Danger zones listed

[TED]

Here is a good article about it.

There was a hilarious thread (well at least for the readers) posted on our local boards some years ago about a rider who had been ticketed in West Virginia on Rt. 50 where the speed limit went from 50 to 25 (it was at the edge of a small town bypassed by the big road.) The rider argued there was no sign, the officer insisted there was. After getting his reward the rider went back and sure enough there was a sign, completely obstructed by a several branches of a large bush. He took a few pics then decided to help out the next guy by pulling out the Leatherman and cutting the branches so the sign could be seen. The officer happened across this and promptly cited him for littering.

[greenwald]

Speed Trap = Any positioning of Law Enforcement Officers that catches me disobeying the traffic laws.

By shear default to human nature, this is the most honest definition of 'Speed Trap' I've ever seen!

You've got me rolling on the floor chuckling.

It's been the nature of our species to rationalize away bad behavior since before the Crucifixition, so getting busted for speeding has few honest souls indeed.

Funny comment - I loved it!

[PGlaves]

By shear default to human nature, this is the most honest definition of 'Speed Trap' I've ever seen!

You've got me rolling on the floor chuckling.

It's been the nature of our species to rationalize away bad behavior since before the Crucifixition, so getting busted for speeding has few honest souls indeed.

Funny comment - I loved it!

I consider it more-or-less a reverse lottery. It is mine to lose.

[bmwrider88]

Well, yes, but..... (snip)
.....cutting yellow in either event sure makes red-light cameras more lucrative.

we can all be thankful that the US hasn't gone too far down THAT road- yet.
England has cameras everywhere, and i know in Scotland there are many also.
not sure about Ireland so i hesitate to say "all" of the UK....
in England there is basically a no tolerance rule that is hard to beat. there are signs warning of speed cameras, however so driver beware. guess what? folks there have slowed down.

i live across from a suburban park. the speed limit is 15 MPH! we are near a city so traffic is plentiful here. think anyone at all observes the speed limit here? i told a local cop that if they needed to solve any budget issues in our town, they could do it right here! his response? "HMMPF!"

welcome to the world of tighter municipal budgets and very little or no slack. i heard a funny article on the radio about this. it ended with a hypothetical encounter between motorist & LEO, with the LEO approaching the driver saying,
"do you have ANY idea how fast our budget deficit is growing?"

ah, life is STILL good in the 21st century for us 1st-worlders, tho- eh?

[txedomoon]

back to the speedtrap website...
If you are making use of this please note the date of the posting,
the warning may or may not still apply.
The listing for Thompson, North Dakota was correct back in 1998,
but since then the lone town officer, John, has left the force.
It is true he posted and waited for anyone to violate the law.
Not sure what his replacement has been like.

Another rule of thumb -- beware of significant fines in states
that are cash-strapped. A buddy of mine just got a $312.00 fine
for not wearing a seatbelt in Minnesota. (oops.. that builds on
rider88's comment, doesn't it? serves me right for not fully reading)

[greenwald]

back to the speedtrap website...
If you are making use of this please note the date of the posting,
the warning may or may not still apply.
The listing for Thompson, North Dakota was correct back in 1998,
but since then the lone town officer, John, has left the force.
It is true he posted and waited for anyone to violate the law.
Not sure what his replacement has been like.

Another rule of thumb -- beware of significant fines in states
that are cash-strapped. A buddy of mine just got a $312.00 fine
for not wearing a seatbelt in Minnesota. (oops.. that builds on
rider88's comment, doesn't it? serves me right for not fully reading)

Dang it.

Now there are "Seat Belt Traps" too!!

We're doomed!

[Visian]

And cutting yellow in either event sure makes red-light cameras more lucrative.

So does reducing the distance between speed limit signs as speeds are reduced.

This happened to me in Bluff City, TN. I clearly remember the speed reducing from 55 to 45 very quickly in a big 4-lane road, where 45 was ridiculously low.

A few weeks later comes a nice letter in the mail with a picture of me riding my bike, and my brake light on...

Below the pic, written in red, was the message: Your insurance company will not be notified if you pay the fine. Gee how considerate of them.

Frankly, this whole "you're not paying attention" thing reminds me of an accountant I once had, who took great pride in figuring exactly how much tax to pay. Dude...!

Ian

[saddleman]

So does reducing the distance between speed limit signs as speeds are reduced.

