It’s never very clear in the US if the speed limit is locally a thing, a suggestion, or completely ignored. As a visitor, it’s always problematic. I wish they got that sorted out.
Yeah, I live in small-town US where many residents have complained about speeding in areas with heavy pedestrian use. In response, the local PD was quoted on the front page of the paper saying they don’t have time to enforce speed limits. A few years later and they were again on the front page saying that they don’t have time or equipment to enforce parking regulations. So here they’re somewhere between suggestion and completely ignored, but the next town over is filled with speed cameras and highway patrol sitting in wait to meet their quota…both towns on the same road.
don’t have time
TF are they doing, then?!
Figuring out ways to look understaffed so they can get more officers…around that time their call volume “doubled” over a year because they changed how they tracked calls. (Accounting for that, it was roughly the same.) But they used that to ask for another officer…and I assume they probably even need another one if we want them to do speed enforcement.
Figuring out ways to look understaffed so they can get more officers…around that time their call volume “doubled” over a year because they changed how they tracked calls. (Accounting for that, it was roughly the same.) But they used that to ask for another officer…and I assume they probably even need another one if we want them to do speed enforcement.
Sucking up overtime while asleep at home.
It is a thing. Now, locals might be ignoring it, but that’s because they know where it is unlikely they will get caught. If you’re not a local it is better to keep it or at most drive the same speed as everyone else.
I’ve been in Poland recently and the speed signs seem to be designed to make very hard to maintain them, like they want to have easy way to ticket anyone.
Like you’re driving, there’s 70km/h then 50 then 70, then 90, then 50 (pedestrian crossing, it is always 50) then 90 and all within short distance. I noticed that many drivers either go faster over 50 zones or if they in 90 zone go slower so they don’t have to reduce speed from 90 to 50.
In US (or at least in California) seems to be more stable. So you have 35mph on roads, 25 on residential areas (usually you don’t go through them unless you’re reaching your destination) and 65 on freeway. There might be some signs that modify the speed (make it higher or lower depending on condition of the road) but it feels justified.
I also visited Czechia and their speed limits seem to be more reasonable and easier to follow.
There are small towns in the US whose existence depends on traffic tickets. They would wheel traffic signs out after an out of state car passed.
Actually this reminded me when I was driving toward such a small town via local freeway. There was a car that visibly tried to upset drivers driving slow when they tried to pass it they sped up. After observing it for a while I noticed there was a cop car driving in front. As soon as the freeway ended and transitioned into residential area the cop car drove into first parking lot and went the opposite way back to freeway, the car that tried to upset drivers followed them and did the same maneuver. At that point it was clear they were working together.
When I first went to the US, the unrealistically low speed limits were one of the first things I noticed when driving.
I kinda assumed that this is by design so that police can pull over anyone they feel like since virtually everyone drives over the speed limit in some areas as it is so ridiculously low.
Here in Minnesota we have several “Speed Trap Towns” along country roads and highways with 50+ mph speed limits where suddenly the speed limit drops to 30 and there’s a cop hiding behind the bush.
Yep. Wisconsin too. Learned very quickly that cruise control set to 1 mph under the limit is the way. There’s quite a few towns on the way out to Taylors Falls that pretty much always have a cop sitting in the same spot just waiting for out-of-towners, and it’s remarkable how successful they are.
Small town cops looking for 1% less white skinned people and even a hint of a foreign accent.
Once got pulled over for doing 25 in a…25. when I raised my eyebrows he said it was “foggy” out. Could see clear as day all the way down the road. I’m white too so it wasn’t even a race thing. I get it was a retirement area but ppl really got nothing better to do.
Obviously it was pretext for seeing who you are.
you should have probably put american small town cops as title. Cops have actual training in europe and other places and speed limits or road safety can’t be compared either. In the small town I live in cops are very down to earth and are generally fair unless you are being an asshole. Our laws are made so the fine is comparable to the % of speed over the limit and cops don’t care much unless you are 5-10% above the limit. This means they go after you if you drive with your head under the arm in cities, but you can go a little above on the highway. We also have car regulation so you don’t drive deathtraps that are a safety hazards to OTHER people. Which is why the shit cybertruck is not legal in EU and never will be.
A small town near me got in deep shit for being small town assholes recently. That and embezzlement. This town is on a major highway to Myrtle Beach. They also prided themselves on the “safety” and “smallness” of their town, while also preying on vacationers.
Their municipal police police would aggressively enforce the speed limits. Every time I had to go through there you’d see someone running speed at nearly every speed zone change. As little as one to two mph over would get you an interaction with them. They also would issue tickets for far more than was normal. Up to 10 over was easily a $400 ticket, when most places would only do $150. They were also kind and polite about it. They’d offer to take payment right then and eliminate the speeding points. Which was the issue.
If you paid there they wouldn’t report the ticket. Or the cash. The town kept the money; the town was making about a million a year. You were fined under a safety ordinance and not traffic law. They were also supposed to share portions with the county and state, but didn’t. They argued that it was not a traffic violation. This town of barely 700 people had fifteen police just running speed traps.
They eventually were found out, and the municipal police department was heavily curtailed. The county manages speed through there and is nowhere as aggressive about it.
Meanwhile where I am, if I see a cop on the highway, I just check to make sure I’m going less than 20km/h over the limit. Occasionally I wasn’t but still got ignored.
Sounds like Belgium?
Nope, Canada.
There will be a brief moment of satisfaction when these types all lose their jobs to drones before things get even more dystopian
My small town had two cops. had the “chief” was transferred to a bigger town with more minorities. So now my town only has one cop. I bet things are going to actually calm down a lot
This or if you drive anything other than a big lifted truck the small town cops will swarm you.
Oh no! The police aren’t busy with more serious laws so they focus on the only laws people are breaking at the moment!
Why does this mean they suck, exactly? If you want to drive fast, drive on roads designed for fast driving.
