Fairfax County General :
Fairfax Underground
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Hey Fairfax! Get ready for the $2,500.00 speeding ticket!
Posted by:
LeadFoot
()
Date: April 09, 2009 01:52PM
From today's Washington Times:
Thursday, April 9, 2009
EDITORIAL: Virginia's variable speed trap
Drivers beware. Virginia commuters cruising 55 mph on the Beltway are in danger of getting ticketed for reckless driving.
The Virginia Department of Transportation's (VDOT) new variable-speed-limit initiative, a $3 million program imported from Europe, makes it possible. With variable speed limits, the agency can use a remote control to lower posted speed limits by as much as 20 mph while vehicles are on the road. A newly created speed limit - which could change instantly from 55 mph to 35 mph at the press of a button - would be displayed on an electronic sign on the far right-hand side of the road. These constantly changing speed-limit signs could vary from mile to mile.
On the Beltway, which has a high volume of commercial traffic, the view of such signs frequently is blocked by big-rig trucks and sport utility vehicles in the slow lane. Twenty mph over the speed limit constitutes reckless driving in Virginia, which is a class-one misdemeanor carrying the potential for six months in jail in addition to the $2,500 price tag of the ticket itself.
This system makes it increasingly difficult to contest a purported speeding violation in traffic court. Under normal circumstances, an accused motorist has an uphill battle when it is his word against a patrolman's about the speed at which a car was traveling. With variable speed limits, there is not even a clear standard about what speed a driver should have been going because the speed-limit signage is not constant.
The variable-speed-limit program is in effect on the Beltway between the Springfield interchange and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. According to VDOT, the program is designed to tell motorists how fast they should drive to achieve optimum traffic flow. It is not clear how confusion about a speed limit on a highway can help traffic flow smoothly. The more obvious explanation is that variable speed limits are about revenue, and we are sure VDOT will succeed at squeezing lots of money out of drivers with this scam.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
EDITORIAL: Virginia's variable speed trap
Drivers beware. Virginia commuters cruising 55 mph on the Beltway are in danger of getting ticketed for reckless driving.
The Virginia Department of Transportation's (VDOT) new variable-speed-limit initiative, a $3 million program imported from Europe, makes it possible. With variable speed limits, the agency can use a remote control to lower posted speed limits by as much as 20 mph while vehicles are on the road. A newly created speed limit - which could change instantly from 55 mph to 35 mph at the press of a button - would be displayed on an electronic sign on the far right-hand side of the road. These constantly changing speed-limit signs could vary from mile to mile.
On the Beltway, which has a high volume of commercial traffic, the view of such signs frequently is blocked by big-rig trucks and sport utility vehicles in the slow lane. Twenty mph over the speed limit constitutes reckless driving in Virginia, which is a class-one misdemeanor carrying the potential for six months in jail in addition to the $2,500 price tag of the ticket itself.
This system makes it increasingly difficult to contest a purported speeding violation in traffic court. Under normal circumstances, an accused motorist has an uphill battle when it is his word against a patrolman's about the speed at which a car was traveling. With variable speed limits, there is not even a clear standard about what speed a driver should have been going because the speed-limit signage is not constant.
The variable-speed-limit program is in effect on the Beltway between the Springfield interchange and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. According to VDOT, the program is designed to tell motorists how fast they should drive to achieve optimum traffic flow. It is not clear how confusion about a speed limit on a highway can help traffic flow smoothly. The more obvious explanation is that variable speed limits are about revenue, and we are sure VDOT will succeed at squeezing lots of money out of drivers with this scam.
Re: Hey Fairfax! Get ready for the $2,500.00 speeding ticket!
Posted by:
duhto
()
Date: April 09, 2009 03:00PM
These variable speed limit signs have been there for a couple months now, i have yet to see it change the speed though
Re: Hey Fairfax! Get ready for the $2,500.00 speeding ticket!
Posted by:
tinfoil hat
()
Date: April 09, 2009 03:04PM
who cares,really, who cares
Re: Hey Fairfax! Get ready for the $2,500.00 speeding ticket!
Posted by:
Sculler
()
Date: April 09, 2009 03:09PM
Wow. I know everyone's hurting for money these days, but that's just blatant fucking robbery. Good thing I take the Autobahn (FFX County Parkway).
Re: Hey Fairfax! Get ready for the $2,500.00 speeding ticket!
Posted by:
KeepOnTruckin
()
Date: April 09, 2009 10:22PM
And by Autobahn, you mean Auto-slow, beucase 50 mph takes you an hour to get from Fairfax to Alexandria
RE teh speed limit: how about chainging it up to 75 mph? Thenat least there woul dbe less crashed from people doing 55 in the left lane
RE teh speed limit: how about chainging it up to 75 mph? Thenat least there woul dbe less crashed from people doing 55 in the left lane
Re: Hey Fairfax! Get ready for the $2,500.00 speeding ticket!
Posted by:
shuckinchuck
()
Date: April 09, 2009 10:56PM
And since the area from Springfield to the Wilson Bridge is a construction zone, fines are DOUBLED!
Re: Hey Fairfax! Get ready for the $2,500.00 speeding ticket!
Posted by:
Vince(1)
()
Date: April 10, 2009 12:36AM
solution....dont speed!
Re: Hey Fairfax! Get ready for the $2,500.00 speeding ticket!
Posted by:
Gravis
()
Date: April 10, 2009 03:42AM
Vince(1) Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> solution....dont speed!
hmm... let's replace speeding with illegal immigration and ticket with deportation. how do you feel about the issue now?
"the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."
