Re: cops, avoiding tickets, and speed traps.

[Gary Stark <redbakstark@domain.elided>]

>>Again, I have a lot of trouble understanding this
>>concept. If this is so damn dangerous, then catching
>>them, after the event, except for revenue raising,
is
>>surely counter productive, is it not?

>Not at all Gary.  Most people will slow down when 
>their insurance rates go up.  

I don't buy this one at all. Insurance rates have very
little to do with it. I would respectfully suggest
that losing one's license would be a far higher
priority than insurance rates.

>While in most states if you get a certain number of 
>points on your liscense you will lose it.  Cops can't

>read people's minds (thank God,

Nobody's suggesting that they can.

But what's the first thing you do if you see a cop in
the rearview mirror? Tap the brakes and check your
speed, right?

The point is that it is the fear of getting caught
that slows people down. I think that when a person
believes that they may not get caught, they will speed
up. When that person actually sees a cop, or is aware
of a local speed trap, they will immediately monitor
their speed more closely.

> That's why courts have said cops aren't responsible 
> for protecting people, 

Which courts? I've been talking about and comparing
situations between two US states, California, Texas,
and one Australian state, NSW. 

In many parts of the world, people believe that the
police's role is to protect the people. I seem to
recall that the police cars in Modesto CA even stated
that on their sides ...

> they are reactionary, they punish.   

The Police punish ?? No, I don't believe so. In my
experience their role has been to gather evidence.
Don't the courts assess guilt (or otherwise) and then
determine punishment?

>While it would be better if they could prevent, that 
>would also tend to take away freedoms from the law

But consider this: a cop, by simply driving around and
making his presence known, will by that very task be
preventing people (apart from the terminally stupid)
from breaking the law. At the same time, they will not
be impinging upon anybody's freedoms (or percieved
freedoms). What's the problem with this?

Consider also that in some places they even go to the
trouble of parking cop cars in strategic locations,
just to create the impression of a presence. I have no
evidence of the effectiveness of this procedure, but I
doubt it would impose upon any freedoms.

And if it prevents at least one person from breaking
the law, then it has achieved this goal.

> Such as not allowing cars to be made that can exceed

> the speed limit. 

Which speed limit do you propose that cars be built to
not exceed? Perhaps the 20 mph school zone limit that
exists in TX and CA? Maybe the 70mph general limit in
Texas? But the problem with that is that at night,
this is reduced to 60 mph. How do the car
manufacturers deal with that one?

Maybe we need to only build cars that will not exceed
the 40kph school limit in Sydney, or the 50kph limit
on the street outside my home. Or the 60 mph
residential speed limit that otherwise applies in
Sydney. Unless you're going through the Harbour
Tunnel, where the limit is 80kph. Or crossing the
Harbour Bridge, where it's 70kph. But in either of
those cases, getting on to Waroongha Freeway, with its
90kph limit, would surely cause problems.

No, I don't think so. :)

> Or not allowing guns to be owned to prevent
homicides 

What does this have to do with speed limits and the
way that cops hide in order to raise revenue ? Please
understand that in most parts of the world people do
not generally feel a need to own firearms. 

> caused by a minority of the people but would
severely 
> decrease the freedom of expression, 

I'm trying to understand this aspect of your argument.
I thought we were discussing how cops raise revenue.

Cheerz.



g.                      79 Alfetta Sedan
Gary Stark              69 1750 GTV (resting)
gstark@domain.elided  99 Holden Barina (POS)
http://redbacksWeb.com  
Back down under in Sydney, Oz.



===
g.
Gary Stark
gstark@domain.elided
http://Redbacksweb.com

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