I got a traffic ticket!

This one really got me pissed..

I was driving on a 2 lane (both ways) road that had a posted limit of 35.
Ok, so I was doing a bit over, maybe 40 max! I passed a police car coming the
opposite way. She turned around and pulled me over. Told me I was speeding that
she clocked me at 50.

There was other traffic behind me (a group of 6-9 cars).
I told her I was NOT doing 50.. She asked me what the limit was and what I was
doing. I said the limit was 35 and that I was not exceeding it.
I asked her why she pulled ME over.

She told me she noticed I was ahead of the other cars and switched from the
left to the right lane "for no aparent reason".

I then said… Do I have to have a reason for you to legally switch lanes? And,
does the fact that I was ahead of the traffic necessarily mean I was going
faster than them?

She then said.. It’s obvious you don’t THINK you were speeding but I’m writing
you a citation and you can show up on the court date listed to contest it.

HERES the KEY:

I then said.. You’re right, I don’t beleive I was speeding. Can I see the radar
reading?

She told me she didn’t have it! Hmm…
I just said Ok.. See you in court.

HELP me! Do I have any case here? My license depends on it!

I am hiring a lawyer…
I’m going to contest the ticket.

BTW, this is the State of Ohio, Hamiltion County, City of Cincinnati Police.

Does anyone have any comments that could help?

I checked the FAQ, but this question wasn’t in there.  I apologize
in advance if this topic has been discussed to death, but I only
recently subscribed to this newsgroup.

Here’s my question:  how do you let someone know that their
directional signal is on, after you’re sure that they simply forgot
to turn it off?  For some reason (most likely having to do with my
sense of etiquette), it irks me to see people on the road with their
turn signals on with no intention of turning.  I have tried in the
past to point to their fender or bumper as a signal that their turn
signal is on, but that only gets them to think that their tire is
flat or some other dire emergency.  I don’t want people pulling off
the road unnecessarily , but I do want them to turn off those
stupid turn signals!  Any ideas?  Thanks in advance,

Diane Lin
—
Diane C. Lin                    "Live now; make *now* always the
d…@weber.ucsd.edu                most precious time.  Now will
(Dylan’s mom, 2 years)           never come again." (ST:TNG)

Got any ideas on how to take a road that is full of short hill/vally things.
Around here there are quite a few roads that go up and down like a fishing boat
on 10 foot seas. Total vertical displacement is generally less than 15-20 feet
over 20-50 foot run but you can get a dozen in quick succesion in some places.

They are a blast to drive but I am trying figure out how to do it better. So
far the only thing I have figured is to tap the brakes just before hitting the
bottom of a valley. It smooths the ride but I am not sure why, I think it
causes the nose to dive a bit and takes up some ‘slack’ on the suspension.

also whats the FTP address of favorite drives list?

-Michael

Being an avid rear wheel drive fan, I have had the occasional
"discussion" with FWD enthusiests as to the better
handling drivetrain. The following is an excerpt from
Road&Track in reponse to a question to tech writer
Douglas Kott.

Front wheel drive does not have any inherent handling
advantage over rear wheel drive. It’s widespread
adoption into the auto industry sprang from it’s
superior utilization of space, and superior traction
and stability in sloppy weather as a result of the
engines weight being over the driven wheels.
  But front wheel drive asks that one set of tires
be responsible for both accelerating the car and
changing it’s direction. In certain cases, such
as a power-on exit from a tight corner, the
combination of lateral loads and the application of
power will cause the slip angle of the front tires
to be significantly greater than those at the
rear, resulting in excessive understeer, or "push".
Now a little understeer is a very good thing for stability,
but too much of a good thing can quickly rob the pleasure
of driving. It’s important to note in general that
the more understeer a car has, the less it’s rear
tires are taxed; thus, it’ll be more difficult to
spin and generally safer.
  Take the case of a front-engine, rear-drive car,
with the same weight distribution and identical
chassis setup. Exiting that same tight corner,
the car would exhibit some initial understeer.
But with the application of enough power, the
car can be balanced, lessening the understeer
or even provoking power oversteer. Subject to
both longitudinal forces (acceleration) and
lateral forces (cornering), the rear tires
loose their grip earlier than the freewheeling
front tires, which are coping with just
lateral loads. It’s this extra measure of
control, being able to position the car
with application of the throttle, that many
find increases the enjoyment of high-performance
driving. It’s only a small facet of a cars
overall handling envelope but, to fans of rear
wheel drive, an important one.
  There’s also the matter of weight transfer
during acceleration. In a rear drive car, the
rearward weight transfer pushes the driven tires
to the pavement and increases traction, while
with a front drive car, the same effect unloads
the driven tires and reduces traction.
  It’s for these reasons that serious high-
performance cars tend to have rear-wheel
drive. This isn’t to say that there aren’t
excelent-handling front-drive cars out there,
but give an engineer a clean sheet of paper
and the prime directive of building a car
with ultimate handling, and chances are that
the power would go to the rear tires.
[end article]

