I don't see anything in the article that the police or highway patrol initiated or signed into law this legislation.

The "pig"s job is to enforce the laws OUR elected officials pass.

My son is a "pig" as you call them. He effectively lays his life on the line each and every day for you and me.

You should do a ride along with your local "pig"s. You may end up with an attitude adjustment and clearer understanding of just what "pig"s do for a living.

Proud Father of a Fine "pig".

.....Les

 

this is the main reason i try to stay out of VA. i definately will not live there. it's nice and all down there, but not for me. lucky for MD'ers points don't transfer. we just have to worry about the initial getting pulled over and the felonies that go along with goin 10mph over the limit (exaggerating).

 

See, this is what sux. For me $3550 is a cr@p load of money. Well any ticket for me is a cr@p load of money. This type of fine targets people who don't have that type of money. Ya Ya, I know, you shouldn't be speeding anyway and you should pay the fines. But for someone with deep pockets and money laying around, it just won't hurt as much. I think if it is going to be a monetary fine of a high amout it should be done on percentage of income. That way the punishment is equal no matter how much money you make.

my .02

Oh and passing this law is Total crap. I can't believe it made it through.

 

Did I read that "the law forbids judges from reducing or suspending it in any way".

Holy Cr@p. For once and I never though I'd say this. Thank God I live in Maryland.

 

Virginia is just still pissed off that cars replaced the horse as the primary means of transportation. The only state in the nation where radar detectors are illegal, too. (Yes, I know about DC, but (1) it ain't a state and (2) when can you ever even do the speed limit there?????).

 

Dumb Laws in Virginia

Not only is it illegal to have sex with the lights on, one may not have sex in any position other than missionary.

There is a state law prohibiting "corrupt practices of bribery by any person other than candidates.

You may not engage in business on Sundays, with the exception of almost every industry.

If one is not married, it is illegal for him to have sexual relations.

You may not have oral or **** sex.

Driving while not wearing shoes is prohibited.

Police radar detectors are illegal.

Citizens must honk their horn while passing other cars.

Children are not to go trick-or-treating on Halloween.

It is illegal to tickle women.

No animal may be hunted for on Sunday with the exception of raccoons, which may be hunted until 2:00 AM.

 

That sort of thing makes me call the department, get the car number when reporting. I've called our Sheriff when he was a guest on the local talk radio show and asked why his deputies think it's okay to go 15 over on the highway, and doesn't that set a bad example for the rest of us. And I've been behind cops at lights that just turned green when clowns run the red left turn light right in front of us, and are ignored.

Good luck getting that repealed, you'll need it.

 

I am glad to see that non-residents need only pay the fine and not the taxes which are tacked on for residents.

That being said, I think that it really sucks to add taxes on top of a speeding ticket. I wonder if they tax as severely those who have comitted more serious violations such as sexual predators, murderers, or white-collar criminals (probably not the latter with so may politicians in the area).

 

Apologies to my friends who have the misfortune to live in VA, but IMO as time goes by these days the state continues to make itself into more and more of a greedy, backward and corrupt backwater. I'd elaborate, but it would be crossing into political discussions.

 

Don't they do that in one of the Scandinavian countries....seems to be working pretty well for them.

I think it's time to put GPS trackers in the people who passed this law. ()^(-1)

 

First, let me say that most police officers I have encountered in my driving experience have been decent, hardworking folks who are just trying to keep things safe for drivers. True, there are exceptions, and I have met some of them too.

On speeding, why whine and complain? We live in a country bounded by laws. I don't agree with alot of them, and I vote, but in a country with 300 million people, my vote doesn't account for much. Northern VA is a very dense area with some of the worst traffic in the nation, so, do we REALLY NEED to go more than 75mph on the beltway during rush hour? None of these laws affect any of us, unless we are caught speeding, so... *don't get caught*.

That said, I can't figure out why SUVs are allowed to go so fast on unrated or non-speed rated tires? If the state wants people to slow down, one way to do this would be to make the cars have top speed limiters based on the car handling, safety, and tire performance. That way, vehicles that didn't handle well would be forced to drive slower regardless of what the driver wanted.

The bottom line is slow down a bit and don't worry about it...

 

You misunderstood my point. When I mentioned the deep pockets, it's because that is what it will take to fight the system. Challenging the state against its own laws takes money... money that the average Joe can't afford. That's why I hope that someone who can easily afford these new fines gets busted... and rather than just pay it (since they can afford it), they choose to fight it as a matter of principle.

Stranger things have happened.

 

Ahhh. Got it. And you are correct.

