COP SNIFFS OUT CROTCH.....

[PeteSC]

ROCKET RIDER FROM A DISTANCE!  Pennsylvania


(Sorry, had to take a jab at the cop who called this squid a 'crotch rocket rider!)

Speed draws citations
Motorcycle clocked at 120, police say
Thursday, September 22, 2005
BY BARBARA MILLER
Of Our Palmyra Bureau
SCHAEFFERSTOWN - Patrolman Terry Swingholm said he suspected the "crotch rocket" rider was speeding before he even saw the motorcycle flash past him.

"I could hear him from a distance coming, going through the gears, so I was ready for him," said Swingholm, who followed the rider for three miles.

The Heidelberg Twp. police officer clocked the Myerstown motorcyclist going 120 mph in the 50 mph zone in southeastern Lebanon County, he said. Cited was Vincent R. Weaver, 21, of the 200 block of Long Road, who was riding a 2003 Yamaha motorcycle on Route 501 south of town about 10 p.m. Tuesday.

He was also cited for not having a proper motorcycle license or getting the cycle inspected, along with reckless driving.

Heidelberg Twp. police are cracking down on speeders, Swingholm said.

"Every day, if I don't have any criminal calls I'm checking speeds," he said. "I get lots of 'em every week. I wrote 111 tickets last month."

Many of the speeders have a lot in common. Police are handing out more multiple citations, he added. "When someone is caught for speeding, normally there are other things involved," he said, such as inspection violations.

Drivers who go twice the speed limit get cited for reckless driving, since "they're creating a risk to other lives and property."

[Tundrahog]

 "I get lots of 'em every week. I wrote 111 tickets last month."

  Goody for him.  Does he get a free dozen at Dunkin' Donuts??



Sorry I appreciate the hard work and dedication of most officers, but that article reinforces the notion that going after speeders is more of a hobby to fill the time waiting for your shift to end.  Not a genuine function of public safety.

[EODSarge]

The number one driver error contributing to collisions is....

Excessive speed.

[PeteSC]

I don't have any problems with legitimate speeding tickets.
 
 98% of the time, I'm the slowest vehicle on the street, and I habitually go a little over the posted speed limit.
   I pay attention to the posted speed limit, watch for speed changes, and go a little over the limit.  No cop will bother you.
 (On a bike, on a deserted road that's more appropriate...it's a different story....)

 I ride through a construction area on an interstate highway almost every day  that's been there for a couple of months, is well marked, and the speed limit drops from 55, to 45.   I slow down to about 50-55, and just about get run over by the morons doing 75-80.  Usually they honk at me in the right lane, flip me off....as they blow past me and  the 45 mph signs.
  I'm not trying to slow them down, I don't care if they speed, as long as they don't kill me, or otherwise endanger me.  (Which isn't always the case.)

  I DO enjoy seeing them get tickets, since every 2-3 days, the city will actually have a handful of cops working that stretch, and they're seriously writing tickets.  Not often enough.....


  Oh yeah, 120 in a 50 zone, no mtc endorsement, or inspection sticker....I think the cop earned his donuts that day!

  Oh yeah, the rider he stopped was SMART to pull over, and not run!
  At the point he stopped for the cop, he stopped being 'squidly'......

[devildog0]

The number one driver error contributing to collisions is....

Excessive speed.

That whole excessive speed thing is a little deceptive.  They can say that excessive speed is anything 1mph over the speed limit if they can prove they were going over the limit (skid marks, eyewitness accounts, ect.) Personally I like to ride a little bit faster than traffic to stay away from traffic I see it as a personal protection policy.

[ttewejnodnarb]

Sometimes I ride slow, sometimes I ride quick...

Sorry for the obscure Hip-Hop referance.  I do think that it's all about live and let live.  If i decide to brake the law and speed I don't compound the impending danger of going so fast by:

1) Tailgating

2) Weaving WHILE tailgating

3) Weaving while tailgating in my 60,000 lbs SUV, talking on the cell, smoking a cig and drinking coffee

I always think about the comfort of other motorists, I'm not an angel so when I do make a mistake and do something stupid I recognize it and try not to repeat it.  I think all in all this contributes to a safer riding/driving enviornment.

Can I get a spell check?  Whoop Whoop!

[PeteSC]

"Excessive speed' covers a lot of ground, and it's not strictly related to  the posted speed limit.
  I bet a majority of bike crashes that don't involve a second vehicle are due to the rider going too fast. (Or going faster than he could handle the bike.   The bike is probably capable of going around that curve at that speed....but the rider wasn't!)
  A big chunk of the remainder of 'bike only' crashes are due to riders who shouldn't be on a bike at any speed....
  (A lot of those 'cruiser' wrecks where the bike runs off the road on a perfectly straight stretch, or a slight curve...and in both instances, the rider is actually BELOW the speed limit.)
   
