Speeding Chasers....

[Darrin Rasberry]

The articles mention "upto" or "maximum" as the amounts for tickets. I've been chasing a while, and got a few tickets (or others I've chased with) and there never that high. Plus, places like Texas, if you your really nice to the officer, they might even tell you how to avoid points and reduce the fine. I've never paid more than $150 for a ticket while chasing (well usually I get them when I'm not chasing).

On the otherhand, Florida, where I lived for a while is the worst state for speeding tickets. Not because of the cost, but because they are so disorganized down there, you may pay two or three times and still not have the ticket cleared. Arrrg. Glad I don't live there anymore.

Jason Foster, N3PRZ
www.weatherwarrior.net

Texas is my homestate, and it's rumored they have mandates on numbers of tickets they have to give, leading to a lot of "nice" officers giving so-called "one-over tickets" where they write you a ticket for one mile over the speed limit if you're under ten miles over. Both of the speeding tickets I've ever received have been "one-overs" even though in one case he explicitly said I was doing 80 in a 70. I was much younger then and have been nervous about speeding since

 

[Andrea Griffa]

In my opinion it depends on what does speeding mean: all is relative to the context. One thing is to go 80 when the limit is 70 and you're going along the interstate with a tornado on the ground at a brief distance; another thing is to go 80 on a normal road(or why not, an interstate) simply because you must arrive before on the target. It's real that in both cases you'll get the ticket, but sometimes if you're in danger it could be convenient to you.
And if someone has a doubt in his mind about my words, don't think I'm a crazy man that goes like a mad man on the car, I always respect the limit. If I don't do it there's a reason.

 

[Jesse Risley]

In my opinion it depends on what does speeding mean: all is relative to the context.

You can "legally" be stopped (and cited) for exceeding the posted speed limit, even if that means you are only exceeding the speed limit by one (1) m.p.h.

True, what happens in the courtroom should you choose to contest the citation is a whole different matter.

 

[Gene Moore]

Here is the solution where I live:

http://www.houstonfreeways.com/modern/2007-01-07_80mph_west_texas.aspx

What's amazing is people still get tickets. An 80 MPH speed limit is not license to go 100

 

[Adam Lucio]

Perhaps its different out there, but around here in the city if your not doing AT LEASTE 70 [that is of course, when there isnt a traffic jam] on the Expressways [regardless if its 55 or 65 speed limit] your holding up traffic and causing people to swerve around you and get angry which in my opinion causes more danger. I go with the flow I dont care if its 10, 20, or 25+ miles over. [hell my van tops out at 92 so I cant even go faster than that if i wanted to] People around here have some serious road rage and the last thing I want to do is argue with someone whos late for a cheap date. An officer is not going to single you out unless theres another reason for it. Your more likely to get pulled over if your by yourself and your doing 10+ over...at leaste in my expereinces.

Ironically enough the 1 speeding ticket Ive gotten in my entire life I was doing 50 in a 55. True story. I was stuck behind someone doing 5 under on a 2 lane road, I was trying to pass and I guess the woman called me in because she was scared, I also received a ticket for following too closely. The ticket he wrote down 75 in a 55 [IMPOSSIBLE BECAUSE I WAS STUCK BEHIND THIS LADY DOING 50!!!!] if I was doing 75 in a 55 and following her too closely, that means she was doing 75 also, and she got no tickets, the whole situation was total BS.

I was going to fight it, but was told by the judge I would have to reschedule and get an attorney etc etc...I just started a new job 4 months prior and I didnt want to request un-earned time off for that so I just swallowed my pride and ate the fine. That was almost 4 years ago [and no I wasnt chasing, I was actually on my way to my favorite fishing spot!]

For that reason I am not a fan of Kane county here in Illinois.

 

[Andrea Griffa]

Here is the solution where I live:

http://www.houstonfreeways.com/modern/2007-01-07_80mph_west_texas.aspx

What's amazing is people still get tickets. An 80 MPH speed limit is not license to go 100

Gene, there's no solution to this problem, you can take a 100 limit but people will go to 120

A partial solution to me is to make some reasonable limits along the interstates. 65-70 is really too low, and there's no doubt. 75-80 is acceptable.

 

[Andrea Griffa]

Perhaps its different out there, but around here in the city if your not doing AT LEASTE 70 [that is of course, when there isnt a traffic jam] on the Expressways [regardless if its 55 or 65 speed limit] your holding up traffic and causing people to swerve around you and get angry which in my opinion causes more danger. I go with the flow I dont care if its 10, 20, or 25+ miles over. [hell my van tops out at 92 so I cant even go faster than that if i wanted to] People around here have some serious road rage and the last thing I want to do is argue with someone whos late for a cheap date. An officer is not going to single you out unless theres another reason for it. Your more likely to get pulled over if your by yourself and your doing 10+ over...at leaste in my expereinces.

Ironically enough the 1 speeding ticket Ive gotten in my entire life I was doing 50 in a 55. True story. I was stuck behind someone doing 5 under on a 2 lane road, I was trying to pass and I guess the woman called me in because she was scared, I also received a ticket for following too closely. The ticket he wrote down 75 in a 55 [IMPOSSIBLE BECAUSE I WAS STUCK BEHIND THIS LADY DOING 50!!!!] if I was doing 75 in a 55 and following her too closely, that means she was doing 75 also, and she got no tickets, the whole situation was total BS.

