Posted on 05/07/2008 2:01:31 PM PDT by Sopater
ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — The Howard County State's Attorney's Office says a driver who struck and killed a county police officer last year has paid her traffic fines.
Prosecutors say Stephanie Grissom of Columbia paid $310 in fines for speeding and negligent driving. She also received three points on her driving record.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
You’ve given me an extreme example of one situation that is pretty atypical with respect to highways. In that case, which I do not have access to any information in which to accurately base an opinion, I can only assume there are two different jurisdictions with respect to the establishment of those two different speed limits, and each made their judgement regarding the posted speed limit for different reasons.
I recall Johnny Cash doing a 55mph campaign around 1971. “Drive 55 and save 1 gallon in every 10”. I’m not certain but I think it was an Amaco ad. Saw it on the tube and billboards.
Some of the radar detection equipment was permanently installed on an overpass.
And, yes, it was a good revenue maker since they could write multiple tickets for drivers just keeping up with traffic. It was not aimed at the reckless, pass everyone on the road, type of speeder.
Maryland “Freak State” PING!
I’d guess that, while it may have produced revenue in the way of those speeding ticket’s, the overriding reason for what they were doing was to try and slow down the traffic. If people CHOOSE to drive over the speed limit instead of following the law, then why are people crying about getting tickets for that behavior?
With respect to generation of revenue, are there any statistics on how much revenue was being generated versus the costs of having those officers out there, and the costs of dealing with traffic accidents caused by excessive speed?
It isn’t a trap - it’s pointing out that speed limits are just an arbitrary number in many cases. I know this road, it’s perfectly safe to drive faster than 55 miles per hour, I live right down the road from where this happened. It’s mostly straight, flat, and unobstructed in this area.
Speed limits are 20% safety, 20% fuel conservation, and 60% revenue generation.
A person was killed, nobody is denying or forgetting that.
What we’re saying is that this woman didn’t murder anyone, she didn’t kill him with intent, malice, or premeditation. It was an accident. Accident by definition means it was neither intentional nor expected.
Don’t you think the fact that the woman has to live with what happened is punishment enough for her? To know that someone died at her hands, whether intentionally or not, isn’t that enough?
Laura Bush was in a car accident at age 17 that killed her boyfriend - should she have rotted in jail too?
The reason is that in the State of Ohio (until a few years ago) any non-limited-access road or highway had a statuatory max speed limit of 35, period, regardless of road conditions.
In other words...AN ARBITRARY NUMBER WITH NO REASON BEHIND IT.
Perhaps in a true “urban” setting it makes sense, but the law didn’t distinguish - if it was in a city limits, it was 35, period, unless it was an interstate-type highway.
Illegal immigrants are commiting real crimes, overrunning our schools, towns, and hospitals, unchecked.
Drugs are dealt on the corner, unchecked.
Yet the police worry about someone driving a car too fast while ignoring real crimes.
THAT, my FRiend, is what is upsetting to me and many others.
The death is not related to the speed. He would be just as dead had she been driving 55 MPH. He is dead because he stepped in front of her truck, not because she was speeding.
Or are you trying to claim that she should be charged because the officer died during the commission of an unrelated crime (speeding)?
The people responsible for the most problems that I can see are the ones who do not follow the flow of traffic, necessitating everyone passing them (if only to maintain the speed limit).
It was aimed at out-of-state, out-of-town drivers since the local paper posted WHERE these traps would be in the Sunday edition for the following week. Sure sounds like a revenue maker to me since the locals would know beforehand where they were.
Look, I’m not losing sight of the fact that a police officer was killed. And, I know enough about math to know that a 16 mph difference in speed might have given the motorist enough time to react and not hit the officer. For that matter, a 16 mph difference in speed would have kept the officer at the side of the road, not stepping onto a highway. (The officer would not have stepped into traffic to stop a car going 55 mph. Probably not even one going 65 mph.) The very fact that officers step out *only* to stop speeding cars is highly indicative of why the police stopped this form of speed enforcement. Again, it’s very sad that the officer died, and that the motorist has to live with the guilt of having killed someone.
If this woman knew that this area of the highway had officers who were ticketing speeding drivers, and she did not take proper precautions, then it was not an accident. It was her poor decision making that led to the officer being struck and killed. The officer also has culpability if he was taking unnecessary risks by stepping in front of oncoming traffic, but that does not completely negate this driver's responsibilies to be an observant and safe driver. I can't completely answer your question on whether the knowledge that her actions caused the death of that officer is enough punishment - I do not know this person or their mental state regarding the incident. I can only state that, within the context of the incident itself, a fine of $310 is not sufficient. How about the next time someone runs over an officer on that stretch of roadway? Will they get the same treatment? This sets up a dangerous precedent IMHO. With respect to Laura Bush, I don't know how you use her incident to justify another incident. Each case must be weighted upon it's own merits.
Unrelated? He was attempting to stop that vehicle for the reason that she was speeding. How is this unrelated to the incident?
You researched this and this is what that research discovered is it? Someone or some group got together and decided arbitrarily that the posted speed limit would be "x"? Or, is this just your personal opinion for why the posted speed limit is 35mph? Have you done any research into what/how/why posted speed limits are derived? I can't speak to every little corner of this country, but according to courses I've taken in college there is scientific studies that have been done in order to determine the appropriate and safest speed limits for highways, city streets, etc. I don't know if this was done for every roadway, but I do know that these studies have been done.
Where can I find the studies you say exist?
I’m not engaging here in a value judgement on what crimes should be more important in terms of LE priorities. I’m only commenting regarding this particular incident. I agree with you that LE organizations do not always allocate resources appropriately, or target the crimes that are of the most importance to stop. However, since I commute a lot of miles I do know that speeding and reckless driving is a huge problem in this country. I can’t tell you the number of near head-on collisions I’ve had to avoid over the course of the past 10 months because of people who are driving just too damned fast, but it’s well into double digits.
You might try a websearch related to traffic laws and whatever state is of interest to you. The studies that were covered in one course on Motor Vehicle Laws I took was specific to California. I took that course in 1988, and no longer have the book for reference.
I commute a lot as well including on the stretch of road this incident occurred on.
You can drive recklessly at any speed, and not all fast driving is reckless, it depends on the situation.
The cop went out in front of her car. In fact the only reason he went in front of her car was because she was speeding - had she not been, she may have been able to stop faster, but the cop wouldn’t have been there since his purpose was to stop speeders.
Dare I say that Howard County is equally responsible for his death for asking him to do such a dangerous type of speed enforcement?
“Have you done any research into what/how/why posted speed limits are derived? I can't speak to every little corner of this country, but according to courses I've taken in college there is scientific studies that have been done in order to determine the appropriate and safest speed limits for highways, city streets, etc.”
That's true. Do you know how the studies were conducted? Do you know the criteria used to determine safe speeds?
Did you know that most of the interstate highway system (as well as most other limited access highways) was designed to be driven at the speed of 85 mph, and that the old national speed limit of 70 mph was considered well within the margin of safety for most stretches of limited access highway?
Did you know that the portion of highway where this tragedy occurred would ordinarily have had a speed limit of 70 mph if the revenue-hungry Democrats of the Maryland legislature didn't interfere with the actual science?
So, this woman was driving 71 mph on a stretch of road designed to be readily driven at 70 mph.
But the speed limit arbitrarily set by the Democrat legislature of the state of Maryland was 55 mph.
I wonder how many traffic accidents that sort of mismatch cause?
sitetest
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.