$300 speeding ticket

[Alexander's Horse]

I just love all their BS excuses for speeding, which is just basically selfishness and stupidity and taking no thought for the welfare of other road users.

I'm with the cops on this one because speeding only means one thing - needless deaths of innocent people because of a few selfish ignorant bastards, including many on this very thread.

[NeOmega]

Man, I swear, the only thing more preachy than a Pastor is a cop. Save your finger waggin' for your kids. I don't need a fatherly lecture thank you. In fact, on my way to hansville tonight, I think I'll break the speedlimit by..... 10 whole miles per hour, just for you.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by 1
I Accelerated to pass the dewd, so its not like I was going the constant 97, or whatever the officer claimed. (my speedometer only goes to 85 mind you, so I doubt the validity of his accusations)

He goes 97 and thinks there is any sort of justification for not getting a $300 ticket. What a moron?

[NeOmega]

He was just pissed off and venting. I am sure it was his first ticket. He'll figure it out, I am sure.

[1]

Che, you obviously didn't read my posts if u think I normally go that fast. I'll ignore the moron comment, citing hypocrisy.

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

The irony of speed limits is that they were actually higher 30 years ago, before ABS, airbags, seat belt laws, crumple zones, etc, etc... cars are much safer now than they ever were. And yet, roads that were built in the 60s based on a then-70 mph limit are now a 100km (62mph) zone here.

Bottom line is, people never drive the limit on highways because the limit makes no sense. And if you do happen to be going 100 when everyone else is doing 120, you're the hazard.

Like almost everything else, speed is situational. I've never been ticketed for speeding anywhere but in residential/high traffic areas. And those, I can understand.

[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by NeOmega
In fact, on my way to hansville tonight, I think I'll break the speedlimit by..... 10 whole miles per hour, just for you.

Fine well when you do, think about this arsehole.

When my brother Anthony was 5 and in kindergarten he had a friend named Monica Rumble also 5. We used to catch the bus home from school to the T intersection at the top of the neighbouring street. Monica would get off at the same stop, along with a lot of other school kids. I was friends with Monica's older brother and our parents were close friends (and still are - really nice people).

On this particular day I had football training so I wasn't there. But when I got home there was chaos - Anthony and Monica had been hit by a car We didn't know if they were alive or dead, my Mom was in a hysterical state, my Dad was rushing home from work. All we knew was they had been taken to hospital by ambulance and it was "bad".

It turned out that when the children got off the bus, Anthony and Monica had got separated from the older children somehow. Just as they were crossing the road, holding hands as they had been taught, a local guy in a mini-moke came along and hit both of them. This guy delivered the papers from the back of the open moke, throwing the papers out as he drove and was well known for driving around the area too fast.

Monica took the full force of the collision and was thrown about a 100 yards like a rag doll. My brother Anthony somehow missed the full impact and only took a glancing blow from the car's bumper. He was thrown clear but he came within an inch of death. He landed on the grass, she landed on the road. It could have been either of them or both killed.

Monica died that night in hospital. Her brother slept with me in my bed that night. He cried a lot and we talked about it but we really couldn't take it in being only 8 and 10 ourselves.

Now the local speed limit was 30 mph. The police and witnesses estimated this guy was doing somewhere between 30 and 40 mph, perhaps a little more or less. But in that situation, the difference between 30 and 40 is the difference between stopping in time and not, whether the force of the collision kills or just maims, in other words life or death for a couple of innocent little kindergarten kids. Maybe she would have still been killed if he was driving more slowly but at the speed he was going she never stood a chance

So live it up jerks, exceed the speed limit, get your cheap thrills, don't worry about others.

I'll never forget the little white coffin, the wailing, the grief and anguish, which went on for years and years, the way it knawed away at that family, affected their marriage, the guilt and shame affecting a whole lot of other kids who got off the bus that day with Monica, the recriminations and anger. The pointless court case. It would never bring her back.

