News recently broke about a woman in Maryland who was ticketed for going 63 mph in a 65 along Interstate 95 while in the left-lane.
The cop who issued the ticket said she was ticketed more due to her being in the left-lane, which is reserved for speedier commuters, than for going 2 mph under the speed limit.
The driver has never been ticketed before and said the area was experiencing very heavy winds, which is why she was going a bit slower than usual.
She said, "Sometimes when it's dangerous, you have to do what you can to stay safe."
John Townsend of AAA Mid-Atlantic appears to be backing the driver in this case, as he said the following:
"The reason [the ticket] is silly because it's sending the wrong message. And that is, 'We will tolerate you driving at more than the speed limit, but if you drive below the speed limit, then you're penalized for that.'"
I can see both sides' arguments here. On the one side, even if there were heavy winds, the driver probably shouldn't have been in the left-lane. However, in any kind of inclement weather, do the speed limit laws truly apply to those kinds of conditions in the same way they would for most average days? When my girlfriend and I were driving on the interstate in snowy conditions a week ago and were more focused on staying on the road and avoiding an accident than which lane we were in, should we have been ticketed for not doing 65 as the sign suggests if we were in the left-lane? Also, let's get something straight here - the speed limit is 65. "Speedier commuters" may break the law and go above and beyond the number placed on the speed limit sign at their own risk, but may get pulled over as a result. So why is the speed limit 65 along the interstate or why do we have speed limits at all if the left-lane is viewed as the lane to exceed that very speed limit?
Now, I'll be the first to admit that when in a hurry, I can sometimes get frustrated when I'm stuck behind someone going exactly the speed limit or a little under it. However, in the end, it's myself that I'm angry with, since I was the one at fault for running late in the first place. On that note, while I don't think this woman should have been in the left-lane, I also don't think she should have been ticketed. The cop should have just pulled her over, given her a warning, and hoped that in the future, inclement weather or not, she avoided the left-lane when going slightly under the speed limit. Being cautious in inclement weather, even when interfering with others' need to break the law by exceeding the speed limit in an attempt to make up for their own time-management problems, isn't a good reason for a ticket. If people can get ticketed for that, I may forever be paranoid about driving my car again.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/woman-gets-ticket-driving-2-miles-per-hour-211957738.html
The cop who issued the ticket said she was ticketed more due to her being in the left-lane, which is reserved for speedier commuters, than for going 2 mph under the speed limit.
The driver has never been ticketed before and said the area was experiencing very heavy winds, which is why she was going a bit slower than usual.
She said, "Sometimes when it's dangerous, you have to do what you can to stay safe."
John Townsend of AAA Mid-Atlantic appears to be backing the driver in this case, as he said the following:
"The reason [the ticket] is silly because it's sending the wrong message. And that is, 'We will tolerate you driving at more than the speed limit, but if you drive below the speed limit, then you're penalized for that.'"
I can see both sides' arguments here. On the one side, even if there were heavy winds, the driver probably shouldn't have been in the left-lane. However, in any kind of inclement weather, do the speed limit laws truly apply to those kinds of conditions in the same way they would for most average days? When my girlfriend and I were driving on the interstate in snowy conditions a week ago and were more focused on staying on the road and avoiding an accident than which lane we were in, should we have been ticketed for not doing 65 as the sign suggests if we were in the left-lane? Also, let's get something straight here - the speed limit is 65. "Speedier commuters" may break the law and go above and beyond the number placed on the speed limit sign at their own risk, but may get pulled over as a result. So why is the speed limit 65 along the interstate or why do we have speed limits at all if the left-lane is viewed as the lane to exceed that very speed limit?
Now, I'll be the first to admit that when in a hurry, I can sometimes get frustrated when I'm stuck behind someone going exactly the speed limit or a little under it. However, in the end, it's myself that I'm angry with, since I was the one at fault for running late in the first place. On that note, while I don't think this woman should have been in the left-lane, I also don't think she should have been ticketed. The cop should have just pulled her over, given her a warning, and hoped that in the future, inclement weather or not, she avoided the left-lane when going slightly under the speed limit. Being cautious in inclement weather, even when interfering with others' need to break the law by exceeding the speed limit in an attempt to make up for their own time-management problems, isn't a good reason for a ticket. If people can get ticketed for that, I may forever be paranoid about driving my car again.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/woman-gets-ticket-driving-2-miles-per-hour-211957738.html
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