How Do You Avoid Getting Speeding Tickets?
03-10-2011, 02:00 PM
#31
Rennlist Member
I have also used Trapster - free ap available for blackberry and other smart phones. More of a peer-to-peer notification of speed traps. Using this with radar detectors, observing traffic, etc. minimizes risk of pcar driver - law enforcement interaction.
Link:
Trapster Application
Possibly best ever Porsche comunique on speeding.
Porsche - Speeding Video
And, for Ed...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZIia...eature=related
Link:
Trapster Application
Possibly best ever Porsche comunique on speeding.
Porsche - Speeding Video
And, for Ed...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZIia...eature=related
Last edited by babylonboots; 03-10-2011 at 03:56 PM.
03-10-2011, 04:23 PM
#32
Racer
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Moorestown NJ
Posts: 311
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
As others said:
- Track to drive at high speed (you should not be intentionally speeding on public roads)
For all other situations where you might be caught off-guard because you did not see a speed limit sign:
- Radar detector (ALWAYS ON)
- Active visual detection (Police car shapes, semi hidden driveways, brake lights in front of you, etc.)
- Cruise control to avoid going over by distraction
FM
- Track to drive at high speed (you should not be intentionally speeding on public roads)
For all other situations where you might be caught off-guard because you did not see a speed limit sign:
- Radar detector (ALWAYS ON)
- Active visual detection (Police car shapes, semi hidden driveways, brake lights in front of you, etc.)
- Cruise control to avoid going over by distraction
FM
Last edited by 911FM; 03-10-2011 at 10:36 PM.
03-10-2011, 05:45 PM
#36
Yup, radar detectors are illegal in most of this country. Here in Ontario, the provincial cops use the Australian Spectre technology to detect radar detectors. Some detachments have trophy walls of seized units. The fine is $1,000, IIRC. I had one for a while, but the stress was just too much. I figured I'd rather hire a court agent to fight the ticket in the end than have my car torn apart by a pissed off cop.
Here's how I think I've stayed out of trouble: Keep the speed delta between you and traffic moderate, 10 or 20 kph. Do everything smoothly (cops often react to the 'body language' of a car), don't hog the left lane, don't tailgate, signal lane changes and generally don't act like a badass. If you run into a radar trap, you're done. But if the LEO is operating on discretion, he's going to profile you. If you act like some kid drunk on horsepower, he's going to want to talk. If you act like a nice middle aged guy with both hands on the wheel and good situational awareness, he very well might not bother. On the highways around Toronto, they won't even look sideways at you for 20 over... as long as nothing else catches their attention.
Here's how I think I've stayed out of trouble: Keep the speed delta between you and traffic moderate, 10 or 20 kph. Do everything smoothly (cops often react to the 'body language' of a car), don't hog the left lane, don't tailgate, signal lane changes and generally don't act like a badass. If you run into a radar trap, you're done. But if the LEO is operating on discretion, he's going to profile you. If you act like some kid drunk on horsepower, he's going to want to talk. If you act like a nice middle aged guy with both hands on the wheel and good situational awareness, he very well might not bother. On the highways around Toronto, they won't even look sideways at you for 20 over... as long as nothing else catches their attention.
03-10-2011, 05:52 PM
#37
Race Director
Bingo!
While the watch the brake lights of cars thing works when there are other cars on the road, it doesn't always work.
One problem is a cop is (almost certainly) a car guy and his eyes are going to be drawn to a Porsche. If the radar gun beeps guess which car gets pulled over?
(Actually happened to me one night on I-20 in TX. Limit at night is 65mph. I had the V1 on and a hand-held CB radio on. I knew the cop (city kitty) was on the freeway and in the median with a radar gun on long before (a mile or more) before I reached his location. I even slowed down to below the 65mph limit slowed enough that two big rigs that were behind me in the slow lane were swinging out to pass my car -- I was in my Boxster -- while another passenger car (red but I didn't catch the make/model) went past mine in the passing/fast lane just as the V1 alarmed. I spotted the cop car and settled in to watch the show and damn if the cop didn't pull out with lights flashing and pull me over! I heard one big rig driver over the CB say "he's got the wrong 4-wheeler!". Anyhow, you are not supposed to argue but I did calmly and politely but forcefully (cause I was on solid ground) and the cop relented and gave me a 'warning'.)
If there is little to no traffic I'm pretty close to the limit. (See above paragraph.)
