Power and Speed Limits

[Hot-Lava_Dave]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

The fun part is that on the major (400 series) highways they are actually very lenient on speeders. Official limit is 100KPH but if you do that in most areas that I drive you are doomed to be rear ended. The norm is more like 120 and they will often turn a blind eye to 130. As long as you are not weaving in and out of the lanes or otherwise driving like a fool they probably won't even glance at you. Just don't do 150 or more since then they will take your car for "stunt driving".

Every time I drive up for a visit, I'm amazed at the uniform rebellion, haha. I'm in the right lane doing 65 mph and most everyone blasts by me.


I guess it's time to throw in the towel and join in with the fun.

[Luftwaffel]

Just to be that guy - there are most certainly detectors that are not detectable by any RDD, like Escort 9500ci and a lot of the Beltronics models... I think the STi Driver and STi-R. They're basically RF shielded so there's nothing to see in the first place.

Nobody makes RDDD's anymore because they're largely useless and it was generally just getting ridiculous, because then they make a detector to detect the detector detector detector.

If you get pulled for having one of those, you either have it mounted in an obvious position or you slammed on your brakes and he's calling you out.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Hot-Lava_Dave

Every time I drive up for a visit, I'm amazed at the uniform rebellion, haha. I'm in the right lane doing 65 mph and most everyone blasts by me.


I guess it's time to throw in the towel and join in with the fun.

It is the morons that see a cop and slam on their brakes in the passing lane that I have issues with. If you see him it is already to late. I just slow down to 120 when I see an overpass in the distance because if they are out they will be under or on it. Love that they wear reflective vests now since you can see the guy with the radar gun standing on the overpass well ahead of him getting to you.

[Luftwaffel]

Originally Posted by mdm

Just don't visit Virginia, radar detectors illegal here ;-)


With its insane speeding laws, Virginia may be not the best place to visit in a twin anyway.

Ah, the good old communistwealth. Nothing quite like worrying about your speed on the I-95 because 6 over gets you 30 days.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Luftwaffel

Just to be that guy - there are most certainly detectors that are not detectable by any RDD, like Escort 9500ci and a lot of the Beltronics models... I think the STi Driver and STi-R. They're basically RF shielded so there's nothing to see in the first place.

Nobody makes RDDD's anymore because they're largely useless and it was generally just getting ridiculous, because then they make a detector to detect the detector detector detector.

If you get pulled for having one of those, you either have it mounted in an obvious position or you slammed on your brakes and he's calling you out.

OK I will amend my statement. They claim to have units that will detect anything. They will all be laser detectors here soon anyway as they are phasing out the radar guns so the point is actually sort of moot.

[Hot-Lava_Dave]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

It is the morons that see a cop and slam on their brakes in the passing lane that I have issues with. If you see him it is already to late. I just slow down to 120 when I see an overpass in the distance because if they are out they will be under or on it. Love that they wear reflective vests now since you can see the guy with the radar gun standing on the overpass well ahead of him getting to you.

True, just take it like a man! Too bad about the overpasses though, always fun to make vroom vroom noises going through.

[Luftwaffel]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

OK I will amend my statement. They claim to have units that will detect anything. They will all be laser detectors here soon anyway as they are phasing out the radar guns so the point is actually sort of moot.

And I don't blame them. A lot of people don't realize that laser detectors are largely useless. The only effective solution are laser shifters, which are quite expensive, but with newer LIDAR systems coming out with variable pulse width, even those aren't doing so well.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Luftwaffel

And I don't blame them. A lot of people don't realize that laser detectors are largely useless. The only effective solution are laser shifters, which are quite expensive, but with newer LIDAR systems coming out with variable pulse width, even those aren't doing so well.

You mean hanging a CD in the window doesn't work???? A lot of Civic drivers around here would hate to hear that.
(PS I know none of the home remedies work I watched the Mythbusters episode)

[Cole]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

You mean hanging a CD in the window doesn't work???? A lot of Civic drivers around here would hate to hear that.
(PS I know none of the home remedies don't work I watched the Mythbusters episode)

That's why people do that? I had no clue.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Cole

That's why people do that? I had no clue.

Yep. The idea is that the CD are meant to be read by lasers and therefore hanging one in the window will mess up the readings. Pretty silly but there are people that swear it is true since they "know" they were hit by the laser but never got pulled over.

[Cole]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Yep. The idea is that the CD are meant to be read by lasers and therefore hanging one in the window will mess up the readings. Pretty silly but there are people that swear it is true since they "know" they were hit by the laser but never got pulled over.

I really shouldn't be surprised, but I truly am. I know I've been hit by laser before and not been ticketed for it. No CD though. Maybe it's my ID discs hanging from my rear view

[MrDinkleman]

Originally Posted by Luftwaffel

Ah, the good old communistwealth. Nothing quite like worrying about your speed on the I-95 because 6 over gets you 30 days.

Wow. I just got a ticket for 15 over and I can still/just have to attend traffic school.

[mdm]

Originally Posted by Luftwaffel

Ah, the good old communistwealth. Nothing quite like worrying about your speed on the I-95 because 6 over gets you 30 days.

Not to try to defend the nonsensical speed laws in Va, but this is a bit of an exaggeration, I think.

You can THEORETICALLY receive jail time (up to 1 yr) and a fine up to 2.5k for reckless driving. Which in respect to speeding is defined as going 80 or higher (yes!) or 20 or more above the limit.

So the only possibility to get jail time for 6 over would be on a highway with 75 mph (or more) limit. But by the law the maximum speed limit in Va is 70.

In other words, you have to go at least 11 over being on one of the few roads that even have the 70 mph limit to potentially go to jail.

Another interesting thing is that a reckless driving conviction can have much more serious consequences for an out of state driver. That "11 over" speeding will be communicated to your state as "reckless driving", and it some cases, based on that state's law, you can get your license suspended immediately (it has happened)

For a Va driver it is just 6 demerit points, not too good, but far away from taking away the license, if you had a clean sheet before. And especially if you had it for a while, I have 5 "safe point" so in case I am caught going over 80 or more than 20 over the limit, I will have just 1 demerit point.

In my area most likely I wouldn't go to jail either unless I exceed the limit by a really large number, a local celebrity was caught doing 105 in 55 and got 3 days, I think.

Now it may be very different in rural Va, it's common to see an emptish straight and safe road with a huge median and wide shoulders, and you are only wondering why all these stupid locals drive exactly 55. And then you notice that a police cruiser is sitting in the bushes every 3 miles.

But still it has to be 20+ over the limit or 80+ for jail time.

Oh wait, I just remembered they can slap you with reckless driving for driving "at a speed or in a manner so as to endanger the life, limb, or property of any person". As driving is inherently dangerous, I guess this may appliy to any non-stationary vehicle.

[Luftwaffel]

Okay, 11 over. I exaggerated by 5 MPH. I'm pretty familiar with how they do business regardless. The point is that Virginia's traffic laws are beyond absurd and the population largely lives in fear of a traffic ticket from just doing the speed limit, so most people (moreso outside of NoVA) drive 3-5 under.

There's something to be said when you're counting the speed traps between Orlando and Fredericksburg, you count one in Georgia, and then 27 in Virginia. This last bit is not an exaggeration.