Are cities in southwestern Ohio moving-violation crazy? (Cincinnati, Hamilton: insurance, loan)

[ruteger]

Besides the Elmwood Place speed camera fiasco, I've been reading that both Hamilton and Middletown to the north are just as bad, except they're a bit more clever than the greedy folks in Elmwood Place. In particular, there's the final stretch of OH-129 going west into Hamilton past the route 4 by-pass exit where it stops being a divided, four-lane highway with a speed limit of 65mph. It's a steep downgrade, where OH-129 quickly turns into a four-lane residential street (High Street) and the speed limit rapidly drops from 65mph all the way down to 35mph (or even 20mph during school hours due to a school situated on a side-street nowhere near High Street!).

But the thing that makes this really bad is the city of Hamilton uses an unmarked, white Ford Escape equipped with a mobile speed camera and have parked this unmarked Escape along High Street for as much as three times a week (including Saturdays). News reports state that since its inception up through 2012, the Hamilton mobile speed camera on OH-129 has accounted for more speeding citations than the rest of those issued within Hamilton, combined.

To me, this is an even worse situation than Elmwood Place. Sure, Elmwood Place ran their speed enforcement cameras 24/7 with no warning that they were going up. But at least after the initial period of 'shock and awe', you knew they were there and could avoid them. But in Hamilton, that white Ford Escape can be placed anywhere, anytime, including an area where the speed limit seems to drop quickly.

I think I'll just keep on moving when traveling anywhere on I-75 through the automated speed-camera/red-light happy municipalities of Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Middletown in southwestern Ohio. Well, until they start putting speed cameras on I-75, anyway...

[Scott SW Ohio]

Well, I have lived in the greater Cincinnati area for all but two years since 1986 and I drive a lot. So far I have no moving violations.

I know people who have received speeding tickets in this area, or have been cited after accidents. Offhand I can't think of a case where the person ticketed believed she/he was not guilty as charged.

Likely you will hear different stories from others here, but based on my experience southwest Ohio is not "moving-violation crazy."

[t45209]

I agree that I never hear of trumped up charges...if you're speeding, you're speeding. What's at issue from a legal standpoint with the speed cameras is due process. I'm not a big fan of unmarked vehicles either, but at least you have a fighting chance, and there is a human witness to the "crime." To me, no matter what the municipality says about safety, an unmarked vehicle is about revenue generation. If it was about safety, then the cops shouldn't care if you see them...in fact, they should want to be seen as a reminder to drivers and the community that people should obey the law.

The thing that I would want to see banned are these interstate speed traps like Arlington Heights was running for so many years. Hidden police cruisers, particularly during rush hour when the roads are full, are a hazard as people react and slam on the brakes. More than one accident was caused by Arlington Heights' presence along I-75. That's obviously not about safety.

[kjbrill]

^^ Maybe a few, would you like to name them? I have had exactly 1 moving violation citation in the last 37 years. And that was on I-71 in front of Kings Island after I had taken my Dodge in to the dealer to be evaluated for why it was hesitating on acceleration under load. After picking the car up from the dealer, I got on I-71 north of Fields Ertel. I will admit I floored it wanting to know whether they had corrected the problem. They had, it was like being shot out of a cannon. Next thing I knew I had a state trooper flagging me down. I pulled over and admitted I had no idea how fast I was going. He wrote me the ticket and I mailed it in with the fine.

[t45209]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

^^ Maybe a few, would you like to name them?

The worst was about 10 years ago when someone was killed. If I remember correctly, the person slammed on the brakes when they saw the cop, and was subsequently hit from behind by a semi.

[jmecklenborg]

These people wouldn't be getting these tickets if they weren't speeding. I have driven the last 200,000 miles without getting a ticket of any kind because I don't speed, ever. I've also never been in a wreck of any kind.

[t45209]

Unfortunately, not all of us are as pure and righteous as Mecklenborg.

I know from my own experience that I automatically check my brake when I see a cop parked along the Interstate, and as often as not, I am not speeding. It's a natural reaction to try to slow down, and that can cause problems if the drivers behind you aren't prepared. I tend to direct more of my attention to the traffic and road conditions around me than where the needle is on my dashboard. And frankly, I think it's safer to be keeping pace with the rest of the traffic, than be that one pain the rear who's cruising exactly at the speed limit that everyone else is trying to jockey around.

