A personal opinion shared with probably somewhere close to 99% of the people are are 1) drivers and 2) not cops. I've never talked to anyone in this group who though speed traps were a good idea, nor who did not have disdain for those participating in them.
This stuff was in the local paper today - the judge says it is unconsbreastutional to "presume" the defendant to be intoxicated simply on the strength of any machine. He says that the consbreastution says we all have the right to the presumption of innocence, and so throws out all such cases. I'm not sure what he's going for, tho - how do you prove it otherwise? Give the people a reaction-time test? I don't think there's a reaction-time standard that everyone has to meet. Balance test? Its not even required to be able to walk in order to drive a car. Not sure where the guy is going with this.
Sure - see the sign, slam on the brakes in order to be down to 30 mph in the space of maybe 50 feet, from a speed of 55 mph, and... get slammed in the butt by the car following you. Sure - you go right ahead...
The rest of us are going to decelerate safely, and probably get a ticket due to the unfair system.
The only thing that would make any sense here would be to initiate a clbutt action suit on behalf of all people in the country that hold a driver's license, and try to make this jurisdiction pay punitive damages for setting up a dangerous situation with their sudden speed limit signs. Maybe they could also be sued on the basis of "fairness" and "unusual treatment" of motorists comapared to most everywhere else on the planet.
BTW, the town was not Waldo, it was Lawtey, Florida, and according to answers.com:
is one of only two places in the country that are designated by the AAA as speed traps. AAA has even bought billboard space warning of these towns.
Well, you'll be the one with the tailgating Ford Explorer sticking thru your trunk if you try to slow abruptly enough to be at 30 mph before you hit that speed limit sign... be my guest.
Meanwhile, I'm taking the Interstate around route 301 in Florida...
Dave Head
