Survey: Most States Allow Speed Cushion June 14, 2005 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Authorities patrolling U.S. highways tend to give motorists a cushion of up to 10 miles per hour above the speed limit before pulling them over, says a survey by a group of state traffic safety officials and reported by the Associated Press. This practice creates an unsafe comfort level at high speeds and is a potential safety hazard, according to a report being released on June 13 by the Governors Highway Safety Association. The group found that 42 states allow drivers to regularly exceed the speed limit before they are stopped. "This cushion truly exists across this country and in some cases is more than 10 mph above posted limits," said Jim Champagne, the association's chairman. "Law enforcement needs to be given the political will to enforce speed limits and the public must get the message that speeding will not be tolerated," said Champagne, who also is executive director of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission. Since 1994, 38 states have increased their speed limit, the report said. Congress in 1995 allowed states to raise limits above 55 mph in urban areas and 65 mph on rural roads. The survey's release comes ahead of the association's forum this week on ways to address speeding. The goal is to make recommendations for states to consider. "As a country, if we are going to reduce the carnage on our roadways, speeding must be given the same level of attention that has been given to occupant protection and impaired driving," Champagne said. States reported that highway patrol officers and other authorities said enforcing traffic laws has become difficult because of uncertainty in highway safety budgets, the focus on homeland security and a shortage of officers due to retirements. Nineteen states lack a statewide database to log speed-related citation data, the survey found. That makes it hard for policy-makers to reach conclusions about the effectiveness of their enforcement efforts. The survey added that 10 states have some kind of aggressive driving law: Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Nevada, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Utah, and Virginia. Web source: http://www.fleet-central.com/af/t_inside.cfm?action=news_pick&storyID=19851
Slightly off topic but I wanted to state a personal opinion on this Specifically the whole seat belt thing. Now personally I wear mine if for nothing else to keep my ass from sliding across the oiled leather seats in my father in laws lincoln (along with avoiding a $100 fine). But me wearing my seatbelt has very little impact on your safety and it should be my choice. The motorcyclists won this debate with the helmet law, it was overturned in PA. Yet I am forced to wear my belt. Suppose it is hot and I just don't want to wear it...I know my risk of injury in an accident goes up but again that is my choice. Granted seatbelts can save lives, but had I been wearing my seatbelt when my dodge omni was ripped in half by a minivan I would've lost both legs at the knees and most likely bled out at the scene. As it was I was thrown out of the car, taking the passenger side door with me, and walked away. So a seatbelt won't always save you. Mallard fillmore comic was good today. Said something like "authorities in maine (I think it was maine) are now using nightvision goggles to catch people not wearing their seatbelts. We have no word yet on when they will be using helicopters to make sure you are flossing and wiretaps to see if you are eating all your vegetables".
Seat belts save more lives than they kill. Head butting a windsheild hurts like a SOB :doah: don't ask me how I know! The states want you to wear a seat belt because if you get hurt and don't have insurance the state has to foot the bill.
And that is different that motor cycle helmets how? Or is it that they hope you will just DIE and they won't have the burden? :doah: I agree that seatbelts should be MY choice and I'm sick of all the nosy nannies insisting on running my life and making my decisions based on their opinions and misconceptions. "Assault Weapons", seat belts, helmets, and yes, even "substance abuse" should have the responsibility placed where it belongs by allowing the damage to fall on those who *choose* that path. Just don't force me to cover their expenses when they burn out their brains or crack their skull open. Seems simple enough to me… And on the buffer, it is my understanding that the buffer zone exists to allow for a reasonable margin of error in speedo calibration, tire size/wear, and environmental effects (i.e. drifting up after topping a hill). We are not computers monitoring our speed 30 times or more a second, so it WILL happen. It is also my understanding that that margin is taken into account when speed limits are set in areas where it is allowed. And on top of that, many states have a "prevailing conditions" clause that allows you to legally exceed the speed "limit" if "prevailing conditions allow". By the same token, you can be given a ticket for driving the speed limit in a blinding fog, icy roads, or whatever due to exceeding what is "reasonable and prudent" based on prevailing conditions. Again, let's put the responsibility on the people again. It's not the gun (assault or otherwise) or the speed that is the problem, it's the morons who use them improperly and carelessly. If they drive unsafely, then by all means stop them and make it HURT! Drinking and driving, speeding, or any unsafe behavior that threatens other people's safety should be firmly, consistently, and severely punished. But these folks seem to be the same ancient liberals (generally retired and never going very far or very often) who have too much time on their hands and forced the 55 mph speed limit "in the interest of public safety" years ago using the same "bad science" and screwed statistics that they use to close public lands and accomplish most of their goals. How's that for throwing a wide net! :stir: rotfl
