I hate Wash DC because they have speed and red light cameras all over the place. I actually do not mind that much, but its the $400 fine they have. When I get home I watch the mails to see how many violations I might have chalked up (none so far thank god). But they recently said on the news, in one speed trap camera spot, they still get 40-50 drivers per month going over 100 mph. And I presume were are talking about city-type streets there.
Even worse: 'Mind-boggling': Pedestrian deaths surged in 2020, despite fewer cars on the road Fewer cars on the roads cleared the way for fast driving, providing more opportunities to strike and kill pedestrians. "Pedestrians deaths in 2020 increased by 21 percent from 2019 — the largest annual increase since such data collection began in the mid-1970s — according to a report released Thursday by the Governors Highway Safety Association. The figure is particularly striking because there were fewer drivers on the road for much of 2020, as Americans hunkered down due to the Covid-19 pandemic."
A few weeks ago was surprised to see a motorcycle cop at a corner along one of our busiest local roads where driving 10 mph above posted is the norm for many. I spotted him a few hundred feet away and was fortunately sticking to the limit. But an SUV had passed me going ~ 10-15 mph above posted. Expected the lights to go on and a ticket to ensue. Instead, he got on his loud speaker and yelled “slow down!!!”
The 'sandbox' (Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi, etc...) have spectacular crashes because of speed differentials when you have an overloaded pickup truck creaking along on at about 100kph a six-lane, pencil-straight road meeting up with an AMG running over twice that rate of speed. When we were running out route in 'white" (non-military) gear we'd clamp along at about 200, ignoring the DING-DONG!!DING-DONG!!DING-DONG!! alarm built into the rentals we used....because sometimes? Speed IS life! One of the things that they warned us about when we got back was that traffic in the states was going to seem slow enough that you could get out and run beside the car, and that we were not allowed to go 100+mph (not that we ever WERE.... ) US drivers are appalling untalented at driving, especially given the roads we use and parking spots that you can fit two cars in. They're REALLY not kidding when they say that a three-pedal car a vehicle that is equipped with a millennial anti-theft device. Better get used to them. They're going to be more popular HERE for the same reason that they're popular in nations with (even more) confiscatory tax rates. I personally love them. It's pretty simple. If you're worried about getting the ticket? Simply STOP when the little light turns red. Isn't that sorta what you're supposed to do ANYWAY??
Defunding police doesn't have to mean ceasing traffic violation enforcement. Traffic enforcement would be safer without police. Here’s how it could work. - The Washington Post
The hard part about driving in England when we spent three weeks there was that it's all a mirror image of driving here. The great part was the speed cameras and the nearly absolute predictability of the drivers around me. And they did NOT tolerate driving slow in the fast lane. That's another thing that causes wrecks. I didn't see a single idiot while we were there unless I looked in the vanity mirror.
hated the super skinny country roads that barely fit a Ford Festiva, much less when a couple Range Rovers or trucks try to get by each other with absolutely zero clearance on the side of the road shoulders - due to foliage or whatever. .
Yeah, I have to admit that that part was a little challenging. I thought my wife & MIL were going to freak when we met a pickup towing a fairly large trailer on a road about 10-12 feet wide. We managed to "get by."
Except, Chicago! Well, the suburbs. If you're making a right turn on red, you have to stop at the correct place, or you get a ticket. It's a pretty narrow zone of error. And god forbid you inch up to get a better view around an obstruction. That's a ticket.
Is it still a violation if you do a full stop at the correct place first, then inch for a better view with possibly multiple extra stops while waiting for a clear opening?
That's my understanding from the news story last night, but cbs didn't get specific enough (local cbs in Chicago doesn't get deep enough into any story). They just showed a guy stopping a foot past the start of the stop line then inch forward. Red light cams are more straightforward. The right turn on red cams are purely a scam.