This happened to me in Bluff City, TN. I clearly remember the speed reducing from 55 to 45 very quickly in a big 4-lane road, where 45 was ridiculously low.

A few weeks later comes a nice letter in the mail with a picture of me riding my bike, and my brake light on...

Below the pic, written in red, was the message: Your insurance company will not be notified if you pay the fine. Gee how considerate of them.

Frankly, this whole "you're not paying attention" thing reminds me of an accountant I once had, who took great pride in figuring exactly how much tax to pay. Dude...!

Ian

I got the same ticket from the same intersection. They slow the speed limit down for 600 feet from 55 to 45 mph. That camera has brought in as much as a 1/4 of a million dollars a month for Bluff City. They call it the Bluff City Camera Saftey Program. I sent them a check made out to the Bluff City Extortion Program & they didn't have any problem cashing it. The accidents at that intersection have gone up because the locals know the camera's are there and they slow down unexpecedly catching the out of towners off gaurd. For that reason alone I would never recommend The BMWMOA ever consider going back to that area for the national rally.

[BCKRider]

My rule of thumb is "obey the ridiculously low speed limit plus 10 percent" unless several vehicles ahead of you are ignoring it. That's near or in towns. Same thing on highways, unless you are so far from a town that speed enforcement is unlikely. This attitude (plus some luck) has kept me ticket free for at least 15 years.

Could also be that I don't live (and maybe haven't ridden) in places where speed limits are enforced by cameras rather than cops. THAT should be illegal!

Be good to hear some tips from high mileage riders/ drivers - I am neither. Bet they know a few things many of us don't.

[JDOCKERY132445]

I got a ticket here in November. I was in my Sequoia, cruise control set on 70. NC HP lit me up. I pulled over and he asked if I knew how fast I was going. I said of course I do, I am careful and attentive. I was doing 70 MPH. He responded, "Yes you were. Remain in your vehicle."

I have never received a ticket that took so little time in my life. It was all processed by his computer and it was a printout directly from his on board computer.

My attorney said, no problem; they are just generating revenue. The attorney charged me $195.00 to make it go away and the courts got $208.00 to keep the lights on at the courthouse.

For those of you who think there are no speed traps....SU.


US Highway 74/76 near Interstate 95 Whiteville, North Carolina

I am shocked that this stretch of road from Interstate 95 in Lumberton to Wilmington NC is not mentioned here. The speed limit is 45 mph, 60 mph, then 70 mph, then 55 mph. You must be extremely wary, especially around Whiteville NC. I know many people that had met the fine officers of the NCHP on this deserted, boring divided highway!
Feb 11, 2008 North Carolina 1 comments

Vote on this speed trap below:
Yes! This is a speed trap. (48) - No, this is definitely NOT a speed trap. (4)
Highway 74 Whiteville, North Carolina

Unbelievable number of tickets written in this area, especially by N.C. State Highway Patrol. Much of traffic is headed to and from NC beaches making for easy (can't wait to get there) targets. I've traveled this highway for 20 years and would estimate seeing troopers either rolling or waiting 90 percent (minimum) of the time. Ask ANYONE who travels this stretch of road! Whiteville jail and courthouse conveniently (if your law enforcement) located just a few minutes drive from highway 74.

[JDOCKERY132445]

http://www.speedtrap.org/city/6492/Whiteville

[greenwald]

I got a ticket here in November. I was in my Sequoia, cruise control set on 70. NC HP lit me up. I pulled over and he asked if I knew how fast I was going. I said of course I do, I am careful and attentive. I was doing 70 MPH. He responded, "Yes you were. Remain in your vehicle."

I have never received a ticket that took so little time in my life. It was all processed by his computer and it was a printout directly from his on board computer.

My attorney said, no problem; they are just generating revenue. The attorney charged me $195.00 to make it go away and the courts got $208.00 to keep the lights on at the courthouse.

For those of you who think there are no speed traps....SU.


