I have gotten myself into quite a bind over something that I really never have taken seriously, and still don't to be perfectly honest. Consider this a confessional of sorts, but I'd also appreciate some feedback.

I was stopped several weeks ago on the highway because I was 16 miles over the posted 65 mph speed limit. This was my fifth ticket in as many years of driving, but this one has been blown out of proportion. My vehicle was towed, my license was taken, and I was given an appearance date in Superior Court for driving with a suspended license. I was shocked because I had completed a driver retraining course just the previous month that had negated a suspension, but apparently my license was suspended last year for a previous ticket although I received no notification from the DMV. It's a bit of a cruel practical joke if you ask me. Obviously I have no recourse, but I don't expect to serve any jail time. This all begs the question: is it fair to be convicted for something that you weren't aware of? Well it certainly isn't, but as the persecution of entheogen-users has taught me, fairness has nothing to do with it.

How do I feel about speeding? Well regardless, it's probably worth my while to reduce my speed to avoid any further complications, because my current situation is bordering on the absurd. All of my tickets have been within the 10-17 mph above the posted limit, which I don't consider particularly dangerous. Applying the law of diminishing returns to speed limit enforcement, I clearly drive at speeds that are just above the threshold for writing citations. Although this might sound dumb, I wouldn't be technically speeding if the speed limits were higher (which they are elsewhere), so if it's a matter of whether or not I'm engaging in dangerous behavior, I think I'm fairly innocent. It's a far simpler issue that I'm making it, but to argue for the sake of argument, here's my side of it: 1) I wouldn't be driving as "fast" as I do if I thought it was dangerous, plain and simple 2) better and more capable drivers will drive faster than less capable drivers by default, that is unless they rack up moving violations 3) driving slightly faster than the majority of drivers but not at excessive speeds is actually safer because slower drivers are generally worse and/or are distracted or impaired and 4) driving faster keeps you more engaged and heightens awareness. And I'll leave it at.

Thankfully most speeding citations are not criminal offenses, nor should they be. It is far too easy to exceed the speed limit, so much so that you can do it without even realizing. I am discouraged by anyone who think otherwise, and it bothers me slightly when people disapprove of speeding because frankly the vast majority of drivers do, and statistically so do you. Even if you're just creeping above by a few miles per hour, that's still technically "breaking the law" or whatever that means. For me, the premise of "speeding is dangerous" really falls apart when troopers will pursue you for speeding at the same speed you were going.

This my appeal to sanity: I know and you know and we all know this just about money, so can we stop pretending that it isn't? This certainly doesn't just apply to traffic citations, but I envision a traffic stop where the driver can just pay off the cop on the spot and do away with all of those other formalities. Or maybe a speeding tax? Anyway, those are my thoughts on the issue. I certainly will have to review my driving habits, and potentially will have to relocate somewhere where I don't have to drive which is probably in my and the environment's best interest to boot.

Sorry that was so long-winded, but how do you personally feel about it?

i've paid sooooo many dollars in traffic fines i hate to think about it...

but really, in retrospect, they put up signs telling you what is expected... as long as you follow the signs, they leave you alone... for the most part... i hate it, but my dollars are useful in so many other places, i hate to give the 6-up any of it... plus, i pretty generally have a little bit of reefer with me at all times, & a wise old man once told me it's a bad idea to break two laws at once...

cruise control brother, cruise control...

I think something like 90% of encounters with law enforcement can be avoided simply by following traffic laws. It's such an easy concept that so many people fail to comprehend. I for one never travel more than 5 mph over the speed limit and make sure I come to a well exaggerated complete stop at every stop sign. I haven't been pulled over in something like 5 years.

A genuine question. Why are you speeding all the time? It may get you to your destination slightly quicker but travelling at a slower pace is more relaxing, less stressful and (i sound like my father here) you use less fuel

I speed when I know I cant hurt animals, when driving in forrest and stuff in the night. I drive very slow in between the two lanes for securites sake.

following traffic on the freeway when everyone is going 15 over is one thing..and that is to be expected really..your not gunna get pulled over for going 80 in a 70 zone on the freeway when everyone else doing 80..

