Speeding... Almost a ticket!

[Zapix]

Noticed some threads here and there about speeding... Some people saying it's safe to drive Xmph over the speed limit.

Read something on MSN about this recently, and apparently a number of states have a 'ZERO' over tolerence for people driving faster than the speed limit. I think New York was one of them

Anyway... I'd thought I'd add a little something to all of it.

Apparently there is a crack down on speeding in Connecticut right now. Anything over 1mph is an automatic ticket. WHICH IS BULL-S***! I mean, the speedometer could be slightly off or whatever, and you're doing 66 in a 65 and get a ticket?

As is, I've heard it's automatic arrest for driving over 80mph in Connecticut. State troopers here, usually won't bother you for driving 15mph over highway limits. Do 20 over though, and you're asking for trouble. As far as city roads go, the same crack down applies, but again... I think it depends on if the cop is in the mood or not. Usually a 5mph over is safe, but push 10 and you'll get a ticket. I'm even told the old farts who sit indoors all day are out in their unmarked cars hunting people.


Popular cars to watch out for here in Connecticut?
The obvious... Crown Victoria!
Chevy Impala, and Dodge Intrepid.
They also drive mutangs, cameros and vettes, but I've never seen any of them personally.

Strangely though, I've noticed the locals and the staties don't even bother me at all. Infact, I've noticed they wave to me and stuff more than anything! One even once was obsessively waving at me as if he was another WRX driver desperately looking to be noticed by another WRX driver. Kind of scary! What if he pulled me over to say hello?!?

(Connecticut cops are strange! Simple as that!)

Anyway, about the ticket I almost got...

I'm going to work a few weeks ago, the highway being totally open and not a car in sight, I'm flying at 110mph (in a 65 zone)... And suddenly realize... I had just passed a left laned state trooper, whom I didn't notice as I was merging. And he's WAYYYYYYYY back in my rearview by now as I'm getting close to 120. So, being the first exit off the ramp from getting on the highway, I start to slow down. He's in the right lane now though... I knew I was about to be arrested for excessive speeding, and my father would kill me. The car taken away from me, and I'd have no way to get to work the next day. I look in the rear view again to see his lights flashing... You know, the feeling you get when you pass a cop and you're speeding. That you know when you look in the rear view the lights are going to be on and you're about to get a ticket.
No lights, no nothing flashing.
He followed me off the exit I take to get to work. Pulls up next to my car in the other lane, and doesn't even look at me. I keep thinking he's just screwing with me now! Slow death or something like that.
HOW THE HELL I DID NOT GET A TICKET, I DO NOT KNOW!

Events in order?
Merge on highway at 80
Pass cop who is in the left lane, who I don't notice
Open highway infront of me, I keep going faster
Reach between 110 and 120, coming up on my exit...
Look in my rear view, and see a state trooper becoming less and less distant, whom is now merging into the right lane behind me!
I immediately slow down, thinking I was being pursued, and follow down the exit ramp at normal speeds.
Looking back I still see no lights flashing which blows my mind!
Stop at the red light, and the state pulls up next to me. Light goes green, I turn left as well as him, and get to another light. Then before I know it, we're going different directions and somehow I didn't get a ticket.
Try to make sense of the entire thing and failing!
Learned that speeding + nearby cop sucks!

That incident has risen the fear I have about getting a ticket though, and was almost like the being right next to me was going to make me die! I kept waiting.

Fact on my story is... I was lucky. Very lucky. My heart even stopped when I realized there was the cop behind me. Since then, I've been a lot more careful about driving fast, although... Heck... I have my times when I am on the road that I drive excessively fast till. My biggest lesson learned though. Don't merge on the highway excessively fast unless you have some very good reason for it! You still never know what's in the left lane as you're coming up the ramp, and anything can happen! I don't believe driving as fast as I was something I should have been doing at all, but eh... I did it anyway!

I have an attitude that I won't get a ticket because I know where most of the cops hang out. I'm sure most of you who have tickets even said that at one time. Trying to learn this lesson without getting the ticket, but the feeling at that speed is addictive! All the more reason I need to get into autox and all that fo track time.

