“On a highway posted for 55 mph, traffic is speeding by at 70+ mph with a know traffic stop at that location and you want to blame the officers who are there to slow down the speeders.”
1. The police don't always set up speed traps at that location. In fact, in all the years I've driven through that area, I've only seen them a handful of times. I might well forget the next time I'm out there.
2. Stepping out into 70 mph traffic is likely to get you killed, whether or not you have on a uniform.
3. Depending on the time of day and circumstances, it might be difficult, even dangerous, to drive 55 mph on that stretch of road, as one would not be keeping up with the flow of traffic, and would be creating a serious speed differential between oneself and other drivers. Large speed differentials are more dangerous than driving 70 mph on a road designed for cars to drive 70 mph.
4. In that most cars were that day in that place likely traveling well in excess of the posted speed limit of 55 mph, and thus, likely overall were traveling reasonably safely, left unmolested, it is likely the officer who created the primary hazard that day by stepping out into the roadway. It's a damned shame that his jackass superiors saw fit to order him to commit such a dangerous action. The state of Maryland has now drastically modified its policies on "step-outs." I'm sure some of my tax money will be used to pay his family for the stupidity and pure greed of his superiors, right up to our stupid, greedy governor.
5. One might argue that perhaps all the drivers together had some group blame to share for creating an environment where to keep up with traffic, one had to drive significantly in excess of the (arbitrarily set too low) speed limit.
6. However, as one who has studied human factors engineering, and actually worked along folks who'd done traffic engineering, I know that drivers’ behaviors are significantly shaped by the design parameters of the road on which they're driving. If the state of Maryland actually wanted folks to drive 55 mph on that stretch of road, there are road parameters that they could change that would generally cause the average speed to decline. Subtantially.
But, of course, that would reduce the revenue the state garners from “enforcement.”
So, you didn't answer - do you fully accept the consequences incurred by this woman for driving 71 mph on that stretch of road?
sitetest
Since I can only give my opinion, it would not matter whether I "accept the consequences" this woman incurred. My opinion is that she got off too light. But, my opinion hardly matters, now does it?