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Originally Posted by whistlerfan  Its really ashame that troopers and officers are brainwashed into believeing that comment. Speeding is not the number one cause of fatalitys wreckless driving and cell phone drivers are. Get those drivers off the road the highways would be a whole lot safer. Speeding does not cause accidents wreckless driving does. Of course officers would never know this because their to busy looking at a speed number and going after a number they find to their liking. They actually never monitor traffic itself. Just numbers. |
Whistler,
I agree with you with just one exception. I would say the single biggest cause of accidents is
failure to pay attention. That's an all-encompassing category which includes any situation where the driver is not paying attention for whatever reason, though I'd agree the # 1 cause there is probably cell phone use. Like morons who type text messages on their cell phones while driving. That should be an automatic license suspension IMHO.
Regarding "reckless" driving, I fear that part of the problem is the definition, i.e., each of us could have a different interpretation. It's so much easier for a LEO to play the "pick a number" game versus figure out what RD means to the LEO, to a judge, etc. (exception: state of VA, which has made it nice and easy by writing the statute so that everyone is prolly guilty of RD on a daily basis)
Notice that the guy in the video was not traveling much faster than the vehicles around him. Traffic enforcement is so often a pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey game. Not always, but much more often than not. You are running radar and have a bunch of guys coming at you. Across 3 or 4 lanes of traffic, somebody hits THE NUMBER. Well, which one is it? The other cars around them might be going within 3-5 mph of that speed. Ever try to truly visually estimate an object traveling directly toward you? You've got about 2 seconds to make up your mind. Plus, you don't really know what the range is on the radar. There is no rangefinder like you have with LIDAR. Even the manuals tell you that the manufacturer has no clue what range you are going to get. Somewhere between "real close" and "over yonder." How do you know which car is THE ONE? In heavy traffic, you often really cannot know for sure - period. You take an educated guess and you tell yourself, "Well they are all speeding about the same anyway, I'll just pull over that one."
I also agree regarding this guy's driving experience. One of the little blurbs says he's been driving for 41 years. Ya think maybe he's learned something in that time??? Geez, I hope so! There are some slow learners out there, but I don't think this guy is one of them!
What most people have been brainwashed into thinking is the "speed kills" crap that the NHTSA started pelting out a number of years ago. The fact and reality is that it's not speed but the
difference in speed that is the problem.
It is the relative speed that matters. One car traveling 100 mph around other cars going 50 mph. Is that a problem? Yes. But if that's the only car on the road, 6:30am on a Sunday, daylight, clear skies, and it's a highway? Maybe not. It is sad to say, but most police in the U.S. have been brain washed. I think that is the real problem.
What I find to be much more common are reckless drivers who are reckless because they weave in and out of tight traffic, often not using turn signals, speeding up and slowing down, etc. I see these idiots all the time during rush hour. That is just plain being inconsiderate and selfish toward people around you, and that kind of behavior causes plenty of accidents as well.
Other factors contribute to all of this as well. Such as the complete lack of enforcement in the U.S. of vehicles traveling too slowly, drivers failing to use their turn signals, and drivers failing to yield the passing lane (theoretically the left lane) to faster traffic.
I have driven quite a bit in Europe, and I have alot of respect for most of the LEOs over there (e.g. not the UK, which is so much worse than the U.S. people here have no idea). For instance, drive on the highway in France and act like an idiot or selfish git and you WILL get a ticket for being an a$$.
Generally speaking, the cops on the highways there still have common sense and they exercise it. The fines there are huge compared to what we have for most offenses in the U.S. If people here could get a $500 ticket for not using their turn signals or hogging the left lane, I bet we'd see more compliance.
Another example is the extreme dim-witted Virginia legislature, which has blessed that state's citizens with a reckless driving statute that covers 13 different violations - each of which already had its own statute to begin with! [But then this is the state which is the home of the Absurd Driver Fees]
The worst one (in Virginia) is the 80 mph absolute speed or +20 over PSL = RD in. Bottom line is that it's up to the officer what to cite you with. Hmm... speeding or RD? Anyone who's ever worked in law enforcement knows how this thought process goes from the standpoint of the LEO, since RD = mandatory court appearance....
1) When is my next court date?
2) Is it my day off?
3) How's the cash flow in the bank account? Do I need more overtime?
4) Did I hit my quote yet?
5) Which judge am I prolly going to get?
6) See #5. Will this be a waste of my time?
7) Is the driver a prick?
8) Is that judge a bigger prick?
Traffic enforcement is like fishing. It's amazing the similarities. You find a good spot and you can fish there all day.
Point I was trying to make with the video is here's a guy who is really just doing what everyone else around him is doing (driving faster than the artificially low PSL on the road), but he gets singled out. So, here is the cop - who has been trained in psychological warfare against citizens like Jo Schmo here - PLUS the video camera crew. Combined it would put anyone in a compromising position. Hey there buddy, you've just been pulled over AND you're going to be on national TV. So, why were you breaking the law you horrible sinner???
That's just BS all the way around. But also a lesson to everyone. No matter what, remember these people are not your friends!!!! They are doing their job, which is sometimes revenue collector. This is modern "highway robbery." Literally.