Atlanta drivers, please don't drive like fools when it's pitch dark and pouring rain outside (Hampton: inspection, living in)

[MattCW]

Unless you completely take away the revenue from the jurisdictions, I can't do anything but support those anti-corruption laws. Let's face it, how much does 58 in a 55 really matter? I've never done the research, but it would be interesting to look for the absence or presence of such laws in other states and compare both the collision and fatality rate, as well as anecdotally looking at how those states are perceived by residents and non-residents alike. In the world of traffic enforcement, the cards are already stacked so high against the driver. As a regular commuter on Atlanta's roads, I can safely say that I don't fear the Georgia traffic police. I've also never had an accident that was truly my fault, nor a citation. Admittedly, I'm fortunate to have never been stopped nor been in a vehicle stopped by out of state police either and I am out of state pretty regularly. The fact is, people don't (and shouldn't) trust local government, and I'm glad the state took a stand.

[hunterseat]

There's a place in TN...wow. Can't remember the name but it's heading east on 72 out of Collierville just before you get to Mississippi. ANYWHO, they sit there and catch out of towners flying through. the locals know enough to slow down. Anything over 55 is game but they normally get dozens every day. It doesn't go on your record, you just go to the fire department and pay $110 and go on your merry way. That town has excellent roads and equipment. It's a one mile stretch of guaranteed revenue.

If they have to wait till speeders to 15 over to catch them, they can still get rich. Something needs to be done.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

The overzealous speed traps became such an embarrassing problem for Georgia both nationally and internationally (as many an out-of-town tourist traveling to and from Florida got ensnared in these overzealous speed traps) that the state cracked down on the local speed traps as a way to help clean up local government corruption surrounding speed traps which had harmed the state's image.

Great post Born 2 Roll. Wish I was able to rep you again.

I think there needs to be a recognition that Georgia of 2014 is not Georgia of 1964. Georgia is very much on the lax side of traffic enforcement for all of the reasons mentioned, and much of it can be corrected with legislative action. I don't sense that any of this is on anyone's radar in the legislature.

I know some on this forum (and in the south generally) hate to hear people mention what things were like in other states, but that's a frame of reference that's important. In most other states, you don't have the kinds of built in protections for speeders that you have in Georgia. You also have much more robust state police forces. Georgia has the most land area of any state east of the Mississippi River, with a huge amount of interstate highway mileage (including key routes to Florida on I-75 and I-95), yet we have one of the smallest number of troopers per capita (or per highway mile) in the US.

In Massachusetts, the state police were the ones who patrolled the interstate highways. Local police only patrolled local roads. When you traveled on the Interstates, it was almost a certainty that you would see troopers, and most people stayed within about 10mph of the limit. In fact, when the speed limits were increased outside of urban areas in the 1990s in MA, there was a publicity campaign around "zero tolerance" for speeding. Troopers made it a point of pulling people over, even for doing 66 mph. They don't do that anymore, but you just don't see people driving 85 mph, and when you do, it's the exception, and the cars are generally from out of state, and many times they get pulled over. Connecticut, NY, and NJ have similar enforcement.

[Born 2 Roll]

In addition to state restrictions of speed enforcement by local police departments because of past abuses and corruption that harmed the state's image, another reason why the state is permissive of speeding in many cases is because of the state's very-powerful freight trucking lobby, which is much more politically-powerful in Georgia than in most states because of Atlanta's status as a major nexus point of major transcontinental Interstate superhighways and transcontinental freight railroads, and the very-large number of trucking and logistics companies with national and regional headquarters in the Atlanta area and in the state of Georgia.

The state's very-powerful trucking lobby has played a very-key role in making sure that speeding laws are not too strictly-enforced in a state in Georgia in which so many major trucking and logistics companies do an extremely-heavy amount of business.

Trucking and logistics businesses dominate the political climate in Georgia, particularly when its comes to transportation policy and those trucking and logistics businesses say go light on the speed enforcement so that they can ship cargo quicker and make more profit.

The state's very-strong libertarian cultural and political streak also ensures that there will not necessarily be an outpouring of Georgians demanding that traffic laws be much more strictly enforced in a state where the locals already are not necessarily all that fond of anything that may come across as overbearing governance.

It is because of the political dominance of the state's very-powerful trucking lobby and because of the state's very-strong libertarian cultural and political streak that there is not likely to be a widespread crackdown on speed enforcement anytime soon.

Though, it should noted that the state has made some notable moves to enforce the speed limits within the lenient parameters set forth...

...Notable moves like the "Superspeeder Law" enacted a few years back that tacks onto local speeding tickets an additional $200 in state fines for any motorist ticketed for going more than 75 mph on a two-lane road and more than 85 mph on a four-lane road...