Personally, I REALLY don’t like driving front
wheel drive cars, and can’t drive them half as
well as I can a rear wheel drive car. As for snow,
I drive my 4×4.

-Steve D’Amelio

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Don’t worry honey, I can go another 30 miles on empty.  
 -Me, just before taking a long walk to a gas station.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Just found a list of book titles re: "advanced" driving.
(Original request by Dave Lubkin in "Safe Driving" posting)

Haven’t read these,  and I’m not sure what all the acronyms mean.

ACCIDENT AVOIDANCE AND SKID CONTROL
Richard Turner and David Shelton
NAPD Publishing, 1979

HANDBOOK OF HIGH PERFORMANCE DRIVING
Deke Houlgate
Dodd, Mead & Company, 1975

HIGH PERFORMANCE DRIVING
Bob Bondurant
Motorbooks International, 1982

PRINCIPLES OF PERFORMANCE DRIVING
Jackie Stewart
Hazelton Publishing, 1986

ROAD CRAFT, THE POLICE DRIVER’S MANUAL
HMSO, 1977

TACTICAL POLICE DRIVING
Richard Turner
NAPD Inc., 1982

(Source of this list:  SUMMARY OF SOURCES, LABATT’S ROAD SCHOLARSHIP
PROGRAMME press kit, 1989(?) )

Darin Cosgrove
Carleton University
Ottawa, Canada.

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

In article <1…@midab.se> kj…@midab.se (Kjell Kristiansson) writes:
>t…@uiuc.edu (Khan) writes:

>>>Here’s my question:  how do you let someone know that their
>>>directional signal is on, after you’re sure that they simply forgot
>>>to turn it off?

>We realy do miss (need) ways to tell each other about different things
>in traffic.

>- turn signals on
>- rear fog-lights on
>- you are one eyed front/rear
>- your right rear tire seems almost flat
>- etc etc

>and ofcourse for oncoming traffic

>- police helicopter
>- speed trap
>- moose/cattle on road
>- icy patch
>- accident/blocked road
>- etc etc

>Turn signals you can indicate by flashing headlights/using hazard lights
>to draw attension and then turn on/off you indicator/turning lights.

On my way to Atlanta (Georgia) last December I was warned about a speed
trap by an oncomming truck, he flashed his headlights. First I did’nt
understand what he was trying to do, but instinctivly slowed down and LO!
there was a patrol about a mile away.  

>Here in Sweden police traps are told throu oncoming cars just flashing
>their headlights. If it is a helicopter they make a cirkel with the hand
>pointing upwards. But the rest??? Maybe we could build an international
>standard here in this newsgroup?? How is it in the rest of the world??

>Kjel K
>——-

>==============================================================================
>From:    Kjell Kristiansson     ! Tel:   +46 300 738 75
>Adress:  Midab Data AB          ! Fax:   +46 300 (later)
>         V{stergatan 10         ! Email: kj…@midab.se
>         S-434 30  KUNGSBACKA   !                                        
>         Sweden
>==============================================================================

–
________________________________________________________________________
Pratul Sharma
E-Mail: a…@churchill.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM
————————————————————————

I have used a panoramic rear view mirror(one foot long and three inches wide)
for about one year and recommend it to anyone who is willing to try.

It will double the information provided by view mirror: one half of this
mirror will give the view from rear window, another half will give the view
from right side windows, this will greatly reduce the ‘blind spot’ if not
eliminate it.(I drive a 3D Escort.)
It is easy to install, just clip on existing rear view mirror; and costs
about $8 in Kmart.