  Riding faster than most of the traffic does kind of get you away from some morons, but, since most traffic is going 10-15 mph over the speed limit.....you're getting into the 'Hey Cop, look at me!' territory.
  I save my speeding on the bike for interesting, deserted roads.
   (Twisties!)
   A lot of times, travelling a little slower than the majority of the traffic will put you in less conflict than keeping up it, or just ahead of it.  We're not even talking about doing the speed limit, just a little over it.
  Just remember, even if you don't get a ticket, but get into an accident...and it was determined you were speeding....it could reduce any award you may seek in civil court.    Titanium body parts ain't cheap!

[WEINERDOGBONE]

Goody for him.  Does he get a free dozen at Dunkin' Donuts??

Most cops get a free toaster when we get a hundred.

[scooter trash]

Devildog wrote: Personally I like to ride a little bit faster than traffic to stay away from traffic I see it as a personal protection policy.

If you traveled RT 264 in Virginia Beach that would mean you would need a pilots license since you have to do at least 90 to keep ahead of the traffic. The wonderful highway planning department made the road so that there are very little places for police to setup radar and everyone knows it that travels the road. I have been the slowest one on the road trying to keep up with traffic (6 lanes) doing 75 in a 55. The only thing missing on that road is a pace car and checkered flag.

It’s a great road for engine testing !!!!!!!


   

[EODSarge]

You also gotta remember that "excessive speed" doesn't just mean someone was going so fast the vehicle couldn't hold the road. Higher speeds affect three things: the vehicle, the roadway, and the driver. The roadway, because defects and road design become increasingly more critical the faster the vehicle is going. The vehicle, because the more energy you put into a vehicle with more speed, the more force in the form of tire friction and other factors is needed to keep the vehicle on the road. The driver, because at higher speeds, drivers have less time to react to hazards ahead and may lack the skill needed to control the car at those speeds and with those forces involved.

Modern cars, especially, feel very stable at higher speeds than their older counterparts did. I used to drive a '79 Olds Delta 88. If I cranked it up over 80, I knew it... it was swaying all over the road in a straight line. In a modern car, it feels a lot more stable at higher speeds than the Olds did. But, if I have to make a sudden maneuver to avoid a hazard, I suddenly find that the laws of physics haven't been repealed and I'm still beholden to Newton. Suddenly, I'm in way over my head and find myself sliding off the road.

Now, there are excellent drivers out there, who can control a car at those speeds even under panic maneuvering situations. They've had a lot of training. But the vast majority of the public can barely control their vehicles in a parking lot, even when they're paying attention; which a lot of them aren't. We have no way of knowing who's a good driver and who isn't, so a line has to be fixed- the speed limit.

In almost every serious wreck I've worked, speed played a factor; either in the driver being able to control the car or having enough time to react to what was happening; not to mention in the overall severity of the crash. Not the only factor, mind you; but a major factor. That's why, when I worked the traffic unit, I had no qualms about writing speeding tickets- I truly believed, and still do, that by doing so, I reduced the potential for serious accidents on that road.

I'm not meaning to be preachy; it's just something I feel strongly about. If I could re-write driver's license tests, I'd include panic braking, skid recovery, and off-road recovery to the list of tasks to pass. For some reason, though, the Governor won't put me in charge of the DMVS.

[PeteSC]

Preach away!
 I need help!

    Slow down, pay attention, and if you speed, do it in moderation, and responsibly!    
  The squids doing 120 mph in heavy traffic draw more attention to us.
  The cagers speeding while on a cell phone, and weavin in and out of traffic....kill us!

   I'll take the occasional ticket I probably deserve on a deserted back road.   I know I won't get them in a majority of my travel.

  In 3 million miles of driving and riding, I've never had a SPEEDING ticket I didn't deserve.   I have had some cops claim they clocked me at ridiculous speeds, but didn't put that on the ticket, or give me a ticket.

[Red01]

Good points, Sarge. I agree there should be more emergency training! It's part of normal pilot training... why not drivers?

Not trying to start an argument, just looking to see if you agree/disagree with the following.

It's not so much that "speed kills," it's more "speed differential" and the vast majority of the motoring public will flow along at a safe speed if there were no speed limit signs. I don't know if GA has minimum speed limits, but some states (like WA) do. On 'limited access" roads, it's 15mph under the maximum (weather permitting, of course). Yet in all my years of driving, I've yet to see anyone stopped for going too slow... and that's just as dangerous on a freeway as going too fast.

