One in three Calgarians ticketed for speeding last year

[freedogger]

Another thing that cracks me up is this, How many here on this board can honestly say that they could not in fact stop in time when motioned by an officer to pull over. I have always been able to stop! They hide on you, pick places where you might not be expecting it and then they jump out and motion us to pull over. No one ever has to say Sorry, officer, I didn't mean to blow by your pull over area, I was going to fast that I couldn't stop in time for your command...

Anyhow, I think I have tried to make every point I could and then some. I hereby surrender this thread....

[Regulator75]

Originally Posted by DementedReality

ya ya, no kidding .. but if there is a car in front of me and no one in the left lane, i will go in the left lane thank you very much. its far safer and of course if a car is coming up behind, you pull over to the right lane.

goes with out saying, but that wasnt his question.

besides, who me where it says -
"the left lane is not to be driven in, it is only there for the cases where a car in the right lane is not going the posted speed limit and you may need to pass them".

because it surely doesnt say -
" the left lane is for driving faster than the posted speed limit in order to pass those cars in the right lane that are going the posted limit"

you guys with your unwritten rules, give me a break. the left lane is for driving in and its a courtesy and for safety to move to the right lane if someone behind you is driving faster and would like to pass, even though they shouldnt be able to physically pass you if you are both going the posted speed.

Judging by the lack of 'Thanks' your post received, you are in the minority around here.

[chalms04]

Originally Posted by Dion

The Deerfoot Trail should be renamed the Deerfoot 500.

I can't wait for the 24 hours of Stöneyburgring.

[SebC]

24 hours of Le Stoney

[WhiteTiger]

Originally Posted by freedogger

If I accept that the speeding under 20km over the posted limit is bad and equals more death argument, I still don't think the speeding fine system is working.

You'll see that even in my original post, I agree with this statement. I don't think that giving someone a speeding ticket works. If it did, they'd generally decrease to a point where they didn't really matter anymore.

But speeding is on the increase. Despite the danger, you have folks who say "Yeah, I do 130 in a 100, but I can handle it." or "Yeah, I only go 20 over, wtf is the cop doing picking on me?" or "If I'm coming up behind someone, and I'm going faster, I'm being safe so gtfo of my way."

It's that kind of mentality. I did some chatting with a friend who did a ride-along with cops. She was a bit shocked that they didn't go after all the speeders. "We can't. Everyone speeds. You just have to pick your battles there. We try to go after the speeding and reckless ones."

That of course is merely anecdotal, but it does illustrate the point. Everyone speeds (yes, even I do, though I try to keep it to +10 only) since it's accepted. And since +10 is now 'accepted', you see things creeping up into the +20 range (Drive Glenmore, who's limit is 80, not 100 like most folks seem to think)

The current punishment system is clearly not working. The thing is, I have no clue how to fix it so that it does. If you are speeding +20, you get your car impounded for a month? First offense?

What would actually get people to slow down to the speed limit? Because the 'fear' of a ticket clearly isn't doing it. You can't tell people "You could get in an accident and hurt or kill yourself. Or worse, someone else. Even worse, several someone else's." But that doesn't stop people, either.

I honestly don't know how to fix this, but I will agree, the current system is broken and not working as intended.

[pepper24]

I got a ticket last year but totally deserved it.

[moon]

Originally Posted by Pierre "Monster" McGuire

I'll probably get flamed for this, but...

It's been an ongoing joke in BC forever. Alberta drivers are ridiculously awful drivers in terms of speed and not caring about weather conditions.

I used to live in the Kootenays and Alberta drivers would drive 100/kmph over the mountain passes like it was nothing. Just stupid.

No, I'm not trying to paint all Alberta drivers the same, but Alberta drivers are notoriously bad drivers (similar to Lower Mainland, BC drivers). So, no, this news is not surprising to me.

My guess is a lot (if not most of that) comes from it being much easier (and cooler) to say that Alberta drivers are terrible than to admit that it is neighbour bob doing the stupid driving.

My guess is if you ask Alberta drivers Bc and Sask drivers are huge idiots.

[V]

I got a ticket once, but was very respectful towards the cop. Turns out he didn't fill in the year at the top of the ticket and the ticket was thrown out. I think that he didn't fill in the year just because I treated him so nicely.

I had another time when I was looking through a neighbourhood at open houses. I slowed down driving past one open house but the place was a dive so I just kept driving past. A cop thought I looked suspicious and so he followed me for about 5 minutes. I finally pulled over to see if he would drive by or put on his flashers, and he put on his flashers. The guy was a total dirtbag, grilling me over absolutely nothing, saying I looked like I was on drugs, he said I had been drinking, he was completely harassing me, and there was nothing I could do about it. He was a complete ######. I tried to explain what I was doing, I even had a number of other open house pamphlets on the passenger seat, but I think he was enjoying his time. What a jackarse.

tl;dr

Some cops are nice, and some are ######bags. I don't think anyone can get away with saying that most are ######bags.

[V]

Originally Posted by moon

My guess is a lot (if not most of that) comes from it being much easier (and cooler) to say that Alberta drivers are terrible than to admit that it is neighbour bob doing the stupid driving.

