[johnlong]

"He was going a little fast but not that fast"

Ok, so he was only a "little" bit selfishly endangering everyone else on the road.

Your friend is an asshole, and the cop is doing me a favour by doing whatever he can to your friend. Good on him.

[BorgHunter]

The legal system in the United States (and most first world nations) is built around the idea that it is far better to let an illegal act go unpunished than it is to take away the rights of an innocent person. Is it really worth throwing away that fundamental principle for something as petty as a speeding ticket?

[johnlong]

Speeding isn't petty. It's entirely grotesquely selfish and arrogant. Our democratic system of elected representatives of our society has made it clear to you that you are expected to drive no faster than a limit. You have decided you're better than that and you can drive faster, and fuck everyone else, no matter what the consequences. I say ban for life anyone who speeds.

[tim333]

I think pretty much 100% of drivers have broken some speed limit at some time. So you are suggesting banning all drivers for ever?

[DannyBee]

"Our democratic system of elected representatives of our society has made it clear to you that you are expected to drive no faster than a limit. "

Actually, society has made clear exactly the opposite. Speeding is the classic example of illegal but not abhorrent behavior.

[tptacek]

You don't think it's weird that recklessly operating a motor vehicle on public streets isn't abhorrent? I agree with you: it obviously isn't. But...

[DannyBee]

Recklessly doing so is probably abhorrent, but people don't think speeding is reckless. Society as a whole (in the US at least) believes it can safely traverse roads at higher rates than the speed limit. Society as a whole is likely wrong, but that's irrelevant :)

Society also thinks it can safely multitask, and is good at being on a cell phone and driving at the same time. It is wrong about that too, but it still makes the behavior not abhorrent :)

At the same time, the same Society seems happy to excoriate anyone who causes a problem (death, accident, whatever) while doing either of the above. Go figure.

[tedunangst]

If you hit somebody while on your phone, that's proof you're doing it wrong. But see, when I drive with a phone, I do it right and don't hit people. It's those other morons we need to worry about, not me.

[biafra]

I always wonder why the traffic lights in Germany (and other countries I guess) are operated in a way that you have green all the way when you drive 10-15km/h above the speed limit. Depending on the time of day.

You can get a ticket for being 1km/h above the limit but you only get (permanent record) points in Flensburg if you're 21km/h above the limit within city limits. I guess everybody is fine if drivers go above the limit up to 20km/h. It seems to me the speed limit in Germany are always set with that buffer (10%) in mind.

[johnlong]

This is the problem. People know the law, but they justify their ignoring it with some vague ideas of "seems to me".

[pawn]

They don't expect people to stay under a limit. They set limits based on what they expect 15% of people to break, actually. At least, that's how it works when they put any thought into it at all. Sometimes they just assign an arbitrary default based on the type of road it is.

Congress designated a national speed limit of 55 mph in the 70s to conserve energy. Now many states are looking to raise it (several have already).

[bitJericho]

A little bit over the limit also gets you a ticket. Cops aren't judges, they don't get to choose the punishment, only enforce the law.

[mgleason_3]

You're joking right? Anyone who's watched the lowering of speed limits knows they're set 10MPH too slow so that the cops can say you were definitively speeding.

So, no, his friend isn't "an asshole". He was merely approaching the speed he should be driving.

The US has far too many laws. Many exist to simply ensure a consistent stream of income and people for the growing police/court/incarceration complex and their public employee unions. The laws are enforced inequitably - on some portions of the population far more than others (what happened to "EQUAL JUSTICE"?) We could remove 80% of them tomorrow and see no change.

[jmulho]

Ah yes, and you have never exceeded the speed limit yourself. We all believe that. Add yourself to your list of assholes.