Asklemmy

I think traffic laws in many cases cause more issues than they solve, though I don’t know enough to really say which types of laws are problematic.

I do notice that a lot of drivers which go over the speed limit because it’s too low tend to overdo it, driving too fast instead, for example. On roads where the speed limit is fairly high most people seem to drive at a speed close to it.

I also read a study a few years ago which claimed that removing speed limits actually causes most people to drive slower, but I can’t find it right now.

I can’t believe you got a ticket for speeding 53 in a 50! What state do you live in that police are that eager to give a ticket? Cops will only be that strict where I live in 25mph zones, usually school zones or a place where the highway goes through the middle of town.

They say something around here like: +8, you’re great. +9, you’re mine. And that is actually pretty low for how much I’ve seen people speed here (+15 sometimes, even on 2-lane highways like you’re talking about). I got ticketed for a +13.

The last ticket I got was from parking within 15 feet of a fire hydrant. There's no sign or marker indicating where 15 feet is, so I had to basically eyeball it and hope that I was far enough from the hydrant. Yeah, that's one that's almost impossible to practically obey.

It’s damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Welcome to the real world.

It's been like 20 years that, at least where I am there is automatic speed camera and a zero tolerance policy, people get fine and loose points even for small speeding so if you want to keep your licence, no choice

Not stopping at a stop? This looks dangerous like hell. Please think about the kid on a bike who might have the right of way, let her live

I'm going to remember this question next time I see one of those "BuT cYcLIsTs!" idiots.

Where do you live? I do the speed limit all the time. Only get a random pissy BMW once a month or so.

When I was in drivers' ed they told us that even if the speed limit is, say, 35 mph, it's safer to go 45 mph if everybody around you is also going 45 mph. I think most cops are also aware of this, so I wonder if you were just picked on to fulfill a ticket quota or something. Also differences that small in mph are very questionable for a ticket because speedometers can vary wildly and most if not all speedometers have a very minor margin of error. For example you could have been radar tracked at 53 but your speedometer could have been closer to 51 or 50

I also follow traffic laws. People often rage at me completely unprovoked, and I've been in more collisions than I can count.

What matters is you are not responsible for the actions of others. Yes driving 60 in a 25 is incredibly dangerous. See what happens when you slam on the brakes for the work zone sign, it's absurd.

But it's not our job to police that. The best we can do is follow the law, try to avoid the idiots, and collect the insurance money when they do hit us and move on.

What on earth are we expected to do?

Pay the fines. It's a money-making scheme, not a public-safety scheme.

Have you tried following traffic laws in GTA games? That is insane indeed.

It's incorrect to think of most road laws as being in place for safety, instead recognize that it's largely a tax by another name. It is never safe to drive 20mph below prevailing traffic, regardless of what the sign on the side of the road instructs.

To avoid fines, pay attention and try to avoid routes where there are often cops collecting a toll, especially during quieter times when you're one of a smaller number of commuters (and more likely to be the sucker who gets pinged). If you're white, congratulations, you're way less likely to be the unlucky party who gets pinged.