I totally agree with you! Hire Real Officers! But the City of Springfield, MO is not that smart! The City Manager is a joke. The Mayor needs to either start cleaning house in City Hall or go back to his trucking company and stay there! If you hire Real Officers they have eyes, ears and brains. They can report and do other things besides traffic. All computer cameras still have to have an operator who is not trained in law enforcement! If I earn a ticket I want it from a real trained officer not a computer!
[QUOTE=beagle man;994375]or just dont drive through red lights, it’s simple.
That is exactly what I was thinking. Pay attention to the lights and stop when you are supposed to stop. Save all the money and don’t risk anyone’s life when you do it the right way.
you are so right!! it is that simple! BUTTTT! people just cant do it! theres always an excuse, and i mean always, and I ve heard just about all of`em.
folks, I`m gonna let ya in a lil secret,when you break a traffic law and you get pulled over and the officer walks up to your car and explains the reason for the stop,dont get that suprised look on your face and say " I was goin that fast? I didnt know I was goin that fast, I had my cruise control on"
WE DONT BUY IT!!
most of the time the officer has already decided if he`s gonna write the ticket or not before he even gets outta his car, and arguing will NOT get you out of the ticket,refusing to sign the ticket will in some places just get you a trip to jail
If I stopped ten cars for speeding in the same day, I`d say I hear that exact same excuse out of 6 of those drivers. so, all of those people are driving around with defective equipment as well? hmm thats another ticket!:eek:
But yeah your right,if people would just slow down and be a lil more courteous and respectful, life on the road would be a whole lot nicer and safer.
I try to follow the laws. And I figure if I get a ticket doing 75 mph in a 55 mph I was wrong and I will pay the fine. I figure the officer has a job to do just likI e me. But what I hate is these small town speed zones that the only reason to have them is to raise revenue for the towns. Granted I run and have run radar detectors for years. Sometimes I do use them to get some where faster, most of the time I use them to remind me to raise my lead foot. I have my GPS unit set to show my speed and what the speed limit is on the road I am traveling. I am not out on the highway to break the laws. Most people who have a 3/4 ton pickup only use 12,000 tags but I have always run 24,000 tags. Even if I only haul one heavy load per year I want to make sure I am more than covered.
I really do respect the Missouri Highway Patrol officers who work in our state. Personally I think they are crazy, they are under paid, they work long hours, sometimes without any backup close and in all types of weather.
Year before last, I got pulled over about 1:30am with my kids asleep in the back of the tahoe, headed to our motel (duck-hunting weekend). It was late, I was tired, hwy 36 was literally deserted, I was less than 3 miles from the exit for my motel, and I wasn’t really watching the speedometer, but I’m sure I was a few miles over the speed limit because it was one of those speed reduction zones where you transition from agricultural to “civilized” areas. If I recall correctly, the speed limit was 60 most of the way but dropped down to 45 approaching this town. Flashing lights in my rear-view got my attention.
I pulled way off the road - well over the white line, and two wheels actually on the grass so the officer didn’t risk getting side-swiped when he had to come “chat with me”. Had my license and insurance ready for him (State HWY Patrol), told him I didn’t know if I was speeding, but if he said so then I sure must’ve been. Yes-sir. No-sir. He went back to his car and re-approached a few minutes later. Told me I was probably THE most polite person he’d ever pulled over…but 12mph over the limit was more than he could “forgive”. So I got a “Thank You” and a ticket. 
Oh well - at least the kids got to see how you should address an officer… whether or not you end up getting to pay a fine.
Yep, that’s been my policy if I need to address an Officer, and the kids learn that if you do break the law, even because your not intentionally doing it, you need to pay the penalty.
I don’t use “radar detectors” or rely on equipment to tell me “hey, there is a camera watching you”. I just don’t speed, and if I see a yellow light, I know if I can stop that fast or I get on through, I don’t think I went through one that would get me a ticket for running a light.
I’ve had many passengers say “Dude, you could have made that light” and I have never been rear-ended because of stopping at a yellow light.
No excuse for breaking the law, Just sayin’
Risiv a person should always treat an officer with respect. I always say yes sir and no sir. I got pulled over while I was in Mississippi by a Mississippi State Highway Patrol Officer. LOL they have nice large blue lights down there and they are hid well on their unmarked cars! I wasn’t speeding, even had my seat belt on, I was in a Budget Truck. All he wanted to do was a commercial vehicle inspection. I think he was really looking for drugs myself. But I pulled out all my paperwork and gave him my license. He was getting a kick out of a Missouri boy driving down to Mississippi to sell fireworks and christmas trees. I passed with flying colors no tickets or fines. I also did like you Risiv and got as far off the highway I could with the Budget truck but it was really hard with all the mud down there.
Well Rugs I will tell you one thing stay the heck out of Louisiana. I have never seen a state where you were on a 4 lane limited access highway and you could go 5 miles along that highway and be in a 35 mph, 45 mph, 55 mph to as high as a 65 mph speed zone for no apparent reason. And when your busy trying to keep on the correct highway sometimes speed zone signs are hard to pickup.
PW58 and I went out today to pickup some dog treats. I watched one car almost rear end 2 different cars at 2 different stop lights. I told PW to get around her because the gal acted drunk. Nope she wasn’t drunk just texting on her cell phone. I hope that the state of Missouri passes a law against texting and talking on cell phones without hands free kits. I have always had a hands free kit. I got so concerned about PW58 driving back and forth from Springfield to Lake Charles I got her a hands free kit. Granted I got her one from Wal-Mart and it was a off brand for about $30.00 but it works as good or better than my Motorola for a third of the cost! Plus it has a display that mine doesn’t have.
it can be easy to be rude to a cop when you know you are about to get a ticket; almost like you can think you will get your money’s worth or something… but the cop is just doing his job.
i like what i am reading on this board about being polite as a good example to the children. just wanted to share that the positive message has made my day a little better
I would like to relate a missouri state police incident.
driving home from bass pro shops in springfield, took back road home from republic. 174 as it were. just driving along minding my own business, get to K highway turn and bam lights and siren. pull over in parking lot of quick stop. roll down window, put hands on top of steering wheel, wait, watch in mirrow, nice cops said, sir I stopped you because your were weaving over the center line, I did. your also going slow and then speeding up. sir are have you been drinking, no. sir are you under the influnce of drugs. no. sir would you mind stepping out of your truck. no. reach for my crutches and he said stop dont move. what are you doing, getting my crutches says I. he watches, I get crutches. he watches real close. I go drop tail gate sit down he makes quick check. comes to back of truck. all is ok, sir may I ask when was the last drink you had toay, sody pop 10 minutes ago, I tell him officer I can tell you why I was weaving, going fast slow. I would like to know says he. ( he thinks I am going to admit to being a drunk or addict) sir the reason I was weaving crossing center line and driving f/s is I am just a lousy driver. … … pause. chuckle (from him) county cop pulls up I speak to him he says hi michael. whats going on hwp says have a good day. bet them two had a good chuckle about me. see DW thats why I dont drive fast. I am a lousy driver and have to be verry patient with myself.