US Highway 74/76 near Interstate 95 Whiteville, North Carolina

I am shocked that this stretch of road from Interstate 95 in Lumberton to Wilmington NC is not mentioned here. The speed limit is 45 mph, 60 mph, then 70 mph, then 55 mph. You must be extremely wary, especially around Whiteville NC. I know many people that had met the fine officers of the NCHP on this deserted, boring divided highway!
Feb 11, 2008 North Carolina 1 comments

Vote on this speed trap below:
Yes! This is a speed trap. (48) - No, this is definitely NOT a speed trap. (4)
Highway 74 Whiteville, North Carolina

Unbelievable number of tickets written in this area, especially by N.C. State Highway Patrol. Much of traffic is headed to and from NC beaches making for easy (can't wait to get there) targets. I've traveled this highway for 20 years and would estimate seeing troopers either rolling or waiting 90 percent (minimum) of the time. Ask ANYONE who travels this stretch of road! Whiteville jail and courthouse conveniently (if your law enforcement) located just a few minutes drive from highway 74.

Nothing personal, but all you've reviewed here is a group of like-minded people (yourself included) who got caught violating posted speed limits by a margin great enough to come to the attention of an LEO, and then declared themselves as having been "trapped" into their troubles.

Amazing rationale, even for homo sapiens.

Certainly don't expect anyone on this thread to change their minds on this lively-debated issue. People who make a habit of ignoring speed limits, and then get caught, will always blame someone else for the 'unfair' mess they got into - human nature.

As for your attorney telling you "No problem" - it ended up costing you $403 to resolve that ticket. Glad he or she is not my lawyer!

[Lee510]

$403.00 is cheap compared to what the increased insurance premiums would have been for three years. Insurance companies in NC will rate you as high risk for getting a speeding ticket. I know. I know. Speed kills and is a contributor in vehicle crashes. Can't call them accidents, as many are preventable due to somebody screwing up and not paying attention.

Speaking of speed traps, and I think we were. I found one in Belle Vernon, PA in 1995. I believe this town is on I-80 in PA. Speed limit is 65. Heading downhill toward the town, the speed limit drops to 45. I saw a 45 sign just past an onramp and began to brake. It's 2:00 am and I'm grossing 70,000 pounds. (driving a tractor-trailer). No other traffic on the road. I see headlights on the onramp and think, "Nobody out at this ungodly hour but me, so that's got to be the cops." By this time, I'm below 50 mph, so I think I'm good, even if it was the cops. NOT! Get pulled over by a trooper and his trainee. I explained that I saw the 45 sign and was on the brakes immediately and asked if they saw the brake lights. They did. The trainer was a, well, you know and wasn't about to let some law-breaking truck driver off. I think the trainee would have it he'd been by himself. I got written for 55 in a 45. I paid it and since PA isn't (wasn't) reciprocal to NC, it never showed up on my driving record.

We were at WDW a few months back. One of the cast members' name plate showed she was from Belle Vernon, PA. I told her I knew where the town was and why. She acknowledged that the town is still a speed trap.

[WalterK75]

In my original posting I was commenting about "traps." These are locations that are specifically designed to create a traffic violation of some kind so a ticket can be issued. I'm pleased to see that some of the comments here are reporting on situations that illustrate this point.

If a person violates traffic laws and gets caught then that's fair. If a situation is specifically designed to entrap drivers/riders where they have almost no chance of conforming to the law safely or within a reasonable time/distance that is another issue. It is this latter situation which is unfair.

[JDOCKERY132445]

Nothing personal, but all you've reviewed here is a group of like-minded people (yourself included) who got caught violating posted speed limits by a margin great enough to come to the attention of an LEO, and then declared themselves as having been "trapped" into their troubles.

Amazing rationale, even for homo sapiens.

Certainly don't expect anyone on this thread to change their minds on this lively-debated issue. People who make a habit of ignoring speed limits, and then get caught, will always blame someone else for the 'unfair' mess they got into - human nature.

As for your attorney telling you "No problem" - it ended up costing you $403 to resolve that ticket. Glad he or she is not my lawyer!

I consider it a bargain.

I suppose your assertion that it is NOT a speed trap is based on more than the 48 people who have asserted that it is one and my lawyer who has made a good living off drivers who hire him to fix the problem for them.

I will pay my lawyer any amount to keep an infraction from showing up on my record. NC insurance companies are the ones out to screw you. Never mind that you have not had an accident since you were 16 y/o. Speed is not related to accident payouts; but they treat it as such and continue to stick it to you.

I did not invent this system; I have simply learned how to play the game.

When I am knowingly speeding, I am very alert and not likely to get caught. This is a situation the police use to generate revenue. There is no engineering reason or public safety reason for the 55 limit. It remains in place because the signs have not been replaced yet.