America's Worst Speed Traps

[ToeTag]

I 16 from Macon to Savannah, Ga.  When entering Laurens county do the speed limit.  I was traveling from Atlanta to Savannah and back to Atlanta the same day.  90 mph = 400.00 speeding ticket.  The dhead cop looked back at me after I signed the ticket as he was walking away and said what color is your car green?  My car was dark blue.  He knew he had covered his revenue for the week off of my ticket alone.  Neal Boortz even commented on this strech of road on the radio, blasting them for generating revenue.  The worst part is the same construction signs have been up at the same three exits for the past five years.

[Dichotomy]

Arlington got in the nasty habit of setting up 'checkpoints'.  They'd pull everybody into a parking lot and check them for insurance or whatever else they could write up.  I don't know if the fit I threw to my city councilman and the heated exchange of emails between me and the officer that answered me but when I throw out the term revenue generation the exchange ended and I haven't seen one in my neighborhood since.

[CAP1]

Arlington got in the nasty habit of setting up 'checkpoints'.  They'd pull everybody into a parking lot and check them for insurance or whatever else they could write up.  I don't know if the fit I threw to my city councilman and the heated exchange of emails between me and the officer that answered me but when I throw out the term revenue generation the exchange ended and I haven't seen one in my neighborhood since.

a good friend of mine got caught in a dui checkpoint while driving his viper. between asking the cop to not lean on his car, and his statement that he felt that his 4th amendment rights were being violated........he sat there for a long time before they let him go.

[Babalonian]

10. Los Angeles, California
Speed traps: 151

Los Angeles is a great example of speed limits not matching at all what traffic
patterns indicate is a safe speed-which is how they're supposed to be
determined.
Do speed limits ever inidcate a speed you wish you could get away with driving?  The writter I would conclude is a resident.

Most of the speed traps are on the boulevards in the valley, my L.A.-based
colleague Jane Wells, who writes the Funny Business blog, says. "The speed
limit is 35 but if you actually drove that, you'd get mowed down!" Wells says.
Just because many people speed in this city doesn't mean you should or have to.  All boulevards in the city are 35, this is because all boulevards are major places of commerce - aka: jaywalkers, schools, busy bus stops, densley packed curb parking (people frequently stopping in a lane of traffic to parelel park or err on the side of not shaving off someone open driver-side door), etc. etc..  Just because the world doesn't revolve around you, your beamer, or your same horrible schedule skills doesn't mean it's not 99.99999% of what else is going on out there.

Fines and surcharges for speeding or failing to have proof of insurance can
approach $1,400, the NMA reports. And good luck fighting a ticket in L.A. It's
always been tough, but with the city teetering on the brink of bankruptcy,
motorists don't have a chance.
Yeah, people can wrack up some hefty court visits when they get busted speeding, talking on a non-handsfree phone, texting, shaving, putting on makeup, watching TV, and not wearing their seat belts at the same time.  Our courts here are also very resonable IMHO as long as you come with common sence and no intent to waste their time.  Often those that get busted in this city, often for multiple infractions resulting in very hefty fines, are often in court oblivously and with every intent to take up as much of peoples time as possible to prove they're right.  However, I have yet to see a person stand infront of the judge here and go "yes your honor, I am sorry I was indeed speeding above 65/70, but I firmly believe it was only around 80 instead of the wreckless and excessive speed of 90+ and would like to apeal for the courts mercy" and fail to get a lessened sentence or reduced fine.  It's the same as anywhere else IMO, be civil and respectful to the authorities and they'll be civil and respectful of you.  I also wouldn't call them money grubbing either, but they certainly aren't dumb either when they weigh a fine and know the difference between a 25-yo speeding 15+ in his civic from a 45-yo speeding 15+ in his rolls royce.

"If you walk into a courtroom, because of the massive deficits at every level,
they can't let a breathing person walk out without taking their money!"
Dornsife said.
I have walked into our courts either for myself or with a friend many tims, breathing, and have left without paying more than $10 for parking and lunch for the day.  As I said, it really depends on how you aproach them.  Walk in prepared and ready to be reasonable and be fast about it and they are usualy more than helpful or sympathetic.  Walk in there to cry, throw a tantrum or expect them to bendover for you and you've already lost more than if you never showed up at all.

I loled.  I'm a patient, relatively content, going on 15-years of accidentless and ticketless driving here in LA. *knocks on wood*

[Becinhu]

Interstate 19 in summerville West Virgina. Got pulled over there once in a tour bus but have seen people pulled over on the the entire stretch of 19 inbetween I79 and I77

Rt19 through Summersville WV is easily to worst speed trap in the US.  If you have an out of state or worse, Canadian licence plate you are screwed.  The ironic part of the whole situation is they give you a choice...pay the fine by mail or come to Summersville for traffic school. Both cost exactly the same. So if you live in Canada are you gonna travel 8-10 hours one way for traffic school (and most likely get pulled over when you leave) or mail in the fine?

On the way home from out of state once I actually watched a minivan from Ontario come to a stop at a red light.  A cruiser from the other side of the road did a u-turn and pulled in behind the van. When the light turned green the lights came on.  Worst part was the cruiser was in no position to even remotely radar the van because he was coming the other direction and did the turn once he could see the plate.  The town of Summersville generates more cash from tickets than any other city in the state...all with a population of around 10000 in city limits.