-------------------------------------------------------
> solution....dont speed!
hmm... let's replace speeding with illegal immigration and ticket with deportation. how do you feel about the issue now?
"the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."
Re: Hey Fairfax! Get ready for the $2,500.00 speeding ticket!
Posted by:
boredom
()
Date: April 10, 2009 07:39AM
Wait a sec. Is the cost of a reckless ticket on any road in Virginia $2,500 or is that just if you get snagged on the beltway? I thought reckless was only like $500 and the rest of the financial impact was when you got a lawyer to try to keep your license and get the charges reduced.
The only $2,500 tickets I can remember were from that silly DMV-based penalty last year that Virginia was adding to the regular tickets for speeding and other traffic offenses to raise more money.
Oh, and by the way. Reckless is not just going 20 over the speed limit. It is 20 over the speed limit *OR* travelling in excess of 80 MPH. On most roads the second part doesn't apply because you'll hit reckless before you hit 81 MPH. However, if you're ever traveling south to North Carolina and take I85, the speed limit on that road goes up to 70 MPH. I think that is the only road in VA where you can do over 80 MPH and not be doing 20 over the speed limit. I guess technically, you could get a reckless down there doing 11 over the limit.
The only $2,500 tickets I can remember were from that silly DMV-based penalty last year that Virginia was adding to the regular tickets for speeding and other traffic offenses to raise more money.
Oh, and by the way. Reckless is not just going 20 over the speed limit. It is 20 over the speed limit *OR* travelling in excess of 80 MPH. On most roads the second part doesn't apply because you'll hit reckless before you hit 81 MPH. However, if you're ever traveling south to North Carolina and take I85, the speed limit on that road goes up to 70 MPH. I think that is the only road in VA where you can do over 80 MPH and not be doing 20 over the speed limit. I guess technically, you could get a reckless down there doing 11 over the limit.
Re: Hey Fairfax! Get ready for the $2,500.00 speeding ticket!
Posted by:
Vince(1)
()
Date: April 10, 2009 07:43AM
Silly Gravis...two different issues...two different solutions. Immigrants..legal and illegal contribute positively to our society...speeders do not.
Re: Hey Fairfax! Get ready for the $2,500.00 speeding ticket!
Posted by:
SBS
()
Date: April 12, 2009 12:03AM
boredom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wait a sec. Is the cost of a reckless ticket on
> any road in Virginia $2,500 or is that just if you
> get snagged on the beltway? I thought reckless
> was only like $500 and the rest of the financial
> impact was when you got a lawyer to try to keep
> your license and get the charges reduced.
>The cost of a reckless ticket is not $2,500. Not even close, unless maybe you are a habitual offender or something.
> Oh, and by the way. Reckless is not just going 20
> over the speed limit. It is 20 over the speed
> limit *OR* travelling in excess of 80 MPH. On
> most roads the second part doesn't apply because
> you'll hit reckless before you hit 81 MPH.
> However, if you're ever traveling south to North
> Carolina and take I85, the speed limit on that
> road goes up to 70 MPH. I think that is the only
> road in VA where you can do over 80 MPH and not be
> doing 20 over the speed limit. I guess
> technically, you could get a reckless down there
> doing 11 over the limit.
There are also stretches of I-95 that have a 65 mph speed limit.
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wait a sec. Is the cost of a reckless ticket on
> any road in Virginia $2,500 or is that just if you
> get snagged on the beltway? I thought reckless
> was only like $500 and the rest of the financial
> impact was when you got a lawyer to try to keep
> your license and get the charges reduced.
>The cost of a reckless ticket is not $2,500. Not even close, unless maybe you are a habitual offender or something.
> Oh, and by the way. Reckless is not just going 20
> over the speed limit. It is 20 over the speed
> limit *OR* travelling in excess of 80 MPH. On
> most roads the second part doesn't apply because
> you'll hit reckless before you hit 81 MPH.
> However, if you're ever traveling south to North
> Carolina and take I85, the speed limit on that
> road goes up to 70 MPH. I think that is the only
> road in VA where you can do over 80 MPH and not be
> doing 20 over the speed limit. I guess
> technically, you could get a reckless down there
> doing 11 over the limit.
There are also stretches of I-95 that have a 65 mph speed limit.
Re: Hey Fairfax! Get ready for the $2,500.00 speeding ticket!
Posted by:
Space Ghost
()
Date: April 12, 2009 12:14AM
To me, it sounds crazy that 20 over is "reckless" and can get you jail time. Isn't common to only give tickets to people who are at least 10 over the limit? That leaves a 10-mph window between normal driving and Reckless. That's nuts. 80 mph on the open highway is perfectly safe in a decent modern car, and a significant portion of drivers do 80+ when traffic is light.
Do cops really give out reckless citations for people who are going under 85 or 90?
I've never seen traffic moving less than 75 mph on a highway with light traffic and good weather conditions.
Do cops really give out reckless citations for people who are going under 85 or 90?
I've never seen traffic moving less than 75 mph on a highway with light traffic and good weather conditions.
Re: Hey Fairfax! Get ready for the $2,500.00 speeding ticket!
Posted by:
boredom
()
Date: April 12, 2009 07:51AM
I'm sure people have been issued reckless tickets for doing 20 MPH over the limit, but I don't know anyone who got one for doing less than 25 MPH over. My guess, and I'm not going to try and test this, is that you'll have to be doing at least 22 over before you'll get one. This will make it much harder for you to argue out of it in court. If you were only doing 20 over a decent lawyer could probably argue it down on grounds of calibration, natural fluctuations of speed, being on a hill, etc.