[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
re: speeding tickets
On 3 Sep 96 at 18:39, jeffreypi wrote:
Long response. Beyond a scope of BMWs.
> Davor writes:
>>
>> well, since I bought my '93 325i at the and of April I've gotten
>> 3 (yes, three) speeding tickets. <snip> Looks like those f*$@ing cops like
>> BMWs too much.
>
> Jeff's response:
>
> hummmm...Let's see...I'm one of those f*$@ing cops that likes BMWs too
> much...I own a couple. Do I single out BMW's to stop and write speeding
> tickets to? No. I don't show prejudice...I'd generally write anyone that
> was doing in excess of about 15 mph of the posted limit, depending on
> conditions, regardless of the car they were driving. Alot of factors come
> into play...posted limits, your actual speed, weather, traffic conditions,
> time of day, and most importantly, your attitude. I can assure you that
> the guy that I stop for say....57mph in a 45 mph tells me "I really don't
> know how fast I was going, officer" is when I break out the ticket book. I
> don't want to share the road with someone who obviously isn't paying
> attention, and I don't want my family or yours sharing it with that type of
> driver either. I don't have the scientific data to back this up, but for
> the thousands of traffic stops I've made in 16 years, I'd guess that about
> 30% resulted in me writing a ticket. This varies alot from agency and from
> officer, but 30% or so is not all that unusual in So Cal.
I sure wouldn't mind having cops like you on Virginia's roads. Well,
I haven't met one yet that didn't write me a ticket. Let's take my
last ticket as an example.
I was traveling on a rural 4 lane divided highway. It was around 10pm
on a Thursday night. The weather was perfect. RElatively bright night,
almost no traffic at all. I'm in the right lane, doing 65-70 mph in a 55 mph zone.
As I said, no one in front of me no one behind me as far as I can see. Straight
stretch of the road extends for at least 2-3 miles ahead of me. There
are lots of bushes in Virginia. As I pass one, I realize I have just
passed a cop. I lift my foot off of accelerator and slow down to 55.
Next thing I know, he's behind me with his lights on. He asks me for
a license and registration which I aleady have in my hands on the
steering wheel so that he can see them. He tells me I was doing
66 mph. I say nothing. He takes my license and registration back to
his car and comes back with a ticket. I sign and he tells me to have a
safe trip.
This experience can be applied to every ticket I've gotten. They
never ask questions, they never talk, they are always very
professional and cold. I never tried to talk myself out of the ticket
since I know that I was speeding. Being from Europe, I still have a fear
of police, and I am always very nice and pleasant. I never raise my
voice, I always say thank you officer and have anice day. So there
is no attitude problem. And I respect them for what they do. I could
never be a cop...well not at this country at least. Every time they
pull someone over they can expect to be shot at.
Now what you're explaining is quite different. First off you say that
you rarely pull someone off for speeding of less than 15 mph. Not the
case here in VA. My wife once got a ticket for 8 mph over.
And as for my driving: I am sure that I am a better driver than most
of the people on the road. I was raised and trined on an Autobahn.
So, I know the rules of traffic. It would have been deadly not to
know those while you're doing >110mph with cars zooming by you.
In order to get my license 15 years ago, I had to go to a drivers
school for 6 months and pass a rigorous medical exam as well as
several written and verbal exams. After that I had to drive for 30
hours with an instructor sitting next to me all the time. After all
of that I was eligible to go for a real exam. I was sitting in a car
with an instructor in front and two examiners in the back. I had to
drive for aproximately 2 hours. On a highway, in the city, and on the
parking lot making different manouvres. Oh yeah, in a non-automatic
car. After that I had to take CPR courses and pass a "first aid
test" which is administered by a doctor. After all of that, and after
spending about $900 I got a license.
At the same time, my wife got her drivers license here in the US. She
studied 15 minutes for it. Out of 20 questions in the style:
"The traffic light is red. What should you do?"
A: Accelerate and pass quickly through the intersection,
B: Make a right turn,
C: Stop
D: Yield
she got 5 wrong and passed. Then the guy took her for a 3
minute ride in a 25mph zone. And bingo, she's now a licensed driver.
And she's a safer one also. She only has one ticket for 8 mph over
the limit. Who cares that I'm scared to death when I drive with her?
Who cares that she's still not able to change lanes without 5 minutes
of preparation? Who cares that when she drives we all get sick?
Who cares that she can't drive at night? She is a good driver.
I, on the other hand am a bad driver and I should be punished because
I was driving faster than the sign said I should drive.
It doesn't matter that 55 is totaly obsolete. It doesn't matter that
80 mph would be a reasonable speed limit on that road. It doesn't
matter. All that matters is that I was 11 mph over the limit.
> A better investment might be bigger mirrors. In order for me to get to
> you, I have to see you. If I can see you, you can see me. That should
> ample warning for you to do whatever you need to to get things under
> control. Paying attention to the 360 degrees around you might save you
> more than a ticket someday.
>
Bigger mirrors!? So that I can deflect light and blind you? Maybe
that would work. Just kidding. I DO pay attention all over the
place. When I drive I don't even talk to people in the car. I don't
drink coffe, nor eat, nor shave, nor make phone calls while I drive.
I am concentrated on one thing: on driving. Just because I can't see
a cop in a brown police car hiding in the bushes at 10 pm at night,
doesn't mean that I need bigger mirrors or that I don't pay
attention.
I don't know, maybe it's better in LA. Or maybe I should move back to
Europe. At least I'll be able to drive normaly.
> Sell your BMW and buy a Yugo? Surely you jest :)
Yes and know. It is my opinion that even Yugo is too fast for
American roads. I was driving one while on vacation and that thing
can drive faster than Ford Tempo. I was doing 130 kmh (80-85 mph) in
it, no problem. Well, I guess even if I had a Yugo, I'd be too fast
for american roads. And all those Mustangs. What's the point of
building cars with those huge engines when you can't shift to a
second gear without being illegal?
Thanks for your input and I hope I haven't bothered you all too much.
Safe driving.
Davor
- --------------------------------------------------------------
Davor Ebling
Univeristy of Virginia http://holmes.acc.virginia.edu/~de2j
ITC - Network Systems (804) 982-4859
P.O. Box 9029
Charlottesville, VA 22906
- --------------------------------------------------------------