Nice, huh? Girl gets arrested for warning of speed trap.

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

http://news.yahoo.com/video/speed-tr...080000521.html

I always warn oncoming by flashing my brights 3 times, then repeating that. I got in trouble once as a cop saw the reflection on a sign after I passed him and pulled me over and chewed my ass....but evidently couldn't do anything.

[Ghosty]

Evidently they CAN do something. This is the same situation pretty much as that guy that got a ticket for flashing his highbeams warning of an upcoming speed trap. I think I saw a thread here a couple/few months ago?...

Cops claim he was "obstruction of justice", or whatever that played out thing is they use whenever they can.

[mistykz]

Wasn't that guy let off under the pretense that it was a form of speech, or something along those lines?

[madvlad]

I did that at 225 and Parker yesterday when I was on my way back from a roadside call. Cop just gave me a look on his motorcycle like "is this dude serious?".... Yes, I was and don't care.

[asp_125]

Cops don't like it when you interfere with their revenue stream.

[rforsythe]

Didn't watch the vid, did she get arrested for obstruction of justice? I once heard a local cop tell me he could do that if he saw someone driving with a radar detector as well, but IMO that's a stretch and likely to get thrown out - not to mention pisses a lot of people off.

[grim]

radar detectors are legal in CO so they cannot do shit about it.

You cannot get a ticket for "warning" that there are officers ahead that is Freedom of speech, that would be like an officer pulling us over if he understood what we meant when we pat the top of our helmet warning other riders, sure he can pull us over but he cannot give us a ticket. However the officer can ticket you for "failure to dim your lights when facing oncoming vehicles" your high beams cannot be on when any vehicle is present that may cause a distraction, or temporary blindness.

[Nick_Ninja]

Cops don't like it when you interfere with their ego.

fixored

[Matty]

that would be like an officer pulling us over if he understood what we meant when we pat the top of our helmet warning other riders,

All traffic cops know that gesture....

[Jmetz]

Hopefully a passerby will testify that she wasn't in the street.

[Jmetz]

Didn't watch the vid, did she get arrested for obstruction of justice? I once heard a local cop tell me he could do that if he saw someone driving with a radar detector as well, but IMO that's a stretch and likely to get thrown out - not to mention pisses a lot of people off.

Initially the told her obstruction but the actual ticket was for being in the street when a sidewalk was present. She wasn't in the street.

[Titus]

I see the ACLU coming to her aid, which they should.

[Ezzzzy1]

So could someone get a ticket for tapping on their helmet when they see a cop on their bike?

[Ghosty]

I see the ACLU coming to her aid, which they should.

Side-note, interestingly enough they're coming to the aid of the KKK, specifically to defend their right to "Adopt-a-Highway" (sponsorship/litter pickup) in some other state.

I believe they should in this case as well.

[salsashark]

Initially the told her obstruction but the actual ticket was for being in the street when a sidewalk was present. She wasn't in the street.

So she says now... How many perfect little victims are there in this world?!

"Oh, I did nothing wrong and the bad man locked me up..."








I'd be interested in seeing the dash cam from the cop car...

[asp_125]

She got the "being in the street" ticket because it was the only thing he could trump her up on it. There was no law that prohibited warning signage. I once saw a little kid on a bicycle doing the same thing .. yeah, bet the cops will arrest a little kid too.

If there was a dash cam on the cruiser a lawyer could ask for it to be shown, I'd bet it shows she wasn't in the street.

[I`m Batman]

Or just don't speed.
I used to do the whole flash thing but now that I'm older and have kids, it's not safe and I hope they (speeders) get tickets. The cops are just doing their job. If you don't speed, you won't get a ticket and nothing to complain about. Pretty simple.

Can you imagine if there were no cops out there giving out speeding tickets? People would go NUTS! Can you imagine how many more accidents we will see?

[Jmetz]

So she says now... How many perfect little victims are there in this world?!

"Oh, I did nothing wrong and the bad man locked me up..."








I'd be interested in seeing the dash cam from the cop car...

From the video I can see no reason she would've needed to be in the street.

[Ghosty]

Or just don't speed.
I used to do the whole flash thing but now that I'm older and have kids, it's not safe and I hope they (speeders) get tickets. The cops are just doing their job. If you don't speed, you won't get a ticket and nothing to complain about. Pretty simple.

You might be the only person on this board who drives exactly the speed limit or under, hahaa. The main argument here is not about speeding, but rather about this girls rights being infringed upon, practically police harrassment over her excercising freedom of speech. If she was holding a sign that was highly offensive, threatening people, insighting a riot, or something like that, it MIGHT be a different case, but it wasn't.

I agree there should be a limited amount of reckless driving or excessive speeding, especially in traffic or inside the city & neighborhoods, and we as offenders deserve tickets IF we get caught. BUT WE ALL pretty much drive at least 5-10 over posted limits, in a safe manner, on a very regular basis, everyday.

