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MASSACHUSETTS PAGE
("The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money." - Alexis de Tocqueville)
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MASSACHUSETTS PAGE
("The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money." - Alexis de Tocqueville)
IF MORE THAN 15% OF THE CARS AROUND YOU ARE SPEEDING, CHANCES ARE THAT SPEED LIMIT IS ILLEGAL.
It really is that simple.
| BETTER GAS MILEAGE! |
| LESS CONGESTION AND POLUTION! |
| DECREASED ROAD RAGE! |
| FEWER ACCIDENTS! |
| and besides, it is the law... |
The first American state to deploy speed cameras has banned them after a campaign of opposition from motorists. Arizona today became the first to pull the plug amid concerns the cameras intruded on privacy and were mainly designed to raise money.
LET YOUR REPRESENTATIVES KNOW THIS IS WHY YOU DON'T WANT RED LIGHT CAMERAS IN MASSACHUSETTS
REMEMBER: Any yellow light lasting less than 3 sec. is a direct violation, and therefore illegal. Here are the prescribed timings.
According to all the experts, acceleration burns fuel and coasting conserves it. (On-board computers make this easy to see.)
The longer you can maintain forward momentum, the less fuel you will consume. According to fueleconomy.gov, that terrific government website that breaks down in dollars and cents just how much fuel you waste, "rapid acceleration and braking wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money. Fuel Economy Benefit: 5-33%"
So what are some of the causes of unnecessary braking and acceleration?
| ILLEGALLY POSTED STOP SIGNS AND TRAFFIC LIGHTS, ESPECIALLY THE ONES THAT ARE NOT COORDINATED |
| UNNECESSARY SPEED BUMPS, HUMPS AND ROUNDABOUTS, 'NECKDOWNS' AND CURB EXTENSIONS |
| SPEED TRAPS DESIGNED TO GENERATE REVENUE OR TO APPEASE RESIDENTS |
Anyway, if we eliminate unnecessary braking and acceleration due to these factors, according to our government the equivalent gasoline savings would equal $0.18-$1.16/gallon. And that's a substantial chunk of change.
As more and more of the population ages, why are more and more legislative restrictions aimed at young drivers?
On one hand we have a member's teenage son who got a speeding ticket, and on the other a 72-year old woman who ran over a pedestrian in a crosswalk and kept on driving. They both lost their licenses.
It turns out the problem where the teen was ticketed was the illegally posted speed limit, while in the old lady's case she admitted she never saw the man in the crosswalk in front of her. ("Something big hit my car but I don't know what it was. The damage made it difficult for me to see and I was lucky to make it to where I was going without anything else happening," she was quoted as saying after the police found her a couple of miles away.)
But what is really interesting about these two particular cases was the reaction of appropriate government officials.
About the teen caught in an illegal trap: "As you know, the new junior operator law was put in place to help curtail the tragic loss of life that has been all to prevalent, especially among teen drivers. I am sorry, there is nothing we can do for you," was the official response to illegal speed limits.
And about the accident caused by the old lady: "Area could be treacherous around sundown and at dusk, if the pedestrian is wearing dark clothes. We are looking at the feasibility of putting bright yellow sign in the middle of the street."
In other words, that teenager's ticket must've been his own fault, while the nice old lady drove over a pedestrian because there must've been something wrong with the area...
Apparently, at least some police are simply taking guesses on license plates if they can't read all the letters correctly -- and they're sending tickets to the wrong people because of it. The police in this story insist that if they can't read the plate, they won't send a ticket, but the reporter shows at least two cases where that's simply not true.
Speed limits on some of Topeka's busiest streets have gone to 40 mph from 35 mph in recent months, yet cars aren't necessarily going 5 mph faster than they were before the increases.
Linda Voss, traffic engineer for the city, said statistics indicate people are driving about 40 mph on the thoroughfares — the same speed as they were before the limits were increased. The difference, she said, isn't how fast motorists are driving, but now they are in compliance with the law. She said speed limits should reflect the driving patterns of motorists and allow for the smooth and safe flow of traffic.
| TEXAS | and | UTAH |
Standards on setting speed limits not followed
Before you get a speeding ticket someone has to set a speed limit. That's the government's job and it's required to follow stringent standards when setting speed limits. But News 8 Investigates has learned those standards are not followed on large stretches of the Dallas North Tollway and the Bush Turnpike. Experts say that calls into question the validity of speeding tickets.
Supreme Court rejected Minneapolis' camera system for ticketing red-light runners
April 5, 2007
Minnesota Supreme Court agreed with the lower courts that the so-called PhotoCop cameras at a dozen intersections in Minneapolis are preempted by state law and therefore illegal.
