A retired Marine I know said roughly "we recruit them with commercials showing guys rappelling from helicopters or advancing through fire, we train them to take extreme risks, and we're astonished when they go 130 on a motorcycle and get killed". I have very little interest in driving over about 75, but then I also have very little interest in confronting dangerous people.
Data journalism busts speeding cops, wins Pulitzer
111–120 of 158 posts
Re: Data journalism busts speeding cops, wins Pulitzer
#112Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well then, let them stop pretending that they're looking out for our safety when they put up a speed trap. If you want to talk about having more reasonable road markings, speed limits, and fines for speeding that's great. It's a conversation that we need to have. But to have a bunch of guys driving around like jerks, on and off duty, extracting a tax from the working stiffs is an insult, and nobody should be surprise…
> And, machines tend to have no discretion. This a feature, that protects and racism and classism.
> that protects and racism
You've got a point.
>and classism.
Meh, I'm not so sure about that one, and really, in both cases it depends where the machines are sited.
Re: Data journalism busts speeding cops, wins Pulitzer
#113Earlier quoted context omitted.
(Shrug) There aren't any "consequences of speeding." If you hit something or kill somebody, you were doing something wrong besides speeding.
People are making small mistakes all the time. Lower speed gives you more time to correct your own and other people's mistakes.
Hiring a professional driver would increase safety a bit. Even better, hire a professional driver and pay him/her to drive slowly.
Re: Data journalism busts speeding cops, wins Pulitzer
#114I'm just going to throw this out there,
people don't pass marked cars
so a marked car driving the speed limit causes traffic to back up behind them
for no other reason than to alleviate traffic congestion, it probably makes sense for them to drive 15-20 miles over the speed limit
(that obviously doesn't excuse driving 130 mph)
Re: Data journalism busts speeding cops, wins Pulitzer
#115Earlier quoted context omitted.
Number of times I have stopped for gas on a 30-mile stretch of local toll road: 0. Why would someone stop, just to get an excuse to speed later, at the same average? The few people drag-racing, maybe. Not the vast majority who want to to arrive at destination ASASP. You are conjuring up a ridiculous hypothetical and claiming it is the common case.
>Why would someone stop, just to get an excuse to speed later, at the same average? You do understand that there are service plazas on toll roads. People stop for gas because they need gas, not because they want to speed. But once someone has stopped, or intends to stop before the toll booth, they're no longer subject to the timer and end up creating a dangerous speed differential against the drivers who are.
On today's roads there are always some people driving over the speed limit. By your logic we should abolish speed limits to remove this "speed differential".
Re: Data journalism busts speeding cops, wins Pulitzer
#116Re: Data journalism busts speeding cops, wins Pulitzer
#117Earlier quoted context omitted.
number of times you've not stopped for gas which are relevant: 0 the point is that if you intend to stop, or must stop, you are free to speed without fear of automatic ticketing.
So how's that worse than the current situation?
not worse, just misguided.
Re: Data journalism busts speeding cops, wins Pulitzer
#118Earlier quoted context omitted.
I would have thought dealing with the consequences of speeding in their jobs (notifying families of the death of loved ones, seeing the terrible injuries caused) would have stopped them. I know a few people who work in that area and that stuff stays with them. For example - they've assured me I should never buy a motor bike.
(Shrug) There aren't any "consequences of speeding." If you hit something or kill somebody, you were doing something wrong besides speeding.
Right, so there aren't any consequences of smoking, but only consequences of inhaling tar?
Re: Data journalism busts speeding cops, wins Pulitzer
#119>The reporters found nearly 800 officers who reached speeds of 90-130 mph, many of them while off duty. The accidents caused by officers driving at high speeds had caused at least 320 crashes since 2004, killing or maiming 21 people. That's such a horrifying statistic if true. Even at their peak, homicide offending rates in the US were at around 20 per 100,000; assault rates about 10 times as high: http://bjs.gov/con…
They didn't just reach speeds of 130mph, but average speeds of 130mph over a distance of several miles. Their maximum speed was probably closer to 150-180.
I want to know what cars these officers are driving that are capable of 150-180mph, or capable of sustaining speeds of 130mph over a significant distance. From my knowledge, 150 is a fairly exclusive club limited to not-inexpensive performance cars, and 180 is a very hard target to meet, mostly at the feet of German luxury cars. I know police officers don't make six figures, so the question is what car are they in that can hit 130 sustained, and 150-180 max?
Re: Data journalism busts speeding cops, wins Pulitzer
#120I'm just going to throw this out there, people don't pass marked cars so a marked car driving the speed limit causes traffic to back up behind them for no other reason than to alleviate traffic congestion, it probably makes sense for them to drive 15-20 miles over the speed limit (that obviously doesn't excuse driving 130 mph)
I would argue that for the sake of the law, having a backup of cars behind an officer all doing the speed limit is a good thing. It's called the speed limit, not the speed range. As in, the maximum you're allowed to do on that road in perfect conditions. If we want to enforce the laws, having everyone follow a pace car going exactly the speed limit is a good thing.
Having an officer going 65 in a 55 just to relieve congestion means the law is irrelevant.