Going 65 or 70 in a 50 zone in a residential area etc is very different.

Personally I concider speeding when out of place and not logically following the flow of traffic to be reckless driving and deserving of larger penalties than petty seatbelt fines etc..because you are endagering the lives of other people.

In maybe 12 years of driving I have never gotten a speeding ticket. I have had one ticket for running a red light on accident long ago..and I got a seatbelt ticket last year that I will never pay becasue it's noones business weather or not I wear my seatbelt..running a red light though is reckless driving and endangers others, and I paid it..

The stupid thing is that my brother has had numerous tickets now for speeding in excess..and his first few tickets were on par with my seatbelt fine..which is rediculous.

Well... it kind of is the government's business whether you wear your seatbelt.

If you get in an accident while you aren't wearing your seatbelt, your injuries are statistically going to be worse (and more expensive to treat) than if you had been wearing your seatbelt. And correct me if I'm wrong, but... since you're Canadian... the government would foot a large part of the medical costs.

So, considering that the government is fiscally responsible for your injuries, how exactly do you figure that it's none of their business when you deliberately put them at risk for greater financial liability?




I agree with you on speeding though. I'll usually follow flow of traffic. If there's very little traffic, then I won't go more than 5 miles over the speed limit.

^ I know at least one person who had serious internal injuries from a seatbelt. Maybe it stopped other injuries as well I cant say but I really dont think it should be a law to wear your seat belt.

My main point though is that I should never have to pay a fine for a seatbelt in excess of 100 dollars..that is on the same level of reckless speeding fines..that is a joke.

If your unpaid seatbelt ticket goes to warrant, Jamie, you may be in for an ugly surprise the next time you're cruising around with a pocketful of whatever.

Just sayin'.

It's definitely not a laughing matter. If you withhold money from the state (or whatever entity), well, they just don't tolerate that.

I probably never travel at or below the speed limit, but sometimes within several miles per hour and it's caught up with me. I'm going to be looking at another suspension, but I've been apparently driving on a suspended license for almost a year so it's a strange law and whether or not I comply is another matter. And it's not that I'm speeding with urgency to every destination--that's not the case at all. I find my driving speeds to be very comfortable for the most part. I generally drive as fast at the roads will allow and not any faster or slower unless the conditions aren't ideal. In my location, I have to do a lot of driving to get anywhere, frankly, and that's definitely conducive to driving faster. Also I never have to deal with any traffic, just open roads mostly and open highway and never busy intersections where schoolchildren cross. And I estimate that 95% of the time I drive alone. Just an example of what I have to deal with: there is a 25 mph stretch of road in the town over to me and coincidentally I've seen a trooper there more than once. Or not a coincidence? It's basically entrapment. All of my tickets have been in low-to-no traffic with high visibility and ideal conditions, which is exactly when troopers are out in force. I never see them when it's raining it seems...

I look at it either way: either traffic laws are dumb or I'm dumb for continuing to get tickets. I tend to think it's a bit of both. I haven't changed my driving habits since I got my license and even after getting a fifth ticket, so I guess it's hard for me to complain at this point. But let's pretend that I'm addicted to speeding. What is a ticket going to do for me? If you gave a meth addict a ticket, I hardly think that would work. Another difficulty is that no one seems to take the matter of speeding seriously. I mean, at driver retraining I was advised to "avoid troopers" by the instructor. I actually would have preferred if a drill sergeant had started admonishing and verbally abusing me for speeding, because I'd at least get the impression that they were taking themselves seriously.