...And notable moves like increasing Georgia State trooper traffic patrols on I-75 through Cobb County and I-85 traffic patrols for a mix of increased speed enforcement and faster response time to collisions during peak hours.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

The state's very-powerful trucking lobby has played a very-key role in making sure that speeding laws are not too strictly-enforced in a state in Georgia in which so many major trucking and logistics companies do an extremely-heavy amount of business.

Trucking and logistics businesses dominate the political climate in Georgia, particularly when its comes to transportation policy and those trucking and logistics businesses say go light on the speed enforcement so that they can ship cargo quicker and make more profit.

Very interesting perspective and one I hadn't really thought about.

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

The state's very-strong libertarian cultural and political streak also ensures that there will not necessarily be an outpouring of Georgians demanding that traffic laws be much more strictly enforced in a state where the locals already are not necessarily all that fond of anything that may come across as overbearing governance.

Not sure I agree here. I'm a libertarian in most of my thinking, and generally libertarians are fine with gov't doing what individuals can't do alone, and where public safety is involved. The old saying "the rights of your fist end at the bridge of my nose" typically sums up libertarian thought.

I think some people in Georgia have a NASCAR mentality. Whether due to the large area involved or something else, many people feel that it's acceptable to drive excessively fast and weave like they're on a racetrack. I'm sure Georgians aren't alone in wanting to do it, but the difference is that here you don't have to worry about unmarked cars and police have to comply with the visibility provisions, so people speeding have advance warning of cops and can slow down or stop their bad behavior.

Even if you get caught on the interstate doing 84 mph in a 70 mph zone, you may have to pay a fine, but other than that you get off with no points and no insurance surcharge. In most other states, you'd get a fine, points, and a surcharge on your insurance that would last for several years. In Massachusetts, doing 14 over the limit would result in a fine of $140, but the more important impact would be somewhere around a 5% increase in your auto insurance premium that would last for 6 years. You would also have points assessed, and if you get 3 speeding violations in a 12 month period, it's a mandatory suspension.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by neil0311

Georgia has the most land area of any state east of the Mississippi River, with a huge amount of interstate highway mileage (including key routes to Florida on I-75 and I-95), yet we have one of the smallest number of troopers per capita (or per highway mile) in the US.

Yet there always seem to be cops wherever I'm driving.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Yet there always seem to be cops wherever I'm driving.

Maybe it's what you're used to seeing. I drive to Charlotte a lot on I-85 and rarely see any Georgia cops in that 100 mile stretch. If there are any, it's usually local cops around Jackson County or Commerce. Same on the way to Birmingham.

Contrast that with a small state like Mass. If I was going from Boston to Springfield which is about 100 miles, I might see 5 to 10 cops on the Mass Pike at different places. If you travel there, you'll know what I mean, as will anyone on the forum who's familiar with the area. Connecticut is another state where you'll see a ton of cops on I-95 heading to NYC or on the Merritt Pkwy.

What I definitely don't see here are the operations where a half dozen cruisers sit and are given radar readings from a guy up the road and have a line of cars pulled over. You also don't see troopers standing on the side of the interstate pointing at cars to pull over.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by neil0311

What I definitely don't see here are the operations where a half dozen cruisers sit and are given radar readings from a guy up the road and have a line of cars pulled over. You also don't see troopers standing on the side of the interstate pointing at cars to pull over.

They do this all the time in South Georgia on I-75. 1 cop on the overpass and the rest chase down the cars.

We don't have as many cut outs here on the interstate so you will never see the troopers pointing and pulling over people like I"m used to seeing in Maryland.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by PKCorey

They do this all the time in South Georgia on I-75. 1 cop on the overpass and the rest chase down the cars.

We don't have as many cut outs here on the interstate so you will never see the troopers pointing and pulling over people like I"m used to seeing in Maryland.

Interestingly. I'll keep my eye out next time I drive to Florida, but I've been lucky enough not to run into it.

Maryland is definitely a tough state on speeders. The state police used to not give warnings and the limit was still 55 mph for a long time after other states went to 65 mph. My wife got a ticket on I-95 going just over 60mph back in the mid 1990s.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by neil0311

Interestingly. I'll keep my eye out next time I drive to Florida, but I've been lucky enough not to run into it.

Maryland is definitely a tough state on speeders. The state police used to not give warnings and the limit was still 55 mph for a long time after other states went to 65 mph. My wife got a ticket on I-95 going just over 60mph back in the mid 1990s.

City of Perry outside of Macon/Warner Roberts. They use Tahoe and others on the ramps and overpass.

Same for Tifton and and another small city that I can't recall at this time. Tifton usually parks 1 Tahoe on the overpass. Aims at traffic and the other cars just go off the ramp after them.

MD is tough but Virginia is the toughest. I don't do more than 7 over in VA and even then, I feel scared that I'm going to get stopped by a trooper. Only state between here and the Mid-Atlantic that has troopers in the rural portion of their interstates.