Utah Senate: Green light to higher speed
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Despite warnings from safety advocates, the Utah Senate told drivers to hit the gas Friday, voting to raise the speed limit by 5 mph on highways and reduce the time that turn signals need to be used. "We're trying to improve the traffic flow here," said the bill sponsor, Sen. Scott Jenkins.
TRIPLE-FATALITY CRASH
Trooper not intoxicated, officers say
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Although the Trooper's blood alcohol content matched the level at which motorists are presumed drunk in Ohio, police investigators decided Officer Joshua Risner was not intoxicated in the triple fatality crash that he caused.
Speed limit increases should make Michigan roads safer
Sunday, September 10, 2006
A Michigan newspaper (The Oakland Press) published an editorial supporting the new Michigan speed limit increases that go into effect on November 9, 2006:
"As the Michigan State Police have pointed out, the new laws should reduce the number of inappropriately low speed limits - especially in cities and towns - and will increase driver confidence that the new speed limits are an accurate reflection of safe driving conditions."
"Hats off to the state Legislature for passing laws that help us all get where we are going faster and safer. This is making Michigan work better."
Another take on the subject, by the Detroit Free Press is here
October 26, 2005
Philadephia officials are increasing the number of red light cameras - even if they cause more crashes...
The PPA website acknowledges that the installation of red-light cameras may "temporarily" lead to a jump in rear-end collisions.
DES MOINES - The average speed on Iowa's rural interstates is virtually unchanged since the speed limit was raised from 65 to 70 mph in July.
Higher Speed Limits Don't Mean More Deaths, Study Says
June 22, 2005
An article in the journal Review of Policy Research looked at what happened when speed limits were federally mandated in the 1970s to save gasoline and after 1995 when states were given the authority to make the rules.
Author Robert O. Yowell said that after nationalization in 1974, there was a decrease in highway deaths that was greater than the prior trend.
But the long-term decreases continued even when speed limits stayed the same.
Yowell said that technical progress in car manufacturing, increased seatbelt use, higher drinking ages and better road maintenance had greater effects on the fatality rate.
That rate decreased 63 percent from 1968 to 1991, based on the number of miles driven.
7/17/05
Texas Governor Rick Perry signed into law today HB 2257, allowing 80 mph daytime car speed limits on parts of interstates 10 and 20 and making more counties eligible for 75 mph daytime car speed limits. The bill is effective immediately although the higher limits won't be effective until posted.
4/05
Sen. John A. Giannetti Jr. (D-Maryland) has long waged a legislative battle against drunken driving, filing no fewer than four bills in the General Assembly this year, including one to make it a crime to refuse a breathalyzer test.
Yet when his wife, Erin A. Giannetti, 26, was pulled over by police in Baltimore three months ago after a night of celebratory drinking, she called her husband for advice and then declined the common sobriety test, according to police records.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Lewis, the former child star of the '80s TV series "Webster," got off with a warning for speeding after giving his autograph and posing for a photo with police, officials said.
3/21/05
When people race on the streets, a responsible government builds them a
race track.
3/1/05
Eight States Say No To Cameras:
Florida, Hawaii, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Virginia have recently rejected red light cameras.
You won't be seeing red light cameras in Indiana, South Carolina, Florida, Hawaii, or Utah any time soon. Existing camera programs in North Carolina, Virginia and Texas continue on track toward termination.
At midnight, the city of High Point will become the first North Carolina jurisdiction to shut down its camera program after losing a court battle. Twelve more cities would follow if the lower court ruling is upheld. On Monday, the Indiana state Senate -- which has voted in the past to support red light cameras -- voted down legislation that would have allowed the devices to operate in the state.
Last Friday, the South Carolina Senate Transportation Committee rejected red light camera legislation. On the same day, the Speaker of the Virginia House defeated an attempt to reconsider camera legislation previously rejected by committee.
Last Thursday, the Speaker of the Florida House declared legislation to authorize cameras dead-on-arrival, which the bill's sponsor agrees is an insurmountable obstacle. The full Texas House of Representatives voted 109-30 to outlaw cameras last Wednesday.
Hawaii's Senate Transportation Committee tabled red light camera legislation on February 18. A Utah House committee did the same on the 15th.
In each state, recent studies in Virginia and North Carolina showing red light cameras increase accidents have played a significant role. This has happened despite efforts of camera supporters to downplay the importance of rear-end collisions which can, at times, be fatal. Proponents of the technology focus instead on claimed reductions in T-bone accidents.
It is estimated in the US speeding tickets generate about $10 billion per year, about the same as the porn film industry... Isn't that obscene?
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