I know if I ever get pulled over, it'll probably be arrest much like WRX'in recently was.


Anyway, just thought I'd post something in response to the numbers of people talking about speed limits and tickets.

~ Dan (Zapix)

PS: and no comments about being wreckless!
No need to tell me something I already know!

[VetoCorleone]

Were you trying to get a ticket?

[ShotgunTC88]

Zapix,
Dam son, I sam dam son!!

Didnt I "learn" ya nuttin?....LOL!!

Heres my take on it:

1. My WRX has the "Stealth" mode, Maybe you do too and your buttcheeks hit the seatswitch due to reflex...(yes, Its mounted in the cushion)

2.The Officer in question was headin home and didnt feel like screwin wit cha..(Most likely)

3.He was headed to his "mistresses" house and didnt wanna be late..(My best friends "the Man" so's I have a "lil" insight on cops<G>)

Carful lil bro!!!!

Shotgun

[SpeedKills]

that happened to me once...i passed a bmw doing about 110...about a mile up the road he caught back up to me,but i`d slowed down to about 70,then a mile or so back i seen flashing lights so i slowed down to the speed limit (65),the bmw was only about 50 feet infront of me,the cop went right passed me,pulled up beside the bmw and pulled him over...that feeling never goes away when you see flashing lights in your mirror



(NOTE:doing 110+ on public freeways is stupid,do not try to copy this story into your everyday life in anyway,shape,or form )

[TexasRex]

its funny before my WRX when i was drivin a Si i never had any stories like this...hmmm, i wonder why...aaaanyway, a while back i had an incident where i was goin about 60 in a 35 and over this lil hill i see a bike cop and SLAM on the brakes...as i creep by the cop just stares with a MAD face and points at me...basically a "i saw that, *****" type attitude...but he doesnt pull me over!!!!...then i see this other bike cop has a car pulled over...apparently these guys were a team...but for some reason i was spared...after that i have stopped speeding around town considerably...

[amob02]

I often have to drive from Boston to DC on I-95, and with my radar detector (escort passport), I can go as fast as I want. I'm a little bit worried about a laser, as you can't forsee them. Also, I drive the wagon, and since it's a sleeper, I don't think popo view us as a typical speeder car..

-alan

[Aust-WRX]

Originally posted by Zapix
Read something on MSN about this recently, and apparently a number of states have a 'ZERO' over tolerence for people driving faster than the speed limit. I think New York was one of them

Apparently there is a crack down on speeding in Connecticut right now. Anything over 1mph is an automatic ticket. WHICH IS BULL-S***! I mean, the speedometer could be slightly off or whatever, and you're doing 66 in a 65 and get a ticket?

"Zero over tolerence", thats very harsh, not sure what your local US design specs are, but here in Australia, the Speedo can be out by +/- 10%, and thats acceptable from the factory.

So all our speed cameras are always set to 10% higher than speed limit in that zone.

Plus, over here, they had WRXs as police cars, had to be recalled after they had to refund 1000s of speeding tickets handed out, basically because they found out that the Subaru WRX speedo was so far out.

[TexasRex]

Originally posted by Aust-WRX
Plus, over here, they had WRXs as police cars, had to be recalled after they had to refund 1000s of speeding tickets handed out, basically because they found out that the Subaru WRX speedo was so far out.

so far out meaning it showed more speed than actual or less???...man i would love to see a WRX poilice car!...got any pics?

[Aust-WRX]

Speed fines to be repaid due to glitch


Police will refund fines and restore demerit points for about 500 NSW motorists after it was revealed speedometers on certain police cars were out by up to 18km/h.
It was reported in Saturday's Sydney Morning Herald that three Subaru WRX police cars fitted with faulty speedometers were taken off the road four months ago.

The speedometer readings are independent of visual and radar checks of speeding motorists.

Police yesterday said all fines issued from the patrol cars between November 1998 and February 2000 would be overturned.