 

Yep, I was caught going more than 20 over a few years ago in that kind of a situation. I was talking to my friend who was a passenger in the car, missed the sign that said reduced speed limit, AND didn't notice the cruiser pacing my from behind. My ticket was for 19 over, I believe because the cop couldn't rely on radar for an accurate accounting of my speed.

But beer and wine are sold in 7-elevens. That has to count for something.

Yes, but I think it was clarified earlier that at least for the distinction between felony and misdemeanor, you have to be a repeat offender. I don't know what the legal threshold is to put you in that category. On one hand, this is a lot of money...even for the misdemeanors. On the other hand, if this is truly intended for juveniles found delinquent (whatever that entails**,) then I can see where judges shouldn't be swayed by teary-eyed kids to reduce the fines on third or fourth offenses. The kids need to get the message loud and clear.

**see my earlier post in thread, but I'm still not a lawyer, so take that into account, too.

 

On my more cynical days I'd offer the idea that the reason drivers seem so much worse 'now' than years ago is because of safer cars. Air bags, crumple zones, ABS, all get in the way of Darwin. Rotten drivers now survive, marry other rotten drivers and have kids who get their driving genes.

In the 'good old days' rotten drivers were usually 'eliminated from the gene pool', thining the heard so to speak.

I'm just kidding. Almost completely. Well mostly. But that's 'cause I'm not in a cynical mood today.

 

This follows legislative trends in other states. Oregon and Washington (at least) have similarly legislated dramatic dollar multipliers into traffic offenses. Comparatively, Virginia is somewhat lenient in spreading payment over three years.

I noticed that the sponsor of the legislation is a partner in a traffic law firm, so the self-serving income protection is probably the most offensive part of this whole story.

I was pulled over a couple of weeks ago in Virginia doing 39 in a 25 zone (downhill right after the speed limit dropped from 35 to 25 and with the police officer hiding behind a telephone pole with a radar gun). The officer was very professional and courteous (as was I) and ended up giving me a warning.

It's easy to criticize legislators and law enforcement officials when you feel they are infringing on your desire to speed, but remember that they are not out to get you personally, they are trying their best to maintain an optimal and safe driving environment for motorists in the aggregate. It's not about you, it is about everybody.

If you want to drive fast in Virginia, I recommend looking in to events at Summit Point Raceway or VIR.

 

That statement may be true in some cases, but for this law... it is very blatantly stated in the new law that it is for the purposes of revenue generation.

Safety is not always the state's priority, although it is usually their excuse.

 

Agreed, and I'll concede the point. For the record, the context of the revenue statement is: "to generate revenue from drivers whose proven dangerous driving behavior places significant financial burdens upon the Commonwealth."

The author of the bill may have done better to use the term "cost recovery" instead of "revenue."

 

Don't get me started on this whole subject. There is a reason radar detectors are illegal here in VA, it is simply to make more money. As a teenage male with long hair, a cr/cr cooper S, and a clean driving record, I feel as if the odds are stacked against me and I can't wait to leave for Atlanta in August where the police have something better to do than milk motorists. And yes i am involved in politics and yes I did try and get this stopped the first time I heard about it. On a lighter note, many officers know the ludicrous nature of laws like this and if you are polite will write a ticket for 14 over or something similar (at least in metro Ric).

 

To top off the new laws... no watching **** in your NOS and smoke-screen equiped MINI Cooper S! And deploying the smoke screen is a felony. I wonder if one has smoke tires and spins them does that qualify as a smoke screen?

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I agree that speeding is speeding & can be very dangerous. However, I would much rather see regulators crack down harder on drunk driving, tailgaiting, no signals, erratic driving etc. than just go after speeders. I'm not sure how the regs are in VA regarding DUI/DWI, but I know for sure I would rather be on a highway being passed by someone stone sober, alert & not tailgating doing 80 mph than someone doing 55 mph & sloppy drunk and/or erratically weaving in/out of traffic w/o signaling!

 

I totally agree, speeding is not a problem around here, its people running reds and 5 cars trying to make the yellow on left turns, or rolling through red lights when making right turns.

 

If so called "law enforcement" wanted to make money and increase public safety, they would write tickets all day long for not yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks.

Have you ever heard of anyone getting this ticket? I bet you haven't, but I bet you've almost been run down by someone while crossing the street.

Is there anything in that smoke screen law that says anything about dropping caltrops onto the road? I'm a big fan of caltrops!

 

Wouldn't it be more prudent to crack down on the cell-phone talking Soccer Moms in the giant SUVs who tailgate and try and run us off the road?

 

prudent doesn't quite fill the coffers the same way!