend's F40, from Laguna Niguel.

For some reason, he went nuts, and OPENED IT UP on the 405 North!

Anyone in S. CA. knows you NEVER do that. Anyway, he was going so fast he passed a Copper Chopper. They had road blocks set up for him, he pulled over, of course.

They then handcuffed him, for some reason he lost his shirt, and was held there with the Ferarri for a few hours.

In the end, CHiP determined their insurance wouldn't cover the towing of the F40, so they made him drive it back to his friend's house, with an Officer in the car.

Of course, the Cop asked him to punch it, and he decided to drive it like a little old lady, and go 45 or so, all the way back.

Later, he was initially charged with 9 counts, including Involuntary Manslaughter, etc.

After several thousands later, knocked down to only 2 counts, and a suspended license for 6 weeks...but he couldn't stay from behind the wheel, and it was taken away for 2 years.

Anything less than any of this is getting off light!



- Julie

 

Well, I have been harassed by cops for as long as I can remember, usually when I was speeding. I've had them lie in court, pull me over and search my car when they could not find anything wrong, and crap like that. Let me state that I do not drink, smoke, do drugs, I just happen to have a liking for sports cars. I even had a lady hit me in the fender in my 66 Mustang years ago, and the stupid cops tried to pin it on me, fortunately the lady felt guilty and she put a stop to it. I have never met a cop, and I've known quite a few, that does not take advantage of their "authority" so I have no sympathy with them. If they want respect, then they have to earn it, just wearing a uniform and a gun does not mean they deserve it.

 

Ok, to start I am going to both defend the cops and defend the drivers here. On roads in Europe that have no speedlimit, offenses like tailgating, and road rage are the main interest of traffic cops. I think this is much better than getting stopped for going fast. I know that traveling on 90 North in Western NY, going 78 in a 65, a woman and her child were about 1.5 feet away from my bumper, however, I bet if I passed a trooper, I would get nailed for speeding, and she would get nothing. I think that the cops are just doing their job, however, if they went after all the roadraging idiots, and the tailgatine idiots, and the ones who pass in the shoulder, the roads would be a lot safer, and there would be a lot less accidents. Accidents don't happen because you are going 80 on a clear/dry day. Accidents do happen because you try to leave yourself plenty of reaction time, and some ******* thinks because there are 10 car lengths in between you and the car in front of you, he will just hop in there. Then you have to slow down closing the distance in between you and the car behind you, and the car behind them etc.etc.etc.

My good story about this type of thing was when I had just gotten my first car(95 VW Passat) I was driving home at the speedlimit when a car pulled out behind me, and was tailgating. I sped up to about 5 mph over the speedlimit in order to put some distance between me and the ******* tailing me. Well the ******* tailing me was a cop in a pursuit car(camero) who promptly pulled me over. He didn't ticket me, but I had to sit in the car for 40 minutes for him to run my plates and license which was just bull****.

I think that cops, despite being good drivers, are *******s when it comes to following laws. Driving on many of the highways between where I live in New Jersey and where I go to school in New York, I have been tailgated by cops without lights on until I got out of their way where they promptly pulled away at 90+ MPH. Before anyone flames me about this, I would like to say that I am friends with several state and local law officials, and not all cops are like this (I think it goes without saying), but the ones that are, clearly are abusing their power, and I think that more do abuse that don't. It is like anything...there are plenty of investing firms that take your money, and invest it honestly, there are also those that don't. The same thing applies to parking garages, there are plenty that don't joyride your car, but the ones that do will get the publicity.

Sorry for the long post, just a subject that is close to my heart.

Craig

 

I was test driving a 550 last week in Ft. Lauderdale and I was on RT 95 I was cruising about 115 in the left lane and saw the FHP at the last moment on the shoulder. I had no detector on so I do not know if he had radar going. I managed to keep a semi truck between he and I as I passed him. The salesman kept looking in the side mirror for him but he never came after us. Thank god for that one. I am alrady going to driving school again in two weeks for the last one.
When I was using an old Passport it did not even go off the last four times as the ink hit the pad. Now I use a new Passport 8500 and it warns me now with this new Ka band they seem to be using a lot.
Even so, I am wondering how I am going to enjoy my new 550 soon without going to the track all the time.
Before I raced a Ducati 888 in superbike and took it on the street all the time in Illinois with my buddies. We never even used to stop for the cops. They just could not catch a 180 mph bike as we would go by them at 140.
Gary

 

Quite a few F-car owners, NSX's, and various german cars have been known to blow past CHP's on the 8 freeway headed back to San Diego in the wee hours of the morning after a track weekend at Holtville... not that I've had any personal experience in this. Radio doesn't help if there isn't another cop for 60 miles, and there's a casino right off the freeway that one can make a pit stop at for some refreshments.

 

Very touchy subject for some. Hehe.
Once got off a ridiculous ticket (like 120km/h in a 100) on a relativeley busy highway. Saw the cop coming the other way slowing down trying to cut across the ditch, I went for the first exit, and because of the of the traffic, he wasn't able to get to me. To his credit, he didn't endanger anyone to try and catch me. Frickin cops owed me that after a ticket for doing 60km/h in a 30 (yeah 30km/h, bikes go past you) on a deserted country road. I was pissed for days after that one.

Like someone else noted, it's quite irritating to see sports cars are the target, while they are most likely the safest cars on the road (try to say an Excursion will out-brake or out-handle a 308, let alone a 360 or 550).

 

OK, I think that one thing being forgotten about here is that speeding enforcement and safety have zilch to do with each other. Frankly it is about money. If any other crime had a better rate of return (cost of enforcement vs. revenue generated) the police would drop speeding and focus on that. It is just the most profitable game in town. Compare that with drug or violent crime offences where the cost of enforcement greatly exceeds the "profit" and you see why. If smoking in public netted a $500 fine, guess what, all the police would be on foot in public spaces....

I have no problem in principle, you break the law, you pay the fine. What I do have a problem with is insurance companies being able to make money off of the process and the ability of the government to stop you from driving. If charges with careless or dangerous driving, well, OK. But simple speeding?

Just make it a flat rate $50 ticket (like parking but a bit more), no mention of it in your driving record, I'll speed, pay all my $50 tickets on time, and worry less. The gov't might even make more profit.....

 

The stupid ass cops thing was funny. Get yalls panties out of a bunch and laugh.

 

One time in Wisconsin, the state trooper said they took mastercard. Do you believe that. She swiped my card and I was on my way in a few minutes.
Then in Illinois, I asked a trooper once if I could just pay cash now. He asked me if I was trying to bribe him. I said, no, I just wanted to pay the fine and cash was ok with me.
You are right though, it all about money. Especially here in Florida where I live now.
I get these donation calls now for the State Police asking me to donate, I tell them I donate roadside quite frequently. That usually gets a quiet response. I definitely contribute more than my fair share though.
I just wish I could find a good computer hacker that could get nito dmv and clean up my history?
gary