"Strict verification standards have not been complied with and, in the interests of transparency and integrity of the enforcement systems, we will refund all fines imposed," said the Traffic Services Chief, Superintendent Ron Sorrenson.

The problem had arisen because the car is a four-wheel-drive with computers on each wheel feeding information to the speedometer, but national standards for police pursuit vehicles are based on two-wheel-drive Commodores and Falcons.

It was on the two-wheel-drive standards that police car speedometers were tested for accuracy.

(This happen awhile back now, in Canberra however, they do have a bug-eye WRX police car still on the road.)

[Aust-WRX]

Another pic with WRX Police cars.

[Aust-WRX]

Australian Federal Police Vehicles (WRX)

[Zapix]

1. Actually, I think my WRX with it's 22B wing gives me a look that the cops see as "DAMNIT! THE WRX GOD!" He's probably got 2,000,000,000bhp in that and has a top speed of 1,000,000! No way am I going to bother!
Or I have as said, 'Sealth' mode on my WRX! Hehe!
Only other thing I can think of is the cops are going to call me up one day and ask me to join in a high speed pursuit against some Lan-Evo! HEHE! I'd be there in a heartbeat! DAMN EVO DRIVERS!


2. Yes, glad somebody else points out NOT to drive 110mph. Infact, I think anyone who drives over 15mph the speed limit, or anything over 80mph is foolish, and you're looking for trouble.
(actually, I'm looking for a thrill and some high speed g-forces, but that's just me! DON'T SPEED!)

The other night I was driving from Waterbury back to Meriden (where I live) and made it here in probably record time for any CT driver... Almost 120 the entire way. AGAIN, TOTALLY WRECKLESS! DON'T DO THIS! And don't try to beat it either! Given, it was Saturday night, late and the highway barely had any cars on it. Dry roads on the highway, otherwise I would have never gone that fast at all. Heh, I guess I didn't learn yet!

What I hate more than a state trooper, is driving down the road, and suddenly you catch up with one who's driving down the highway... First off, he knows you're driving faster than he is, because the last time he looked in the rear view (3 seconds ago) you weren't there, and suddenly you appear like you have some cloaking device you just turned off. Second, not only does it creep me out when I notice it, I end up following him because for some sick reason of chance, he's going the same direction as me. So I keep my distance, follow his lead. My rule... If a cop can travel at that speed and in not in pursuit, so can I! Bad rule to follow!

As for those WRX cops, I read about those in one of the WRX booklets the dealers had. I never saw it till now though. That thread 'BLISS' with the sign, was like AWD porn (and AWD porn is the only thing better than porn!)... Seeing those WRX cop cars though... It's like AWD hardcore bondage porn! CREEPY! Nothing I would ever want to see! Imagine one of those babies chasing you instead of those huge Crown Victorias! I'd s*** myself if I saw something like that coming after me!

As for the zero tolerence thing... I think it's a bunch of BS, but nothing I can do about it. The cops here like to do annoying things. One night I was going to pick up my father from a bar, and the cops had the road to the highway blocked off, and checking every car to see if people had valid plates, wearing seatbelts, and not drunk. I've seen this a few times. Talk about abusing power! The system you guys have in Aussie seems to be pretty good! Wish they'd adopt an idea like that here. Say... 25% over!

~ Dan (Zapix)

PS: lucky for me, the only cops I have to worry about are the ones driving. I know every cop hangout on 91 between Hew Haven and Hartford, and I know all of 691. I also know 84 between the 691 mergers and Waterbury. and I know 95 from New Haven to Milford.
Which being those are the only areas I'm really ever in, I have little to worry about other than unmarked cars (all American cars!) and road hazards. Heh, the WRX is pretty stable at HIGH speed though, least I think so!

[ebr0t]

i would have gotten a ticket

[WilliamG]

Hehe

[WRXJunky]

There is a good way to get under the popo's skin a little. I always like to haul @*# until I get the speed limit when a cop is around. They always freak out and what to catch you like 1mph over. I accually had a buddy get pulled over and was like " Can I help you." Could get a ticket though. I thought is was pretty funny.


WRXMan