Jan Olsson Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 I was heading home Sunday two weeks ago after I´d visited one of my old schoolmates from university. He´d recently got a son so despite I lost my licence I still think it was wort it just to see him On my way home I was driving on a road with 1+2 lanes, one lane against my direction and two in my direction. I had the cruise control set at just below 30 km/h to fast (ie 19 mph). According to Swedish laws you only get a ticket if your not doing over 30 km/h to fast, otherwise you will lose you licence. I was just passing a hill when I noticed this policeman standing by a parked policecar just about 700 yards ahead so I slowed down to the allowed 90km/h (55mph). He pulled me ower and I thought that he never had the chance to read my speed even if he had a police radar so I smiled and handed him my licence. The xxx bastard kept it! He said " Do you see that oak in the end of the straight?" Just below the hill I just passed... "I have a partner there and he read 122 km/h (76 mph) on his radar" This spot is just in the middle of nowhere, big fields, no houses no nothing, it couldn´t have been a safer place to get a bit faster on... I only drove in that speed for about 5 seconds because I was passing another vehicel before the two lanes ended into one Anyway I lost my licence for two months!! So I have to take the bus to my work instead, it takes about 4.5 hours/ day.... Normally the polices would just say "allright you were speeding but you´ll get away with a warning this time, or a ticket" This time they had about 50 men on the road, training new recruits..so if I had travelled only 2 mph slower I had only get a ticket but now, a ticket, bus money, drivers licence and no driving for two months...... My girlfriend has to drive now when we are shoppng and things like that, of course shes not unhappy with that but I am...hear that sound, feel the power and have to be in the passenger seat, but I still have to wash the car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marika Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 They are very strict about speed in countries like Sweden and Holland. Next time, head over to Germany where you can open her up. If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Olsson Posted December 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 In Germany they have a system were you can have 20 points before you loose you licence. For speeding you get 3 points no matter the speed. For breaking against the right hand rule you get 7 points. Here in Sweden its only the speed they are after because it gets money to the government. People who brakes the other rules always seems to get a way with it because the police are never where they should be....instead they are crawling around in the bushes to take money from people who just likes to drive a bit fast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Nunnally Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Sorry to hear you lost your license. While your wife is driving, don't watch the road, watch your Wife. This can make the drive very pleasant. I once was driving long distance in a Porsche 944, and ended up flying along at 85+ mph with some other performance cars along the interstate. Made the drive a lot more interesting, although the speed limits then were 55 mph. After an hour of that, I had to get off onto a secondary road to continue my journey. Leaving a small town, I accelerated from 45 mph to 60 mph as I swept by a sign that increased the speed limit to 55 mph. A policeman hiding nearby ticketed me for doing 60 mph in a 45 mph zone, arguing that I had reached 60 mph before actually reaching the 55 mph sign, which marks the exact beginning of the 55 mph zone apparently. So I could drive back several hours a week later and argue with a rural judge, or eat the ticket and points. My native state then was bad about recognizing points from tickets in any state in the union, so a ticket in say Wyoming counted against my license in Arkansas. In retrospect, I decided getting ticketed for almost nothing was karma for all the times I had been going way over the speed limit and did not get ticketed. Bruce 2023 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing Follow me on: Twitter Instagram Youtube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Olsson Posted December 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 I really enjoy watching her drive She´s so cute, especially when she starts to drive and says "Why are everyone driving so slow? Better pass this one..." I made an adjustment to my IPC to get the spedometer show a more accurate reading (thanks to Logan). For cars in Europe the speedometer has to show a speed about 5-6 mph higher than actual, thats why she thinks they are all slow drivers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
an01sts Posted December 12, 2004 Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 Bruce, were you in Garland when you got the ticket. I got a ticket in Garland once, on n/b LBJ just Garland Road, going up the upgrade that sweeps to the right. I was doin exactly 67 when an oncoming car flashed its lights at me, giving me more than ample time to slow down to the speed limit, when I crested the hill and would be in range of the radar. I was doing exactly 51 registered on an accurate speedometer when I enterd the radar range. The cop hopped in his car and wrote me up for 73 in a 55. I wasn't doing 73 when the car flashed its lights, and I always saw people outiside of their cars argueing with the cops. So it's obvious that they get a warm reading from the other side, and hang it on the next car, coming on their side. The problem was that I was in the left lane, and he was on the inside shoulder. JO: In America they have it set up so that people can afford to speed. As in Garland TX, it's an excellent way in wich to drum up revenue. As with any money maker, you price it so that people will speed because it doesn't cost that much. If it cost a lot and had signifigant penalty, people wouldn't speed. It has nothing to do with safety, and everying to do with making money. One way they could make America's highways a safer place would be to make tailgating a mandatory $10,000 fine, vehicle confiscation, and 5 years in jail. Such a law would eliminate 99% of the accidents because almost all accidents are because of tailgaters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Olsson Posted December 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 In retrospect, I decided getting ticketed for almost nothing was karma for all the times I had been going way over the speed limit and did not get ticketed. You´re right. If I think about it like this I feel quite lucky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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