Design1stCode2nd

Well I just finished my 2 hour driver's course due to point violations and thought I'd spread some education around. Many of you may know this but I figured I spread the joy.

First the history, I'm a habitual speeder. Normally it's anywhere from 5-20mph over the limit with a very rare excursion into triple digits. Well it just so happens a few months ago in my last car I was cooking it just for fun on a 3 lane highway. Nabbed at 100 in a 65. This is in Maryland and here is the breakdown:

Speed over the posted limit:
0-9mph 1pt
10-29 2 pts
30+ 5 pts
20+ in a 65mph zone 5 pts

So as you can see I'm sitting at 5pts (so glad my record was clean). At 5, 6, or 7 pts (in MD) they send you to a 2 hour class. At 8pts your license is suspended and you have to take a 6hr course. It also doesn't help that I got a 2 pointer a week ago so now I'm at 7pts.

A few things that were new to me in the class were:
You can get a ticket for sliding off the road regardless of the conditions. You failed to control your vehicle so you can get a ticket.

A yellow light does not me slow dow and prepare to stop it means begin stopping now (unless you are at the point of no return which is a judgement call).

Green light does not me go, there is no law or signal that means go. It means proceed if the situation is safe and conditions allow.There are only laws for stopping not going.

DWI in MD is .07, DUI is .08 or higher, Under .05 and your safe, between .05 and .069 the police need to provide additional evidence to convict you of DWI.

Points fall off after 2 years automatically. You can have your record expunged after 3 years of no violations unless you have been suspended.

Lastly, just a math thing, going 80 in a 60 in a 20 mile commute only saves you 5 minutes.

So if you see a Copper Red Shinka driving dirt slow in MD its me so cut me some slack. Thinking of making a sign and putting it in my back window that reads:

2 Many
Pts Go
Around

I know I was pissing people off coming back from the class and I was still going 5 over the limit. Suspended license is preferable to death by a Ford F250.

It's going to be a long, long 2 years. I have already apologized to the 8 ahead of time.

ken-x8

I think I'd rather do the F250 - or maybe an Alabama chain gang - than do a state driving school. I attended Family Driving School some time ago when my daughter got a speeding ticket. Like you, I learned some very useful things, but they all could have been covered in 20 minutes instead of ground in over four or five evenings.

One interesting thing I learned was that in Virginia a cop can do his entire career writing reckless citations only. Speeding? Yes, there's a specific law, but if the cop judges it to be dangerous he can cite reckless. Change two or more lanes in one motion? Reckless!! Chirp your tires? Reckless - right up there with sliding off the road.

Another local MD-VA-DC thing to remember is that in DC it's illegal to drive if you've had anything to drink. They have blood alcohol limits for DUI, DWI, but any amount is a violation. The old "I've only had one beer" can get you hauled in even if you pass the breath test.

Ken

jeffe19007

And if you are in Arizona and you go over the speed limit by 20 MPH it is a criminal act. You go to jail.

I know a few FD owners that were unfortuanate enough to get cited. And these guys are easy going, not who I would suspect of tearing up the road at all times.

DemonRX-8

And don't forget the red light and speeding cameras all over the city. And the cell phone law. DC is quickly becoming a **** state!

RXSeven1

dc is a state?

Design1stCode2nd

I did hear that VA is pretty quick to site reckless driving. I've got about 21 months left before the big one falls off. I won't be doing any driving except going to work for the most part.

1145climber

hahahha, that sucksss.... im sorry to hear bro, but hold your head up... maybe it wont be so bad

P.S. - i'd recommend getting into the racing scene if you arent already... that way, you can burn off your need for speed every few weekends in a legal manner, you know?

Design1stCode2nd

Yeah I'm thinking the same. Need to find a track in MD thats not too expensive and do some laps unrestricted. I Think there is a track forum, I'll do some searching there.

Paul_in_DC

Try Friday At The Track up at Summit Point (although the season is almost over) or some of the local Autocrosses, like DC SCCA, Capital Driving Club, or Mazda Sportscar Club of Washington (I'm a member of them). SCCA runs at FedEx Field, CDC runs at Frederick and Manassas, and MSCW runs at Rosecroft. Also, Mazdadrivers.com did three track events this year; two at VIR and one at Summit Point/Shenandoah. If you want to drive fast, it's even more fun to do it legally.

I had an interesting Beltway experience early Saturday morning ... I was northbound towards Tyson's Corner, and a state trooper had pulled over a car on the left. So everybody slowed down... to 70... in a 55 zone.

Smileynh

Now for something really interesting. If you get pulled over, clocked by Lidar, you can fight it. Only Georgia has "Judicial Notice" for Lidar. Which means that lidar unlike radar is not a proven, commonly accepted, form of speed detection. Lidar measures distance not speed and is not guarunteed to reflect from the closest leading edge like radar. Hence it's inaccuracy can be up to 30% or 21 mph at 70.

-

PSUGreySreet

That's unfortunate about the ticket bro....

Personal story: So the other day here at PSU, I was driving my 8 at night coming back to my parking lot and I stopped at a stop sign and immediately pumped a left hand turn to show my passenger how the handling was in the car. As soon as I pulled into my spot in the lot, a campus police cruiser drove in and boxed me into my spot... when I got out, he told me "take it easy around that turn back there, you know the speed limit is only 15 on campus". I politely apologized and before he drove away... he shot me a "by the way, nice car!!" Talk about respect for the 8!!

willhave8

'nuff said. Do it on the track

kevsRX8

One little tidbit offered by an Ohio State Trooper. There is no law requireing the truth if a cop asks you if you had something to drink. You can be falling down drunk and smell like a bottle of Jack as long as you answer the question NO. If you say you had any alcohol the cop has to bust you. If you say no he can let you go if there is a sober driver or he can take you home if he is feeling like avoiding a lot of paperwork. I am not condoning drunk driving but if you go out with the guys and get pulled over NEVER admit to drinking alcohol.

DemonRX-8

Not State . . . state, as in a self-governing body. Did I really have to explain this?

DemonRX-8

I ran the MSCW event at Summit last year. In my Probe GT though, not the 8. Were you there?

Paul_in_DC

Yes - Titanium 8, with the OE air dam, like the pic below, but with clear corners now.

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

This is why is fuxking gay.

Cops can do whatever the **** they want. Gave me a ticket 1/2 year ago for *failure to obey to traffic sign* (Stop sign).

**** that ****, I did stop its just that those donut ******* didnt see it. and they just ran after me said that I ran thru stop sign.

and all these years of seeing ******* cops ran over Red lights , put their ******* sirens up just to try to get home, going opposite direct on the road with their siren on for fun. and tons of other bullshit.

They should be the one for reckless driving.