do YOU drive the speed limit?

I try to all the time. I can even read the speed limit sign and understand what those words mean. The same goes for stop and yield signs,etc.
From what I have seen and what has happened to me in the past I can verify that too many people are going way too fast and or being very unattentive while driving. Such as using phones,not using signals,tailgating,you name it.

In the seventies,I was on life support due to a person who was in too much of a hurry and had to make an illegal turn to get where she didn't get,to save time. I also got requested to appear in her traffic court trial. So did the cop who witnessed the whole thing. The problem with this was when the prosecutor asked questions I couldn't talk too well due to reconstructive surgery on my jaws.

A year later,I was a pedestrian crossing a six lane road at the red light when a drunk ran the light and put me on the far side of the road. More broken bones.

Five months ago I had to stop for a dog that ran in the road and was rear ended by a tailgater who had been cutting in and out of traffic, from lane to lane.In a hurry but not watching where he is going.

Drivers are just getting worse.
 
I drive the limit in town and populated areas. But when I hit the highway and g w/ the flow. As for the backroads, if its open the limit goes out the door. I love my .:R32. :)

Greg
 
I keep up with the traffic. And if there isn't any traffic to keep up with, I try to find some. ;)



That last part only happens when I have no passengers.
 
DonR101395,
§ 545.352. PRIMA FACIE SPEED LIMITS. (a) A speed in
excess of the limits established by Subsection (b) or under another
provision of this subchapter is prima facie evidence that the speed
is not reasonable and prudent and that the speed is unlawful.
Click to expand...

I've bolded the import part of that section.

Prima Facie is just latin for "at first sight."

So if I were driving over the speed limit then they can use that as "evidence" that my speed was unlawful. However we all know that just because there is evidence of a crime being committed that doesnt mean that one actually was. If my speed was indeed reasonable and prudent then no crime was committed and a jury should acquit.

That being said I've never had to actually had to go to trial since the two speeding tickets that I did plead not guilty and request a jury trail for were dismissed before trial.
 
I've bolded the import part of that section.

Prima Facie is just latin for "at first sight."
Click to expand...

You are correct however you left off the rest of the definition. I bolded the important part.

1. True, authentic, or adequate at first sight; ostensible: prima facie credibility.
2. Evident without proof or reasoning; obvious: a prima facie violation of the treaty.
 
You are correct however you left off the rest of the definition. I bolded the important part.

1. True, authentic, or adequate at first sight; ostensible: prima facie credibility.
2. Evident without proof or reasoning; obvious: a prima facie violation of the treaty.
Click to expand...

In the end though, it is up to the jury to decide the case on all evidence, and what evidence they will believe or not.

The times I've been ticketed for speeding my speeds were reasonable and prudent, and I am glad that I live in a state like Texas where my right to a jury trial is respected, they can decide if my speed was reasonable.
 
for the people that think slower drivers are the problem: Yes they have caused wrecks, but the majority of wrecks I go on, including fatalities are alcohol and or drug related, complete carelessness (cell phones,make up), or just your run of the mill idiot! True story, middle age woman driving, yapping on the phone totally blows a stop sign...broad sides an suv causing it to roll over. Young lady driving the suv suffers from what I found out later to be c2 and c3 fracture, completely paralyzed from the neck down. In the back seat was a 14 month old boy, properly restrained, and I'm the one that pronounces him dead. Police on the scene later told me that the scene investigator had estimated speeds of 65-75mph...the middle aged lady that blew a stop sign at those speeds, paralyzing a person and killing a baby turned out to be fine from the wreck.
 
what about the ladies that are talking on the phone and putting on makeup at the same time :eek:

I generally try to go the speed limit, if traffic flow is faster I try to stay with it. Most officers I have talked to say they generally dont ticket folks if the are driving safely with the flow. They do ticket those who weave in and out of traffic passing who are exceeding the speed limit and are creating a hazard.
 
Here's my rule. Be as considerate as common sense allows.

I drive along with the speed of the other traffic that's in my lane. I dont have to look hard to find any in this area.

I use the center two lanes (I-95 has a minumum of 5 on each side where I drive, one of which is the HOV lane, which I can't use. Reasoning: stay out of the right lane to let others merge, stay out of the left lane to let passers pass.

While in the 2 lanes I typically use, I stay my distance behind the car ahead. I expect that, since there are lots of other lanes to use, the driver behind me will do the same. Closer than 3 car lengths, and I slow down. I'll play this game till I'm doing 40 (legal lower limit) if need be, or until the idiot goes around.

Cell phone yappers are the worst for tailgating. You can bet I'm not about to continue doing 65 with a car 15 feet behind me whose driver is busier bawling out his kids than he is driving.

I pass on the right when need be (legal in Florida) even though it seems to steam some visitors from places where passing on the left is the law. While doing so, I watch VERY carefully the car(s) I'm passing.

My goal is to get where I'm going safely and with reasonable speed.

I suspect most cops who patrol the highways here see it the same way. They have PLENTY to do picking off the drunks, tailgaters, cutoff artists, trucks with junk falling off, cars towing other cars with rope at 70 m/h on I-95, cars weaving at 110 mph through rush hour traffic and myriad other clueless stuff.

When on a 2-lane country road, I'll try to get between 2 cars going the speed I like, usually 5 or so over limit, and stay there, again keeping my distance. At that speed, tailgaters are treated just like on 95.

When I was a kid, I'd drive at 90 on highway 60 across the state, late at night when there were no cars on the road whatsoever. However, I stopped doing that the night I encountered a cow carcass in my lane.
 
You will always find me in the center lane driving at the speed limit, 2 seconds behind the guy in front of me, 3 seconds if it is raining or snowing.

I noticed when I do this I often get people who will pace me at 2 seconds. Approximately 55% of highway crashes are due to following too closely.

If someone starts tailgating me I motion for them to pass.
 
Quote:
"In Texas driving over the speed limit is not illegal, driving at an unreasonable speed given the conditions is what is illegal.


I wish someone would tell the DPS officers on Highway 290 this. Because they seem to think driving faster than 65 MPH when it is posted a 65 MPH maximum limit, is illegal. In fact, they pull people over for going over 65 all the time, and write them "speeding tickets". And often, those are the only ones on the highway, and the DPS comes out of a hidden spot, and chases them at about a hundred, to close the gap and get them before they get into town.

Should someone tell Captain Maurice Cook about this?



Are all those stops unconstitutional, and invalid?
 
and the DPS comes out of a hidden spot, and chases them at about a hundred,
Click to expand...

So what happens if they are closing on the violator at "about a hundred" and the violator has to brake suddenly and sharply for an animal that runs out into the road? Hmmm . . . ?
 
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