The only drawback is "When using the Panoramic Rear View Mirror, ‘objects
in mirror are closer than they appear.’"  However, one can get used to it
by comparing the reflection of comming cars in the rear view mirror with
that in left side mirror.

Comments?

Sun

dh197…@alfred.carleton.ca (Darin Cosgrove) writes:
>To downshift, or not to downshift.  That is the question.
>The Ministry rationale is that "downshifting assists in braking",
>which makes sense to me if the vehicle in question is a very large
>truck which needs all the help it can get to slow down.  But is this
>necessary in a modern car with good brakes?

I think you are missing an important point in regards to controlling
a vehicle, weight transfer, (I can only speak for rear wheel drive).
When you break without the engine assisting, the car will transfer
weight to the front of the vehicle rapidly, causing understeer if you
are cornering.  This is the reason front breaks are designed to be
responsible for 60% of breaking.

>It seems to me that downshifting while coming to a stop would cause
>unnecessary wear on the clutch.  Yes, the brakes would be worn
>slightly more without downshifting, but which is cheaper to replace
>when it eventually wears out, clutch or brakes?  Heel and toe (or
>matched-rev) downshifting would negate clutch wear, but there is still
>engine wear to consider.  (Keep in mind I’m wondering about downshifting
>when stopping, not downshifting before turning.)

Oops, I should have read this (about turning) before my last comment. Anyway,
I wouldn’t worry about clutch wear, that is what they are designed for. I’ve
never noticed premature wear from downshifting (properly). One thing to
remember, breaks generate lots of HEAT. At some point (good pads or not)
they will degrigate and eventually stop working if they get too hot,
of course I’m speaking in extremes here. (but that’s the way I drive)

>In slippery conditions, downshifting while coming to a stop could
>cause the drive wheels to slide, leading possibly to a loss of
>control.  This is especially true if matched-rev downshifting is not
>performed or if the driver engages the clutch abruptly.
>How do you bring your vehicle to a stop?  Downshifting or not? Why?

I always downshift, I can’t imagine not doing it. It might be a personal
thing, but I believe you are much more invloved in driving and controlling
the vehicle in doing so. BTW, I believe most manufacturers suggest it also.

-Steve

My car has a chip in my windshield that is too big to pass the
inspection.  It is not repairable.

Because the molding around it is not reusable, replacing will cost at
least $200.

I noted that for emissions failure, there is a $100 repair cost limit.
Is there such an allowance for safety related repairs?

RMV literature that I have did not have any pertinent info.  Calling
them is impossible.

Thanks,

   John Kim               School, TV and my mother are entirely
                          responsible for what I wrote above.

In article <1kq920INN…@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> bhat…@pyrite.som.cwru.edu (Sunil Bhatla) writes:
>My friend and I are planning to rent a car and drive from Los Angeles
>to San Francisco (and back) on the Pacific Coast Highway
>between Feb. 19-22.

   You probably won’t make it.  I’d suggest instead going North on
   PCH, then returning on 101 or even I-5 (boring).  
   You’ll be doing a lot of very low speed driving on the PCH in
   many sections.

>We would appreciate any suggestions on things like:

>Traffic on the PCH

   In some areas, specially the more scenic ones, it gets pretty
   crooked.  There are also these crazies on Ninja bikes who think
   they are in a Grand Prix.  Just be courteous and pull over at the
   nearest turn-out if you notice a car behind you.  [Unless it is
   some twerp in a Bimmer, we all ignore them and their stupid
   blinking headlights...]  

>Speed traps, if any

   Pretty much all along it anywhere within several miles of any
   small town.   Assume the worst.    

>Places to stop/stay on the way

   Too many to mention.  The most famous ones are Carmel and
   Monterey…but you may have different tastes anyway.  Some
   like the more exotic non-tourist trap towns along the way.  

>Sightseeing

   It would take from the 19th thru the 22nd to see even a minor
   part of the good stuff.  The redwoods above Santa Cruz alone
   can easily take a day.  

>and any other information that you think might be useful.

   Dunno who you are renting from, but the SF airport Hertz location
   has recently been offering bargain rates on Mazda Miata’s.  In
   good weather, there is no finer way to cruise PCH than with wind
   in your hair.  You really can’t see half of the good stuff with
   a closed car.