thank you to the states that care enough to do these weekend traffic safety enforcements. It makes me happy to know our roads are safer because of their efforts.
Exactly! I still think they should have stuck with the original name: Operation Money Grab. For 2010 I hear they’re considering: Operation Deficit Reduction. Why worry about fiscal restraint when you have the long arm of the law to empty pockets and fill the coffers (in the name of safety).
It’s been proven time and time again that tickets don’t teach lessons and keep people from driving like idiots in the future. But the fact that the fines are mostly used to put money in the pockets of the state doesn’t mean that people don’t deserve to be punished for speeding, driving drunk, or carrying around drugs.
Maybe the fines do help the deficit, I don’t care about that. To infer that the only reason VA ran such an operation to fill the coffers is unsufferable cynicism. The simple fact that they got so many law breakers is significant. Thinking that getting a ticket doesn’t help with highway safety is naive – most people realize the problems they acquire with multiple violations on their records – including higher insurance rates and the possiblity of license suspensions.
Time and time again, it has been shown that these massive traffic stops do not reduce fatalities, accident rates, etc. Is is for the $, not safety. They should be called Operation Alternate Highway Tax. If they wanted to be safer then lower the speed limit. That has shown to work.
Most accidents happen within one mile of the driver’s home. I would say that less than 1% was that close to home. The true stats also show that drivers drive much more safely on interstates, even the speeders.
I’m from NJ and went through VA I95 this weekend. I got a $54 ticket because my back brake light was out. Just before I left NJ, I had my car serviced. I even showed the officer my service receipt and was still issued the ticket.
I am orginally from NC and I95 is my route to my home town. I can be guaranteed a ticket for one thing or another while I pass through VA.
And no they never catch me for speeding and I have a 2009 vehicle. See through window and an up-to-date car might be my problem.
So, you had your vehicle serviced before you left on the trip, so what? Your tail light was out when you were stopped and that is a violation. Quite whining and get your lights fixed – and continue to check them at rest stops, etc.
Sure,
Why don’t I crank my neck aroung to the back of the car every few miles to see if a light is out.
I don’t think that you would recommend to your daughter or any female travelling alone to pull over at a rest stop and ask a perfect stranger about her lights.
And just so you know, my light was fixed at the next possible exit.
The effects of a “crackdown” every now and then does nothing more than keep the federal highway funds flowing and fills up the state coffers. Consistent enforcement is the only way to affect driver safety statistics. To think there were 504 reckless drivers in this short time period! If they did this consistantly, think how much revenue (much needed these days) would be generated. Every now and then enforcement means and does nothing in terms of prevention.
If I am not mistaken, not that much extra will go into the state’s coffers from these big drives – they pull a lot of overtime for the troopers which will offset a lot of the income from fines.
the number of people pulled over was a drop in the bucket. On average near 450,000 vehicles go throught the Springfield interchange (northern section of I-95 near Washington, DC) a day. And while the speed-limits there are supposed to be 55 MPH, in my experience most drivers in that area go 65-70.
I live in the Richmond area and travel 95 every weekday. I passed 3 cops giving tickets in less than a 2 mile span.
Since the “recession” these blitz weekends have increased. It was a holiday weekend – people are going to speed; that’s nothing new.
There is one section of 95 (Bryan Park Interchange) that is a favorite spot for accidents. So someone explain to me why the State Police stake out this section to pull people over? The blue lights make everyone tap their breaks and at times causes an accident just so a cop could give someone a ticket for going 5mph over the speed limit during morning rush hour traffic! It is a known speed trap – they work in pairs to catch people.
It’s just a way to get more money for the State Police. Now if only they would share this influx with Dept. of Transportation, then maybe we can get some roads fixed and keep the rest stops open.
I always love it when someone throws out the “most accidents happen within one mile of the driver’s home” arguement. It’s as if there is some statistical validity that people drive worse near their homes. It’s because the majority of the time we are near our homes and almost every trip in the car leads us back to home.Knucklehead. Not sure about your statistic on “drivers drive much more safely on interstates”. Tell us why smart boy. Is it becuase everyone is driving in the same direction? That always helpful.
I know speeding is a crime but it’s really sad when you are in the same classification with DUI’s and people who commit manslaughter. Virgina needs to look at the driving laws and re-access them to make sense. You can cause accidents driving 55 just as well as 75.
I don’t like getting a ticket like the next person. But imagine if we didn’t have deterrents (radar,troopers & fines). You could describe the result as deadly chaso. Fines and court costs are set by your elected officials. In VA, fines go into the education fund (schools). Think about it, if troopers were paid on production, imagine the vast number of arrests/tickets they would produce.
thank you to the states that care enough to do these weekend traffic safety enforcements. It makes me happy to know our roads are safer because of their efforts.
And to think, they did this without violating peoples rights through an illegal search without probable cause at a roadside czechpoint charlie.