I knew this little girl damn it, and she was lovely. Everybody loved her. Why did she die and my brother live? Every time that family see my brother they remember. To this day my brother feels a sort of guilt about it too - for surviving. Its a heavy burden for a 5 year old and other little kids to see a friend die like that. Children shouldn't have to see that. And for what? for nothing but stupidity and all the BS excuses of a speeder.

To this day the family keep her room just as it was the day she died. They forgave everyone including the guy who killed her. Was it worthwhile for this jerk to take a child's life just so he could get to where he was going a couple of minutes faster? He left the area shortly after - he couldn't stand the shame and the way people looked at him. I don't know what happened to him - it probably wasn't good. He has to live with what he did for the rest of his life.

Monica would be 36 today. My brother Anthony is 36 and married with 4 beautiful children.

So please, don't speed.

[Asher]

I don't think anyone in this thread even hinted about speeding in residential areas, especially when kids are around.

In fact I assumed everyone was talking about major roads, freeways and highways and the like.

That is a sad story though, and that's why I never speed in residential areas -- kids run out infront of you chasing a ball or whatnot and you need to be able to stop on a dime.

[Alexander's Horse]

Yep Asher, there's always an out

But I can think of many situations on the highway where being over speed is the difference between life and death.

But why bother listing some? Its like talking to brick walls

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

AH,

That's a terrible thing to have experienced. I'm sorry.

[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by Six Thousand Year Old Man
AH,

That's a terrible thing to have experienced. I'm sorry.

Thanks I'm okay - but strange how it brings the memories flooding back. I can still see her face, hear her voice. She had a lisp. She was the baby of the family. They didn't have any more children after that.

Her brother David was really cut up by her death because he had been mean to her before she died, just normal childish teasing, and he couldn't make it up to her, say sorry. That's how kids look at these things. He was really upset about all the mean things he ever did to her, really tortured himself about it - and he was only about 10.

People were angry with the guy who did it, but we also felt really sorry for him too. What a waste the whole thing was.

I speed too sometimes so I'm no saint.

[Ming]

Originally posted by NeOmega He was passing a truck. American law allows for up to 10 mph anyway to do this task, so realistically he was going like 22 mph too fast.

And in what state is that the case... none that I know of.

Passing another vehicle gives you no more right to speed than if the other vehicle wasn't there.

Stop making crap up to help justify an already lame defense for breaking the law.

[David Floyd]

As David Floyd and other libertarians have mentioned, a state can pass any law so long as it does not conflict with the Constitution. Nothing in the constitution prohibits speed limits.

I think I'd better respond to this one.

Yes, the state of Texas may legally pass any law it likes that does not conflict with the Constitution (or the Texas Constitution). That does not mean that it should.

Further, conflicting with the Constitution also means conflicting with the 9th Amendment, and according to the 14th Amendment states can't violate a person's Constitutional rights in the same way the federal government can't (this ignores the good argument that the 14th was never properly ratified, and thus doesn't exist, but that argument is irrelevant here, and in any case, it damn well SHOULD exist). And the 9th Amendment pretty much protects any right not specifically mentions.

In terms of traffic laws such as speed limits, it comes down to whether speed limits violate your rights. For me, the jury's still out on that one - I certainly want speed limits (reasonable ones) but what I selfishly want doesn't necessarily mean that is what should happen, and there are good arguments that just because roads are state property doesn't mean they can restrict your speed, any more than they can restrict what you're wearing, eating, or carrying.

So, I'm not really sure what my opinion is on speed limits. I like them, in a sense, as there are too many idiots out there, but if it's adequately shown that they are a violation of individual rights, I won't support them.

[Tuberski]

Originally posted by David Floyd
So, I'm not really sure what my opinion is on speed limits. I like them, in a sense, as there are too many idiots out there, but if it's adequately shown that they are a violation of individual rights, I won't support them.

Basically, you want anarchy?

Human rights over the common good?

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
I speed too sometimes so I'm no saint.

No, but apparently you are a judgmental hypocrite.