Police should issue tickets for minor speeding violations

Speedometers would need to be more accurately calibrated.

Within the limits of cost-benefit as applied to precision of measurement and ease of proof, which I understand is the motivation for not bothering with speeds within 5 mph of the posted limit.

D'A

Ehh. I don't see the point.

consistency in law enforcement is one point. if it isn't as written, then it isn't going to be consistent, and inconsistent law enforcement is problematic.

there's also the fact that, if the law is there to protect us, it should be only what is required to protect us. if it's not safe to go faster than 55, then i should be pulled over of driving unsafely at 60. if it *is* safe, the limit shouldn't be 55.

take the case of speed limits for specific road features. let's say a particular curve is marked 35 mph. most people, seeing that, will believe that means they can take it at 45, because there's always wiggle room built in. some people have even told me they always assume at least 20 more mph safety.

well, fine, so if it's actually safe at 35mph, we mark it 25 -- or even 15. but what if it's only safe at 10mph? if we mark it 10, people will take it at 20 to 30.

it generalizes well. if we mark an area "55mph" and let people do 65, because "everybody knows" that 65 is safe, then what about a No Passing zone? well, it's OK to pass if you do it quickly, or if the guy ahead of you is going really slow. the more laws there are that aren't enforced, the harder it is to enforce the ones that need to be enforced. No trucks over 4 tons. well, 5 is probably OK. just last week i was on the highway when there was a sign that said "highway closed, all traffic must exit next exit" -- and i was in one of 10 cars i saw pass that sign and go two more exits up to where the highway was *actually* closed.

In general I go whatever speed I think is safe and ignore the speed limit. In the city I rarely speed by more than a few mph, but sometimes I speed by 15mph on the highway.

Of course many people are incapable of sound judgment, but they shouldn't be driving anyhow.

Driving too slowly can be dangerous. If you don't know the area, you don't know which areas you really do need to slow down for. So, do we not let people drive in places they don't already know well?

Who are you arguing with, Rachel? Do you see me arguing against speed limits and warning street signs? Or in favor of driving at a snails pace?

I felt your argument was that people should use sound judgement, so we don't need to enforce the laws as they are, just let people use sound judgement.

But if we do that, then how do we have a fair system for saying who is driving illegaly and who isn't?

It would be nice if that was possible. But I didn't mean my comments as part of an argument so much as just a personal statement and a lament that people are dumb and can't drive.

Ah, okay. I thought you meant your behavior as more of a model of the way it should be, rather than the way you react to the system of what actually is.

Speed limits exist only to protect citizens. Police officers *should* enforce the spirit of the law (though it could be argued that this is the courts' job). So if, in the opinion of a police officer, driving 5mph over the limit is not endangering anyone, there is no need for a ticket.

Also, note that police officers can issue tickets for driving at speeds *under* the limit if there are hazardous conditions, such as rain, ice, or if there's an accident, etc.

yes, there are many laws, including some very blanket laws about driving "safely" -- the interpretation of which is left up to the opinion of the officer. however, the law should be either enforced or tossed, meaning that while the law is on the books, the ticket should be issued unless driving as slow as the speed limit would be dangerous in that particular situation.

If you have laws that are enforced at an officer's discretion, you get wonderful things like police refusing to ticket other police officers universally or biased ticketing (e.g. a city or town where blacks or hippies or 'Muslims' get a ticket twice as often as the rest of the population)

W/r/t the marking of the roads, some of that is related to the wide variety of vehicles that are permitted on the road. Very old, poorly maintained, and otherwise relatively unsafe cars can probably not go faster than the speed limit safely. A recent, well maintained and otherwise safe vehicle can probably exceed it safely under some circumstances, but they generally cost much more.

Prohibiting the unsafe cars would likely result in those with less means being unable to get from place to place.

Increasing the speed limits could result in injuries / deaths.

Enforcing the speed limit across the board would result in an across the board reduction in speed. (If you knew you wouldn't get away with doing 60 in a 55 if you passed a cop, ever, you'd keep yourself at 59... it'd only take about a month for the people in the area to learn that the police meant it)

I really need to cut down on my comment length. Maybe I need an editor. Speaking of which, I need to find the Emacs vs. Vi Jyte claim...

Slarti: Share and enjoy.

Also see It's All Text!, which I dig.

D'A
... why is it that KDE still hasn't gotten this right?

your comment length looks fine to me.