more on speeding...tonuge in cheek

[John Fountaine <jfount@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

>
>Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1998 15:46:21 -0500
>From: "Andrew D.Mendez" <AMENDEZ@domain.elided>
>Subject: speeding tickets survey
>
>This isn't totally off-topic because the famous
>BMW grill attracts the attention of cops like free
>donuts.

Actually BMW's really tend to blend in with the rest of the traffic.

 I went by one radar trap at the 35mph
>limit (radar detector saw it coming half mile
>away) where the cop kept his radar gun rigidly
>fixated on my puttering M3, tracking me for 100+
>yards, oblivious to about a dozen cars flying by
>me at 15-25mph over the limit! Guess he couldn't
>believe a BMW was going the speed limit.

What makes you so sure he was targeting you?  Radar can't pinpoint cars and
tends to be generically aimed.  Likewise, actually moving a radar gun to
track a vehicle will result in poor/no reading, so it is a pointless
endeavor.  Not to mention, maybe the cop was looking for a flagrant
violator.  Depending on the road, traffic and environmental conditions I
may give a 20 MPH  (although my personal standard is 15) overlimit before I
stop a car.

>Anyway,I've had awful luck with cops and never get away
>with warnings for speeding. (Been very lucky with
>other things though). Nothing has worked for me --
>I've tried both politeness & playing dumb (Me:
>"Er, I was changing a tape & didn't notice my
>speed." KS trooper: "For over 3 miles?").

That is hilarious!  HA HA!  3 miles...that kills me!  ;)

>I have 3 tickets in the last coupla years (58 in a 35 while
>testing a 328 convertible (no detector)); 95+ in a
>70 (written down to 80 (whew!) where the cop used
>a stopwatch & timed mile markers); and 80 in a 70
>while in a rental car (no detector & trooper said
>1 more mph would've gotten me a trip to the
>station. These things have cost me over $700 in a
>little over 2 years, not to mention the $400+ I
>spent on a V1 in response. I also narrowly escaped
>a trip to jail on 2 of these occassions. I've
>learned my lesson & toned down the excessive speed
>for the most part.

Bottom line here, is that it sounds like a lesson  was learned (don't get
caught!)

BTW with the overwhelmingly high number of 24 hour resturaunts now, donut
shops are rarely used as a stop off anymore.  ;)

John

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