[Ardy123]

America's Worst Speed Traps (part one)

Buzz Up! By Cindy Perman

If you've ever been pulled over for speeding, you know it feels like you're a
gazelle that just got taken down by a lion.

And, while this recession, and the gaping budget holes that resulted, have
turned most cities into a jungle for motorists, there are some cities that have
far more speed traps than others. And automated traffic cams have only egged
them on. Now, they can snag just as many motorists for speeding, if not more,
with less manpower.

It's hard to get this information from the police or the courts for two
reasons: 1) Many tickets are negotiated in court and 2) speed limits, while
originally designed to conserve fuel during the energy crisis of the 1970s,
have grown into a cash cow for states and municipalities-and they don't want
you to know how much they're making off of speeding tickets.

"Speed limits are supposed to be based on factual studies of traffic and what
the majority of motorists deem as a safe speed," said Chad Dornsife, director
of the Highway Safety Group. "Now, the posted limit has become a revenue
generator-not a safety device."

The National Motorists Association, a drivers' rights group, estimates that
speeding tickets are a $4.5 to $6 billion industry in America.

To be clear, speeding tickets aren't just for lead foots: In some places,
they'll ticket you for going one mile over the speed limit and others set the
speed limits artificially low.

"In some places, the average speed limit is set 10 to 15 miles below the actual
safe speed for conditions," Dornsife said. "It makes technical violators out of
people otherwise driving safely."
 

10. Los Angeles, California
Speed traps: 151

Los Angeles is a great example of speed limits not matching at all what traffic
patterns indicate is a safe speed-which is how they're supposed to be
determined.

Most of the speed traps are on the boulevards in the valley, my L.A.-based
colleague Jane Wells, who writes the Funny Business blog, says. "The speed
limit is 35 but if you actually drove that, you'd get mowed down!" Wells says.

Fines and surcharges for speeding or failing to have proof of insurance can
approach $1,400, the NMA reports. And good luck fighting a ticket in L.A. It's
always been tough, but with the city teetering on the brink of bankruptcy,
motorists don't have a chance.

"If you walk into a courtroom, because of the massive deficits at every level,
they can't let a breathing person walk out without taking their money!"
Dornsife said.

I havent lived in LA in a while, but I do visit frequently, and all I can say is how the f does anyone speed, its a parking lot (at least west La and the valley is) all the time. I was driving back from a party in the valley towards Santa Monica at 3:30am and it was stop and go traffic on the 405.

[MiloMorai]

Rt19 through Summersville WV is easily to worst speed trap in the US.  If you have an out of state or worse, Canadian licence plate you are screwed.  The ironic part of the whole situation is they give you a choice...pay the fine by mail or come to Summersville for traffic school. Both cost exactly the same. So if you live in Canada are you gonna travel 8-10 hours one way for traffic school (and most likely get pulled over when you leave) or mail in the fine?

On the way home from out of state once I actually watched a minivan from Ontario come to a stop at a red light.  A cruiser from the other side of the road did a u-turn and pulled in behind the van. When the light turned green the lights came on.  Worst part was the cruiser was in no position to even remotely radar the van because he was coming the other direction and did the turn once he could see the plate.  The town of Summersville generates more cash from tickets than any other city in the state...all with a population of around 10000 in city limits.

Sounds like the Quippy Dolls (nick for the Quebec Provincial Police) in Quebec. You have Ontario or New Brunswick plates and they are on you like flies to the manure pile. Not only that but the tickets are in French only while Ont and NB are bilingual. Go to court, again nothing but habitant French

[Babalonian]

I havent lived in LA in a while, but I do visit frequently, and all I can say is how the f does anyone speed, its a parking lot (at least west La and the valley is) all the time. I was driving back from a party in the valley towards Santa Monica at 3:30am and it was stop and go traffic on the 405.

That's the FourOFu!@#d for ya.  And sounds like you've got the idea - people complain about getting a speeding ticket out here, but selectively leave out the parts of the story that include the school zone violation, residential area violation, driving down the emergency shoulder on the freeway, and while talking on your cell phone at the same time violations in adition to the speeding charge.  If the freeway is moving, no traffic, everyone on it is doing 70-80, and unless you're doing 90+ or soemthing else stupid you don't get a ticket.  Same with commercial streets, off-hours, non-packed 35-zone they'll let ya get away with 45.

Also, there is a profound difference in attitude and "styles" between LA County Sherrifs and Los Angeles (Municipal) PD.  Most Sherrifs are (not nice), don't know why, they like being the law and slapping it in people's faces... I personaly suspect it has to do with the Sheriff's department requiring deputies to first work a year or two in the jails.  LAPD will be more understanding and often lets ya go with a warning if you weren't doing something too stupid and pass the "attitude/respectfulness test".

[Getback]

They omitted a nasty one, Southern Illinois, I55. My brother lives in MS. So I use that route to get there. Every time I go there I see at least 5 cars pulled over at a time. I"ve know people on other boards to have gotten tickets through that passage. There is almost nothing in the area and yet 20 police cars on that highway. Don't let the Work zones with no workers fool you. If it is a work zone it is a trap. Most work zones say speed limit when workers present and flashing. Not them.