I've been pulled over for speeding three times in my life. Two of those times were in areas where I honestly had no clue what the speed limit was. Once was for 35 in a 25, the other for 43 in a 35. As you can see, I am a complete maniac on the roads! In both instances, the nature of the roads was such that the speed limit could have reasonably been higher (through streets, generally non-residential, almost rural in character), but for whatever reason, the posted speed was lower than you would expect. I am pretty sure that there were no signs between where I accessed the roads and where I was pulled over, but what are you going to do? Truth is, though, I did manage to beat the rap in both of those.

[Chemistry_Guy]

I used to recklessly speed on my motorcycles (130+ mph, I-275 loop in well under an hour, etc) until I discovered track racing. A track day once or twice a year gets all of the speeding out of my system, and after riding a racing tuned sportbike, any car that costs less than my house just feels like a slow boat.

Still, I have only gotten two tickets in Cincinnati in the last 17 years, and I talked my way out of two others. It helps that I have never had to commute to work on an interstate, and the lights are generally timed in a way to make speeding unproductive.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by jmecklenborg

These people wouldn't be getting these tickets if they weren't speeding. I have driven the last 200,000 miles without getting a ticket of any kind because I don't speed, ever. I've also never been in a wreck of any kind.

To me that is definitely the right kind of attitude.

In all our years of driving, and we are talking well over 50 each, my wife and I have been involved in exactly two accidents which were our fault. I was pulling out of the old Kenwood Plaza onto Montgomery Rd when the car in front of me decided they did not have enough clearance and slammed on the brakes. I rear ended them as the ramp was slick with rain. This was back when cars had real bumpers so the only damage were some bumper dents.

A little more recently my wife had gone to Lexington to visit our daughter. She had just gotten off the interstate and was trying to get her bearing on streets as they had recently moved. She admits probably going a little too fast, which I also find is a tendency after traveling on the interstate for a few hours. A car in front of her stopped suddenly, she slammed on the brakes, but rear ended them. By slamming on the brakes, she likely caused more damage as the nose of her car dipped and went under the rear of the other car. By this time cars no longer had real bumpers so the body damage was considerably more expensive to both cars. She did what I had always said to do, exchanged names and addresses and insurance information. She took the initiative and called our insurance agent, explained I hit someone, and gave them the pertinent information. Later we got as nice note from the other party saying how surprised they were at how quickly our insurance company contacted them, sent out a claims adjuster, requested they get the proverbial 3 bids for repairs, and suggested body shops to deal with.

I said earlier, we recognize two minor accidents we were responsible for. That does not mean we have not been involved in other accidents. Oh NO! We have been hit more than once by someone else.

The most serious was right here in our own neighborhood involving my wife. She was driving a Lincoln Mark VIII Continental inherited from her father. She was on her way to our local Kroger off Kings Mills Rd. It was late afternoon and the USPS local driver had his little truck making mail deliveries. All of our mailboxes are mounted along the side of the road, rural delivery style.

So my wife is following the mail truck in its Stop-Go-Stop-Go style. She is hugging the center-line waiting for an opportunity to pass. But it is late afternoon and there is enough opposing direction traffic to not give her a clear opportunity to pass. Then suddenly WHAM BANG she is rear ended. The impact was sufficient to cause several events:
1) She and the car were thrust into the oncoming lane of traffic. Cars went off the road, across ditches into yards, etc. to avoid hitting her headon.
2) The impact crumpled the rear end of the Lincoln, caused the front seatback supporting my wife to give way, and she tumbled backward. It was just fortunate her injuries were not more serious.
3) For you car buffs, the impact was enough it creased the roof across the C-Pillar. And remember this occurred on a 35 mph residential street.
4) If not for the substantial weight of the Lincoln, I feel my wife may very well have died that day.
5) The Lincoln was totaled, but at least it saved my wife's life.

I will not go into the long story of those who actually hit her. Just one quick comment, their shyster insurance company supposedly providing minimum state required insurance and their ilk should be put out of business.

[WILWRadio]

New Miami Speed Trap (Video) | Scott Sloan

A State Police officer called into Sloane's show yesterday to say in his opinion these cameras are nothing more than a money making scheme by cash strapped communities.