Tag: speed trap

Do You Flash Your Lights to Signal Cars About a Speed Trap?

Where I live I have grown accustomed to the usual locations the police will use to set up a speed trap. I’m not that much of a lead-foot to begin with, in fact, on a trip years ago with a bunch of friends of mine, whenever a car would pass us up one of them would undoubtedly says something like “Grandma Moses just passed us up!” Today, though, while driving down the road, a car was coming at me flashing his lights. I suppose it was a nice reminder about a police officer parked up ahead in one of the normal speed-traps, but for me it was unnecessary and actually mostly annoying because the car in front of me decided that sure, he needed to slow down, but instead of going the prescribed 40 miles per hour he felt it necessary to drop down to 30, I suppose just in case the officer was looking to pull over someone for going the speed limit.

I know there were stories years ago about how flashing your lights could get you attacked by bad people, or that you can get pulled over by the police for flashing your lights (I guess this varies by state), but most people probably find it harmless, except for me who gets annoyed by the cars that now go slower than the posted speed limit. I have a time or two flashed my headlights at someone driving at night without their lights on, but I can say that’ I’ve never done it to signal a speed trap. As such I plight: Do you flash your lights to signal cars about a speed trap?

That’s it for this plight! I’m The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Have You Ever Gotten Caught in a Speed Trap?

On my way to a client there is a construction zone with a daily speed trap, well, I suppose the better term might be “Construction Zone Traffic Enforcement Area,” that seems like shooting fish in a barrel for the police as I would say three out of the five days a week the police have already pulled someone over and are writing a ticket for, I’m assuming, speeding through the work zone. The thing is that it isn’t that crazy a work zone, just a simple crossover for some bridge reconstruction, reducing the traffic to one lane in each direction, at a reasonable 35 miles per hour, down from 45 MPH. However, I can see how people easily blow through it, as it does come off a traffic light, is at the bottom of hill, and totally lends itself to a perfect place for the police to sit, at the end of the construction zone by some traffic barricades, just picking off the speeding cars with a flick of a radar gun.

As I drive past every day, very much aware of the 35 MPH on my speedometer, it tends to always, for whatever reason, remind me of the only speeding ticket I ever received, years and years ago on a trip back to Chicago from my old homestead in Ohio, when I was ticketed by aircraft doing about 65 in a 55. The highway patrol had a nice set-up going, with I’m assuming an airplane overhead radioing down to the patrolmen on the ground, who, as cars were approaching a work zone and naturally slowing down, had men on the side of the road pretty much just pointing at every other car and directing them to pull over to the side of the road and get their comeuppance. I would say they had to have about 1,000 cars pulled over (okay, probably about 10), and it sucks bad enough getting a ticket, but it sucks even worse sitting there, waiting and watching officers just go from car to car, ticket book in hand, and knowing you really have no shot at getting out of your penalty for not obeying the speed limit. When the officer got to my car I was very congenial, already had my license and registration ready, nicely thanked the man for my “reminder” to follow the traffic laws, and drove away trying desperately to learn my lesson for the next four hours driving in my car.

With that is today’s daily plight: Have you ever gotten caught in a speed trap?

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!