We all too often see (or have been) a "fish picked out of a barrel" when the traffic flow is above the limit. Is 70 in a 60 too fast/unsafe when it's the 90 percentile speed? In this situation, the "good drivers" obeying the speed limit have become the safety hazard. If you throw in the Q-tip on the way to the Bingo Hall doing 45, there's an accident waiting to happen.

[PeteSC]

My response, (not to displace EOD.....)

     The 'speed differential' doesn't cause the accidents.  It's the people not paying attention, tailgating, and so on.   They have poor driving habits, that may kill them, or others.
    (This is one of the favorite arguments of truck drivers when bi-otching about the states with 'split' speed limits....slower for big trucks.)
   Like EOD said, higher speeds mean longer reaction times, and longer 'danger interpretation' periods.
   (The two cars doing 105 mph in a 55 zone that hit my tractor trailer 14 years ago 'thought' they'd clear my slower moving truck, and din't attempt to slow down until right before impact.  At least the SURVIVING driver told  the cops that!)

  Another favorite argument the truckers like to apply to driving in congested traffic, is "you have to drive like they do', meaning tailgating, speeding, and not letting anybody 'cut in', if you want to make any progress.
  That's exactly what I like to see behind me in my rear views!  A 40 ton tractor trailer, tailgating, and whipping in and out of traffic like an idiot in a car!   On a bike, even a tiny car will be just as deadly if it rear ends me.  
 
 Most interstates and limited access highways do have a posted minimum speed limit.  (45 seems to stick in my mind)  It's rare to see anyone hovering near the minimum, but it happens.   It does create chaos, but it's not the fault of the people in compliance with the law.
  I saw a large National Guard convoy last week on the interstate.  They were doing 50, and stretched for at least a mile.   The speed limit in the area was 70.  Yeah, a lot of cars approached the tail vehicle at high speeds, even though it was daylight, the hummer had flashing lights, and you could see the slow convoy stretching out in the right lane from a long distance.

  Most people aren't capable of driving any vehicle safely at high speeds, or have the judgement to realize when it's not safe
  (Example, the morons who barrel through active construction zones with workers, and lane zig zags all over the place.)

  If people would drive safely, and use some sense, I could see increased speed limits possible.   The problem is, your average driver can't drive safely with the limits where they are, and the speed limits aren't enforced enough, now.  You can't force people to have common sense....and you can't teach them to have it.
   Some of the laws we have are an attempt to lessen the carnage the dumbarses do.

[EODSarge]

Personally, I think the more crowded the roadway, the slower you should be travelling... just that many more potential accident-causers out there in front of you.

Around Atlanta, the example is I285. If it's not locked down by rush-hour, it's 85mph. The problem is that it's near impossible to enforce speed limits on the road due to the high volume of traffic and design of the road.

The road I made most of my stops on is GA316, which is a 65mph divided highway but has numerous uncontrolled intersections (cross street has a stop sign, but that's it- no on or off ramps). I gave folks until 80mph (15 over) before I started ticketing. I heard more than once "Well, I had to go that fast; everyone else was!" despite the fact that no, actually, they weren't. My response was usually "Everyone else isn't driving your car; you are. You're the only one responsible for making go 15 mph over the speed limit."

I'm sure more than one person though I was an asshole.  

The best excuse I got was a fellow who said (with a pained look on his face) that he really, really had to go to the bathroom and that's why he was speeding. Judging from the smell blowing out of the car, he didn't quite make it. I gave him a warning- even if he made the story up, anyone who will crap their pants to get out of a ticket has gone above and beyond the call of doody... er, duty.

[neoseity]

I personally feel safer being slightly ahead of traffic. I first of all like being in the left lane where I have an escape route. If someone comes up behind doing excessive speed and tailgates, I pull to the right lane and let them by. I try to stay out of the crowds of cages that tailgate.

I would much rather rely on my own skills than someone elses. I find that by cautiously passing those in the slow lane I am able to find the "holes" in traffic where there's much more space. Then I usually come up to the crowd of boofing cages again where I move to the right until their done with their boofing. Once the boof group has dissipated, I get in the left lane and cautiosly pass those in the right lane. I watch each car I pass for signs of them paying attention or not. I find that my bike's perfomance and my own skills are better than most cages on the road and I use it to my advantage. I would rather get a speeding ticket than be stuck in a situation that I find lethal. There are just too many idiots on the road going fast and following waaay too close.

As the horse said, "No sir, I don't like it..."