I was going to fight it, but was told by the judge I would have to reschedule and get an attorney etc etc...I just started a new job 4 months prior and I didnt want to request un-earned time off for that so I just swallowed my pride and ate the fine. That was almost 4 years ago [and no I wasnt chasing, I was actually on my way to my favorite fishing spot!]

For that reason I am not a fan of Kane county here in Illinois.

Adam that's a sad story, anyway I've experimented the same thing of you: you have to be careful to not slow down too much,otherwise you endanger yourself and the others! I think that is a major problem of the most important metropolis in the world. I've experimented it in S.Diego, Los Angeles, Dallas and even in Italy,driving in the big traffic of Milan or Rome. Sometimes you find the policeman that understands, sometimes you don't and you get the ticket.

 

[Gene Moore]

Gene, there's no solution to this problem, you can take a 100 limit but people will go to 120

A partial solution to me is to make some reasonable limits along the interstates. 65-70 is really too low, and there's no doubt. 75-80 is acceptable.

In most states it has to do with crowding on the highways. For example, I-35 south from Denton, DFW, Austin and San Antonio is generally full time road rage unless you drive it late at night. Meanwhile the Kansas turnpikes are not high enough....given we have to pay to run them. Both Kansas and Arkansas have not raised their speed limits back to where they were prior to the pre-55 days. Nebraska Interstates are 80 MPH now, but the rural limits are annoying to say the least. Both Nebraska and Iowa have very slow moving farm equipment and narrow unpaved shoulders on their rural highways. On the other hand, I've seen the insanity of speed limits too high when I lived in Europe. I witnessed 50-70 vehicle pile ups in the fog....the carnage was incredible.

The real trick is to leave early for the storm, but many chasers arrive late. This is a recent trend because as a group we tend to forecast less and radar chase more, which is reactionary to the situation. That is, anything we see on radar is already in progress. Still, it's proved to be a pretty efficient method of getting the storm of the day.

 

[Terry Tyler]

In most states it has to do with crowding on the highways. For example, I-35 south from Denton, DFW, Austin and San Antonio is generally full time road rage unless you drive it late at night. Meanwhile the Kansas turnpikes are not high enough....given we have to pay to run them. Both Kansas and Arkansas have not raised their speed limits back to where they were prior to the pre-55 days. Nebraska Interstates are 80 MPH now.

yeah, that is true...when your going on hwy 45 its a 70mph, but when you come into barnes crossing, it drops to 65...thats because there is more people in there, and they dont need people going so fast...

its also all about the states...the MS state speed limit is 70, but as soon as you cross the border into AL its 65...

the hwy 78 itself you can drive fast on, and ive drove 10-15 mph over the speed limit going with the flow of traffic...so, most people just drive the road...

thats what i do...just drive the road, and dont go to where you dont feel uncomfortable or without control...

 

[Andrea Griffa]

On the other hand, I've seen the insanity of speed limits too high when I lived in Europe. I witnessed 50-70 vehicle pile ups in the fog....the carnage was incredible.

I think that fog is not the point: the accident is caused by the fog not by the speed limit. In Europe there are varius speed limit: in Italy the speed limit is 81mph even if police reserve for itself the right to establish if while driving the driver took the right speed in proportion to the road conditions; also if I'm correct German is the state where there's no speed limit.

I'm convinced that if deadly accidents still happen, is because of the human Nature, not because of the too high or too low speed limit.

The real trick is to leave early for the storm, but many chasers arrive late. This is a recent trend because as a group we tend to forecast less and radar chase more, which is reactionary to the situation. That is, anything we see on radar is already in progress. Still, it's proved to be a pretty efficient method of getting the storm of the day.

I agree that's the main point of chasing

 

[Greg Stumpf]

I think that fog is not the point: the accident is caused by the fog not by the speed limit. In Europe there are varius speed limit: in Italy the speed limit is 81mph even if police reserve for itself the right to establish if while driving the driver took the right speed in proportion to the road conditions; also if I'm correct German is the state where there's no speed limit.

I drove a section of the German Autobahn (A3) stretching about 60 km to the east of Frankfurt am Main in May 2003. All of the speed limit signage on that section was electronic, and appeared to be controlled by road conditions. In fact, on one of my drives, as I was driving westbound, I approached a rain shower, and watched the "no limit" signs change to to a regulated speed (something like 90 or 110 km/h).

 

[Tim Millspaugh]

Speeding

I have been caught speeding more times than I care to admit but never while chasing. Honestly I have gone over the speed limit a bit here and there but never to a dangerous degree. It would really be more embarrasing dying in an accident because I lost control but I guess I wouldnt know it anyways.

 

[Bill Tabor]

Here is the solution where I live:

http://www.houstonfreeways.com/modern/2007-01-07_80mph_west_texas.aspx

What's amazing is people still get tickets. An 80 MPH speed limit is not license to go 100

Sweet! What's the posted speed limit for driving through supercells?

 

[Bill Tabor]

For that reason I am not a fan of Kane county here in Illinois.

Tulia, Tx for me...long story.

 

[Bill Tabor]

You know...as I recall one really fast stretch of highway is northbound on IH35 north of the Tx border headed to OKC through Ardmore, etc. As I recall the average speed is about 85 to 90 mph. So, going with traffic flow is no problem when trying to get to the storm. However I seem to recall there aren't many turn offs or side roads in very rural country. I think these may be Indian reservation lands?