I just go with the flow of traffic basically. Which often times is 10 or 15 over the speed limit on some roads/highways (Passing hidden cops at this speed, i've never gotten pulled over). I usually just go 5 over though, depending on where i am of course

Jamie, i'm on the bench as far as ticketing someone whose driving alone without a seatbelt..but the whole issue of ticketing aside, for someone whose driving without a seatbelt in a car with other passengers present, that can be a huge risk to those people if you get into a bad accident. Ever seen the in-car video of the accident where some guy in the front didn't wear his seatbelt? Everyone would have been relatively fine.. but during the crash his body was flying all over the car and knocking peoples heads through windows, etc...its was very ugly and happens more often then people think

i guess i just know way too many people who've died in stupid car accidents not to wear one.. and too many who know are only alive because they wore one. plus my car is annoying and a warning blinks and beeps when i dont ^__^

2 words : radar detector

i need one.
i'm not a patient driver at all.

No, I am disputing it in court. I will win too..the cop wont show up and no judge is going to agree that should pay an excess of $100 for a seatbelt fine..$20 would be more reasonable. I dont drive around with illegal substances anyway. I rarely smoke weed and I have no need to take these other things around with me anywhere unless maybe I go camping.

If I got pulled over right now it would show that I have a ticket unpaid and that I have gone to ICBC and offically claimed my dispute. I have not received a court date and that is not even up to me to worry about..they by law have to contact me about it and they have yet to do so.

"It's definitely not a laughing matter. If you withhold money from the state (or whatever entity), well, they just don't tolerate that."

The key word here is state. I live in canada. Noone goes to jail here or is arrested for an unpaid seatbelt fine man, unless you have some huge record of unpaid violations or something. It does not happen..especially when I have no actaul traffic violations on my records at all in over 10 years of driving other than a red light I ran like 8 years ago and paid within a week and have no criminal record at all.

btw..I wear my seatbelt when I remember to. Its just the off chance that I dont remember. I still think it is rediculous to give out seatbelt tickets that are the same price as some people get for speeding in excess.

In other provinces the police are not even allowed to pull you over for a seatbelt..they have to have another reason to pull you over first and then they can fine you if you dont have it on.

Anyway I am fine paying a reasonable fine for a seatbelt.

I don't think it makes you a bad human to speed, you can drive on highways safely at speeds like 85mph. I tend to not speed just because I don't enjoy police.

And jamie, I have always taken my tickets to court as well. Called this female officer's bluff after she told me she would show up to court to testify that I illegally passed a vehicle, went to court and she never showed and my ticket was dropped.

I speed on roads all the time when it's not residential, with the flow of traffic and when no one's on the road, usually no more than 10-15mph over. I can recall one instance fairly recently when I was travelling back from work going 65 in a 55 area, when the speed limit dropped to 45, it being an empty road, I didn't slow down (it's a two lane road with a shoulder and a concrete barrier on either side), what do you know? A car shows up in my rear view, who is it? A state trooper, my first thought is "SLOW DOWN DUMMY", but by the time I let of the accelerator the state trooper flies past me in the left lane going at least 10mph faster than me, and then proceeds to go right through the red light that I stopped at, no lights on no sirens, just cruising on through going 70+mph in a 45mph zone and running red lights... some example that state trooper showed...

I usually don't speed, unless it is to keep up with the flow of traffic.

The less encounters I have to have with LE, the better.

I have seen a lot of people mention that they go with the flow of traffic and they are fine.

Don't let that fool you.

I've been pulled over before when following the "flow of traffic" and when I asked why I was specifically being penalized out of everyone else who was doing the same thing, the response I got was a rather snarky: "I saw you first."

Overzealous law enforcement official... maybe, but as a rule of thumb, 5 mph over and no more. Here in my state, cops don't usually tend to pull you over unless you're going 10 - 15 mph over.

Just stay safe and try to follow the road rules.

And if that's not a motivator, look at it this way: If the State/Government/Whatever has a chance to squeeze you for money, please believe they will take every opportunity to do so. Make it as difficult for them as possible by following the rules and staying off the radar.

Good luck!