My guess is if you ask Alberta drivers Bc and Sask drivers are huge idiots.

We have an entire GMG thread almost dedicated to the fact that Alberta drivers are terrible. It's really hard to argue.

[DementedReality]

Originally Posted by puckluck

That you are a danger to society if you drive less than the flow of traffic in the left lane.

Yes, where did I say otherwise?

[moon]

Originally Posted by V

We have an entire GMG thread almost dedicated to the fact that Alberta drivers are terrible. It's really hard to argue.

Havent seen the thread but having driven in BC, Alberta and Sask I have a hard time believing that Alberta drivers are any worse than those two provinces. And that is coming from a guy living in Lethbridge which may have the worst drivers in the country.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by WhiteTiger

I honestly don't know how to fix this, but I will agree, the current system is broken and not working as intended.

It's simple really: cars that drive themselves.

[You Need a Thneed]

Photo radar vehicles are so easy to spot, I'm actually surprised that they work.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by WhiteTiger

The current punishment system is clearly not working. The thing is, I have no clue how to fix it so that it does. If you are speeding +20, you get your car impounded for a month? First offense?

Increasing the fines and demerit points would be a starting point for me. When it hits someone hard in the wallet and his/her insurance premiums, you might see some positive effects.

[Boblobla]

I have no problem with speed limits being enforced but I wish it was used in a way that actually was preventive, not a cash grab. Instead of hiding under the 22x overpass ticketing people on Macloed Tr, head into one of the near by communities and sit in a playground zone and act as a deterrent.

That is my issue. I agree that speeding is a cause of many traffic fatalities, but sitting in a money spot where you can hand out dozens of tickets but there will probably never be an accident that occurs there doesn't help make the roads safer imo.

[CrunchBite]

Originally Posted by Dion

Increasing the fines and demerit points would be a starting point for me. When it hits someone hard in the wallet and his/her insurance premiums, you might see some positive effects.

Percentage of your income based fines ala Finland is the only way to go if you want to start raising the fines.

Simply raising the fines is unfair, why should your tim hortons worker be economically crippled by a $1000 fine while the ZR Auto customer shrugs it off as minor.

Then again some would say they don't want to discourage speeding as much they want a revenue stream.

[Acey]

Originally Posted by flamesflames444

What I don't understand is people that complain about getting photo radar tickets, but don't buy a decent radar detector. Count ourselves lucky that they are in fact legal here as opposed to out east.

Photo radar isn't the problem though, those are the easiest tickets to avoid. It's RCMP's lasers that have screwed me time and time again... if you detect their laser it means he's already got you.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Pierre "Monster" McGuire

I'll probably get flamed for this, but...

It's been an ongoing joke in BC forever. Alberta drivers are ridiculously awful drivers in terms of speed and not caring about weather conditions.

I used to live in the Kootenays and Alberta drivers would drive 100/kmph over the mountain passes like it was nothing. Just stupid.

No, I'm not trying to paint all Alberta drivers the same, but Alberta drivers are notoriously bad drivers (similar to Lower Mainland, BC drivers). So, no, this news is not surprising to me.

The funny thing is that it works the other way too. When I see a BC plate, I pay more attention to that car because it is safer to assume they are a poor driver.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by jar_e

White Tiger already touched on it, but more people died in Calgary from motor vehicle collisions than homicides last year.

You can argue whether or not enforcement is working, but there's a reason why its a priority for police when people continually die from traffic related incidents.

And that explains the massive discrepancy between Calgary and much larger cities how exactly? Whether or not speeding is something that needs to be targeted was never questioned, the degree is the issue.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Pierre "Monster" McGuire

I'll probably get flamed for this, but...

It's been an ongoing joke in BC forever. Alberta drivers are ridiculously awful drivers in terms of speed and not caring about weather conditions.

I used to live in the Kootenays and Alberta drivers would drive 100/kmph over the mountain passes like it was nothing. Just stupid.

No, I'm not trying to paint all Alberta drivers the same, but Alberta drivers are notoriously bad drivers (similar to Lower Mainland, BC drivers). So, no, this news is not surprising to me.

It is funny you say that because having spent a portion of my youth in BC, I spent countless hours being driven around the mountains to play hockey. Revelstoke, Fernie, Kimberley, Creston, Invermere, Golden etc. Some of the scarier places to drive.

Early morning, night time, blizzards, roads being closed due to avalanches etc.

And I laugh and laugh when I hear stuff like the other day when they described the #2 highway as a deathtrap on the news because there was a little blowing snow which resulted in reduced visibility. No ice, no slippery conditions, just you can't see the lanes as well because there is some snow blowing over the road.

I've had coworkers not show up for work because they think the conditions aren't suitable for driving. All the while when people ask me I say the roads are totally fine.

If anything I'd say Albertans driving in bad conditions are timid as hell. The one caveat to this could be all of our SUV and pick up driving morons who, even when the conditions really are treaturous, think that their giant vehicle means that even if they crash, at least they'll be the ones doing the killing.