Exactly! I still think they should have stuck with the original name: Operation Money Grab. For 2010 I hear they’re considering: Operation Deficit Reduction. Why worry about fiscal restraint when you have the long arm of the law to empty pockets and fill the coffers (in the name of safety).
Maybe you would like to put up a cross where one of teh 4749 speeder or the 504 reckless or the 6 drunks or the 35 drug users hit your teenager…..
It’s been proven time and time again that tickets don’t teach lessons and keep people from driving like idiots in the future. But the fact that the fines are mostly used to put money in the pockets of the state doesn’t mean that people don’t deserve to be punished for speeding, driving drunk, or carrying around drugs.
Maybe the fines do help the deficit, I don’t care about that. To infer that the only reason VA ran such an operation to fill the coffers is unsufferable cynicism. The simple fact that they got so many law breakers is significant. Thinking that getting a ticket doesn’t help with highway safety is naive – most people realize the problems they acquire with multiple violations on their records – including higher insurance rates and the possiblity of license suspensions.
So, keep it up Smoky!!!
Maybe they’ll get enough money from scofflaws to keep the rest areas open.
Time and time again, it has been shown that these massive traffic stops do not reduce fatalities, accident rates, etc. Is is for the $, not safety. They should be called Operation Alternate Highway Tax. If they wanted to be safer then lower the speed limit. That has shown to work.
Most accidents happen within one mile of the driver’s home. I would say that less than 1% was that close to home. The true stats also show that drivers drive much more safely on interstates, even the speeders.
I’m from NJ and went through VA I95 this weekend. I got a $54 ticket because my back brake light was out. Just before I left NJ, I had my car serviced. I even showed the officer my service receipt and was still issued the ticket.
I am orginally from NC and I95 is my route to my home town. I can be guaranteed a ticket for one thing or another while I pass through VA.
And no they never catch me for speeding and I have a 2009 vehicle. See through window and an up-to-date car might be my problem.
So, you had your vehicle serviced before you left on the trip, so what? Your tail light was out when you were stopped and that is a violation. Quite whining and get your lights fixed – and continue to check them at rest stops, etc.
Sure,
Why don’t I crank my neck aroung to the back of the car every few miles to see if a light is out.
I don’t think that you would recommend to your daughter or any female travelling alone to pull over at a rest stop and ask a perfect stranger about her lights.
And just so you know, my light was fixed at the next possible exit.
The effects of a “crackdown” every now and then does nothing more than keep the federal highway funds flowing and fills up the state coffers. Consistent enforcement is the only way to affect driver safety statistics. To think there were 504 reckless drivers in this short time period! If they did this consistantly, think how much revenue (much needed these days) would be generated. Every now and then enforcement means and does nothing in terms of prevention.
If I am not mistaken, not that much extra will go into the state’s coffers from these big drives – they pull a lot of overtime for the troopers which will offset a lot of the income from fines.
I will stay as far away from Virginia as I possibly can. I guess they don’t care about tourism dollars coming into their state.
the number of people pulled over was a drop in the bucket. On average near 450,000 vehicles go throught the Springfield interchange (northern section of I-95 near Washington, DC) a day. And while the speed-limits there are supposed to be 55 MPH, in my experience most drivers in that area go 65-70.
I live in the Richmond area and travel 95 every weekday. I passed 3 cops giving tickets in less than a 2 mile span.
Since the “recession” these blitz weekends have increased. It was a holiday weekend – people are going to speed; that’s nothing new.
There is one section of 95 (Bryan Park Interchange) that is a favorite spot for accidents. So someone explain to me why the State Police stake out this section to pull people over? The blue lights make everyone tap their breaks and at times causes an accident just so a cop could give someone a ticket for going 5mph over the speed limit during morning rush hour traffic! It is a known speed trap – they work in pairs to catch people.
It’s just a way to get more money for the State Police. Now if only they would share this influx with Dept. of Transportation, then maybe we can get some roads fixed and keep the rest stops open.
I always love it when someone throws out the “most accidents happen within one mile of the driver’s home” arguement. It’s as if there is some statistical validity that people drive worse near their homes. It’s because the majority of the time we are near our homes and almost every trip in the car leads us back to home.Knucklehead. Not sure about your statistic on “drivers drive much more safely on interstates”. Tell us why smart boy. Is it becuase everyone is driving in the same direction? That always helpful.
I know speeding is a crime but it’s really sad when you are in the same classification with DUI’s and people who commit manslaughter. Virgina needs to look at the driving laws and re-access them to make sense. You can cause accidents driving 55 just as well as 75.
I don’t like getting a ticket like the next person. But imagine if we didn’t have deterrents (radar,troopers & fines). You could describe the result as deadly chaso. Fines and court costs are set by your elected officials. In VA, fines go into the education fund (schools). Think about it, if troopers were paid on production, imagine the vast number of arrests/tickets they would produce.