In some areas (Tx) I know some speed limits are very strictly enforced (that 65mph night time limit especially) so if I'm on I-40 at night going across the TX panhandle -- or anywhere in Tx -- I'm going 65mph but no faster.
Oh, I might add that was caught and given a speeding ticket in TX just east of Amarillo while in my 996 Turbo, middle of the day, nice weather, no traffic, going 10mph over. I admitted I was going 10mph over but pointed out all the things above and also that I wasn't speeding in a dangerous way and asked for a warning or if not that at least a reduced speed on the citation but the state trooper said something about citation guidelines and he wrote it up at 10mph. (Oh, I had stopped just miles before and when I got back on the road I forgot to turn on the V1!) But the citation gave me the option of asking the court for a deferred judgement which I did and which it granted. Went through this process successfully and the ticket was dismissed. (The dismissal occuring just a month or so back.)
In town/city driving I'm at the limit or a bit below. There's really nothing to be gained zooming say 45mph through a 35mph zone. Many is the time I've been passed by one or more vehicles obviously going over the limit only to catch up with them at the next light. And even if they make the light, all that 'saved time' goes away when there's a ticket, or an accident arising from that speeding.
Also, in bad weather, I'm always going slower than the limit. The limit is for good road conditions, reasonable amounts of traffic, and good weather. Just because a freeway has a 75mph limit posted doesn't mean one has to travel 75mph on it when it is covered with several inches of snow.
Sincerely,
Macster.
While the watch the brake lights of cars thing works when there are other cars on the road, it doesn't always work.
One problem is a cop is (almost certainly) a car guy and his eyes are going to be drawn to a Porsche. If the radar gun beeps guess which car gets pulled over?
(Actually happened to me one night on I-20 in TX. Limit at night is 65mph. I had the V1 on and a hand-held CB radio on. I knew the cop (city kitty) was on the freeway and in the median with a radar gun on long before (a mile or more) before I reached his location. I even slowed down to below the 65mph limit slowed enough that two big rigs that were behind me in the slow lane were swinging out to pass my car -- I was in my Boxster -- while another passenger car (red but I didn't catch the make/model) went past mine in the passing/fast lane just as the V1 alarmed. I spotted the cop car and settled in to watch the show and damn if the cop didn't pull out with lights flashing and pull me over! I heard one big rig driver over the CB say "he's got the wrong 4-wheeler!". Anyhow, you are not supposed to argue but I did calmly and politely but forcefully (cause I was on solid ground) and the cop relented and gave me a 'warning'.)
If there is little to no traffic I'm pretty close to the limit. (See above paragraph.)
In some areas (Tx) I know some speed limits are very strictly enforced (that 65mph night time limit especially) so if I'm on I-40 at night going across the TX panhandle -- or anywhere in Tx -- I'm going 65mph but no faster.
Oh, I might add that was caught and given a speeding ticket in TX just east of Amarillo while in my 996 Turbo, middle of the day, nice weather, no traffic, going 10mph over. I admitted I was going 10mph over but pointed out all the things above and also that I wasn't speeding in a dangerous way and asked for a warning or if not that at least a reduced speed on the citation but the state trooper said something about citation guidelines and he wrote it up at 10mph. (Oh, I had stopped just miles before and when I got back on the road I forgot to turn on the V1!) But the citation gave me the option of asking the court for a deferred judgement which I did and which it granted. Went through this process successfully and the ticket was dismissed. (The dismissal occuring just a month or so back.)
In town/city driving I'm at the limit or a bit below. There's really nothing to be gained zooming say 45mph through a 35mph zone. Many is the time I've been passed by one or more vehicles obviously going over the limit only to catch up with them at the next light. And even if they make the light, all that 'saved time' goes away when there's a ticket, or an accident arising from that speeding.
Also, in bad weather, I'm always going slower than the limit. The limit is for good road conditions, reasonable amounts of traffic, and good weather. Just because a freeway has a 75mph limit posted doesn't mean one has to travel 75mph on it when it is covered with several inches of snow.
Sincerely,
Macster.
03-10-2011, 07:07 PM
#39
Team Owner
03-10-2011, 07:50 PM
#41
Rennlist Member
I remember once reading somewhere (sounds real authentic, right?) about a guy who made round magnetic signs for the side of his car - they had an acronym and the words "First Response". He would speed all around, and had some BS story about a turbo encapsulater that had blown up, and he was on his way to make sure no one was hurt.
