Originally Posted by supton
Originally Posted by Skippy722
Originally Posted by MCompact
Lots of states don't treat speeding and other minor infractions as criminal cases, meaning that the constitutional safeguards don't apply. The goal is to facilitate revenue collection.
In Kentucky you can still request a jury trial for any traffic infraction, and the fines and the majority of court costs go to the state- meaning there is no financial incentive to convict.
When I was a judge in traffic court I was the toughest on the defendants who were speeding in active school zones or construction zones, as well as congested residential streets. That said, I didn't think a guy going 100 mph on a deserted interstate at 3:00 AM was a big deal.
My chief traffic prosecutor-who shared my philosophy-had a Mustang GT and an extremely heavy right foot; she also wound up being elected judge. She replaced a guy who thought that you risked certain death if you drove 1 mph over 55(he drove a grungy Malibu wagon and a Cavalier, so his fear may have been well founded).
And she and I both believed that anyone caught camping out in the left lane should be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
At a minimum.
I wish more people shared this mentality.
Indeed! Although I try to obey the limit on non-highways, I sometimes wonder why we can't have some of the more open highways be a bit more... "reasonable and prudent". [My younger coworkers don't know what that phrase means, and why I really wanted a road trip out to Montana in the late '90's.] Then again, I already drive my cars to their natural limits, just keeping up with traffic around here.
Hahaha..I actually got a ticket in MT. I was headed up to Kalispell and a trooper tagged me doing just under a hundred (i was young). It was spendy too..but I couldn't complain because he could have wrote it up as a more severe infraction, something like negligent or reckless driving IIRC. That would have hurt the insurance and i think it could have led to a possible suspension of my license.