[I`m Batman]

haha... I do go about 5-7 mph over most of the time... but usually under in the neighborhood streets

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Cops don't like it when you interfere with their revenue stream.

This.....

[salsashark]

From the video I can see no reason she would've needed to be in the street.

and I saw nothing in the posted video claiming that was the exact spot that she was arrested... with the three foot grass strip before the street started.

You know... because the media is completely honest and would NEVER take certain liberties like film an interview in a different location to imply something other then what happened.

Oh... and the police who beat the crap out of Rodney King had nothing better to do that night, so they went out and decided to go all ballistic on this poor innocent Rodney, just on his way home from Whole Foods with organic milk for a new litter of kittens

[Ghost]

Can you imagine if there were no cops out there giving out speeding tickets? People would go NUTS! Can you imagine how many more accidents we will see?

Bullshit.

When Montana had "reasonable and prudent" instead of an actual speed limit, most surveys and studies found that driving became safer.

http://www.motorists.org/press/monta...safety-paradox

Summary of the effects of no daytime speed limits:

1. Fatal accident rates on these highways reached an all time low in modern times.
2. On 2 lane highways with no posted limits the frequency of multiple vehicle accidents dropped 5 percent.
3. Seat belt usage is up to 91% percent, with only a secondary enforcement law.
4. Posted limits and their enforcement, had either no or a negative effect on traffic safety.
5. As predicted by the engineering models, traffic speeds did not significantly change and remained consistent with other western states with like conditions.
6. The people of Montana and its visitors continued to drive at speeds they were comfortable with, which were often speeds lower than their counter parts on high density urban freeways* with low posted limits.
7. The theory behind posting speed limits on these classifications of highway is to reduce conflicts in traffic flow (caused by speed differential), thereby reducing accidents. On the two lane highways flow conflict accidents (multiple vehicle) decreased when the limits were removed. When added to the Autobahn results and the no change found on Montana’s Interstates, this thesis needs to be rethought because the field data on highways without posted limits doesn’t support it. With the expectation of higher speed differentials, multiple vehicle accident rates declined even when the actual speeds did not change significantly. This suggests the changes are the result of positive motorists behavior (courtesy and due caution).
8. In traffic engineering findings the vehicles traveling faster than average have the lowest accident rates, yet they are the primary targets of speed enforcement. To this we can now add, with speed limits there was no positive correlation between speed enforcement and accident rates on rural free flowing highways, if anything, the highways became less safe.
MONTANA PARADOX: Is that the desired safety effect from posting speed limits was achieved by removing them.

Followup Footnote: At the end of 2001, a year after Montana implemented its new NHTSA backed and sponsored enforcement program, fatalities increased significantly. Now another year of data is in (2002), Montana just recorded a 20 year high in fatal accidents.

We have two choices, we can follow those policies that result in a net reduction in fatalities, or those that have been documented for over 70 years to actually increase fatalities. After decades of NHTSA propagated myths, we as a nation have chosen the later.

Supporting an industry, according to the FHWA, that issues over 90 percent of its speed citations for "speed limits which are set artificially low... misallocate resources, apprehending and prosecuting motorists driving at safe speeds".

"Reasonable and Prudent"

Basic Rule Speed Restriction

Motorists were to comply with the "basic rule" speed limit when they drove, in a manner that did not unreasonably endanger other highway users. To ensure this, drivers were to be constantly alert to changing traffic conditions and adjust their speed as conditions varied. These conditions were numerous and could change rapidly. Thus drivers were to be alert for:

• the amount and type of traffic sharing the highway with them. The traffic could have been heavy or light and may have included trucks, cars, motorhomes, farm equipment, and motorcycles.
• changing weather conditions that could have affected driver visibility and road conditions. These conditions could have included fog or snow and road surface conditions such as water or ice.
• the type of vehicle they were driving, particularly the condition of their brakes and the weight of their vehicle, which affects braking ability.
• the character of the highway they were driving. Drivers were to adjust their speed for hills or for winding and narrow roads.
• the presence of intersections, railway grade crossings or pedestrians.

Driving in a careful and prudent manner, complying with the basic rule, required drivers to be constantly alert and mindful of their personal responsibility not only for their own safety but also for that of other highway users.

http://www.us-highways.com/montana/reasonable.htm

[Jmetz]

and I saw nothing in the posted video claiming that was the exact spot that she was arrested... with the three foot grass strip before the street started.

You know... because the media is completely honest and would NEVER take certain liberties like film an interview in a different location to imply something other then what happened.

Oh... and the police who beat the crap out of Rodney King had nothing better to do that night, so they went out and decided to go all ballistic on this poor innocent Rodney, just on his way home from Whole Foods with organic milk for a new litter of kittens

I wont argue about the media. As personally being a victim of police bullshit and lying on several occasions, in this case I'll take her word over theirs.