03-10-2011, 07:54 PM
#42
Pro
Does California have speed limit that people observed?
Whenever I was driving there, it seemed that everyone was above the limit. At the end I just drove at whatever speed other drivers at the 2 most left lanes were observing. Even on the LA/Vegas/San Diego trips.
Whenever I was driving there, it seemed that everyone was above the limit. At the end I just drove at whatever speed other drivers at the 2 most left lanes were observing. Even on the LA/Vegas/San Diego trips.
03-10-2011, 09:56 PM
#43
Instructor
Surfer161
03-10-2011, 11:27 PM
#44
Neat thread. A lot of good tips in here, and it reminds me of an article in Road & Track from years ago that actually gave tips about how to avoid getting caught speeding. The main one I remember is to watch for brake lights ahead of you; people will instinctively jam on their brakes when they see a cop. Bad for them, good for the rest of us paying enough attention to notice. :-)
I used to be a speed demon (especially when I lived in Ontario, where Toronto highways are just really long drag racing strips), but I've learned to love speed a bit less and handling a bit more. At this point in my life I'd rather cut a clean arc on a cloverleaf than blast down the highway at some ungodly speed.
As an unrelated sidenote ... I heard that Ontario now has a $10,000 fine for people speeding over 50 km/h (30 mph) over the posted limit. I'm all for promoting safe driving, but that seems a tad harsh. Almost as bad as their "harmonized" sales tax rates.
Back to speeding ... I also make a point of making eye contact and waving to cops on the side of the road. I think it's psychologically disarming for them to see a friendly motorist, and I figure it might lower my chances of getting pulled over. Wishful thinking, perhaps, but I've had a clean record for some years now.
I have thought long and hard about a radar detector, but I have an aversion to cables draped over my dashboard, and I loathe having **** suction-cupped to the windshield.
And ditto to whoever recommended letting the annoying tailgater pass. Annoying tailgaters have collected tickets for me more times than I can count.
The last thing I've learned is to drive smoothly. Not only is it better for your car, but it also conveys a sense of control. I have a sense that police are attuned to erratic or jerky drivers, and I do my best not to be one of them. If I'm going past a speed trap and feel the urge to slam on the brakes, I don't ... he's probably already got my speed, and watching my front suspension nosedive as I brake is a tacit admission of guilt. Instead I brake gently, smile and wave and say a few prayers under my breath.
Cheers,
-- Mike
I used to be a speed demon (especially when I lived in Ontario, where Toronto highways are just really long drag racing strips), but I've learned to love speed a bit less and handling a bit more. At this point in my life I'd rather cut a clean arc on a cloverleaf than blast down the highway at some ungodly speed.
As an unrelated sidenote ... I heard that Ontario now has a $10,000 fine for people speeding over 50 km/h (30 mph) over the posted limit. I'm all for promoting safe driving, but that seems a tad harsh. Almost as bad as their "harmonized" sales tax rates.
Back to speeding ... I also make a point of making eye contact and waving to cops on the side of the road. I think it's psychologically disarming for them to see a friendly motorist, and I figure it might lower my chances of getting pulled over. Wishful thinking, perhaps, but I've had a clean record for some years now.
I have thought long and hard about a radar detector, but I have an aversion to cables draped over my dashboard, and I loathe having **** suction-cupped to the windshield.
And ditto to whoever recommended letting the annoying tailgater pass. Annoying tailgaters have collected tickets for me more times than I can count.
The last thing I've learned is to drive smoothly. Not only is it better for your car, but it also conveys a sense of control. I have a sense that police are attuned to erratic or jerky drivers, and I do my best not to be one of them. If I'm going past a speed trap and feel the urge to slam on the brakes, I don't ... he's probably already got my speed, and watching my front suspension nosedive as I brake is a tacit admission of guilt. Instead I brake gently, smile and wave and say a few prayers under my breath.
Cheers,
-- Mike
03-11-2011, 01:08 AM
#45
AutoX
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have never seen a statute or city ordinance that makes flashing your headlight illegal in any of the jurisdictions that I have practiced in. That may be why some of you who have been pulled over for this are getting warnings. Has anyone on here ever been ticketed for that? If so, what was the charge? Aiding and abetting (as someone previously mentioned) could easily be defeated in court b/c you need to have the person you were aiding (the underlying crime) to have been charged. Not very likely.