my first time

[EyeToEye]

So is it automatic that the trooper disarm you if you are asked to get out of the vehicle? Did she feel threatened by you since you were carrying? Do you look like a trouble maker, lol.

When I was stopped I handed my DL and CHL to the officer. The officer looked at the CHL for about 5 seconds, handed it back to me and said "dont need this". I was not disarmed during the stop but I was not asked to get out of the vehicle either.

I am just trying to understand the LEO's point of view. I am almost at the point were I believe that some, not all, LEOs will always disarm a CHL holder that is carrying no matter what.

[TexasGal]

Yep, I'd hate to be between two cars on the shoulder Wonder if the LEO would have been agreeable if you'd asked to move to a safer location?

Guessing she wanted him on the dash cam...

[RoyGBiv]

The one time I was stopped for speeding while carrying, after declaring (didn't want to reach for anything), then displaying my CHL, DL, etc, the trooper politely asked me to "keep my hands on the wheel". He went back to his vehicle, checked me out and wrote me a warning (NC). Easy. Honestly, I think having a CHL and the way I handled the weapn-in-the-vehicle issue during the stop got me out of the ticket (~68/55). No way to know for sure, just a feeling.

[steveincowtown]

I dont' think you have to "ask" to move to safe location, you need to choose a safe location to pull over in the first place (LEO's correct me if I am wrong). Signal your attention by turning on your flashers, and find a spot which you feel is safe. I would rather explain to a judge that based on the number of LEO's killed and or hit over the years while executing simple traffic stops and/or helping motorist on Texas highways, I felt better pulling to a safe location. Always keep in mind that a LEO can write you a ticket for whatever he pleases, it is a Judge/Jury who assess guilt or non guilt.

http://www.odmp.org/agency/1318-fort-wo ... ment-texas" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - of the last 6 officers killed in the line of duty in Fort Worth, 3 were "vehicular assaults."

[Charles L. Cotton]

Driving in excess of the posted speed limit is a crime. If one thinks the penalties are too severe, don't do it; OR leave earlier for your destination.

FWIW, I have no more sympathies for speeders than I do for rapists and bank robbers, etc. Let the punishment fit the crime. BTW, I think the the Old Testament is kinda' cool...but that's just me.

Except that most speed limits are revenue generators having little if anything to do with safety. Once over about 50 mph, the impact of a collision is usually going to have the same result on the occupants. So having a 65 mph limit on I-45 inside of Houston, 70 mph further out, and 80 mph in west Texas has no real impact on the death rate from accidents. The body may be in worse shape at 80 than 65, but dead is dead.

I know this isn't want traffic officers say and it's certainly not what agency administration will say, but pass a law that says all traffic fines go to the state for school funding and see what happens to traffic enforcement.

/rant

BTW, 15 mph over along won't support a reckless driving charge. It can't even effect your insurance rates until you are either 20 or 25 mph over.

Chas.

[sjfcontrol]

I know this isn't want traffic officers say and it's certainly not what agency administration will say, but pass a law that says all traffic fines go to the state for school funding and see what happens to traffic enforcement.

Chas.

WOW! What a Marvelous Idea! I LOVE it!

[steveincowtown]

Chas- Not to hijack a thread, isn't reckless driving completely based on...well driving recklessly? One officer may think 90MPH in a 75MPG is reckless...and one may not.

I didn't think Texas Law/Code had an actual defined MPH that would trigger the charge.

[flintknapper]

Driving in excess of the posted speed limit is a crime. If one thinks the penalties are too severe, don't do it; OR leave earlier for your destination.

FWIW, I have no more sympathies for speeders than I do for rapists and bank robbers, etc. Let the punishment fit the crime. BTW, I think the the Old Testament is kinda' cool...but that's just me.

Except that most speed limits are revenue generators having little if anything to do with safety. Once over about 50 mph, the impact of a collision is usually going to have the same result on the occupants. So having a 65 mph limit on I-45 inside of Houston, 70 mph further out, and 80 mph in west Texas has no real impact on the death rate from accidents. The body may be in worse shape at 80 than 65, but dead is dead.

I know this isn't want traffic officers say and it's certainly not what agency administration will say, but pass a law that says all traffic fines go to the state for school funding and see what happens to traffic enforcement.

/rant

BTW, 15 mph over along won't support a reckless driving charge. It can't even effect your insurance rates until you are either 20 or 25 mph over.

Chas.

Love it!

[Oldgringo]

I'll be doing 60mph in the outside lane provided that the posted speed limit is not less than 60 mph. Pedal to the metal everybody else and God speed.

"Dang the torpedoes - full steam ahead!"

[srothstein]

The state admitted, to my way of thinking, that it sees all tickets as revenue generation when it passed the surcharge bill for points. No one made any bones about it being a fund raising bill at the time.

I knew a few officers who would right tickets for any violation because they saw it as their job to enforce the law. Most of the officers who were not assigned to traffic would only write what they saw as safety violations. This is not what the courts or legislators or administrators would say, but it was the attitudes of most of the street cops I knew. We knew which laws were really revenue related and which were real safety problems. And most of us knew this from investigating accidents to see what caused them.

On the speed thing, I will point out that the impact is not really the whole point of slowing people down. A good part of it is also giving the people a better chance of avoiding an accident by keeping their car within its limits of handling and giving them a little extra reaction time. My personal opinion is that we need to teach people how to drive better to begin with, then do away with the speed limits on highways (similar to Germany and the autobahns - very few accidents though the ones they do have are bad ones).

On the reckless driving thing, there is no speed in Texas which automatically triggers it. The problem is the law is vague (unconstitutionally so, IMHO). Reckless driving is defined as driving with wilful or wanton disregard for people and property. I honestly have no idea how you prove that charge up.

[sjfcontrol]

The state admitted, to my way of thinking, that it sees all tickets as revenue generation when it passed the surcharge bill for points. No one made any bones about it being a fund raising bill at the time.

Steve -- As someone who's never been involved with Texas traffic tickets, can you tell us what this is?

[gigag04]

While it sucks getting tickets (even I got popped in '09), take that element out of traffic enforcement and see what you get.

A neighboring city voted to take down thier red light cameras, and it's now awful. I see people running a light almost every cycle. Are some people out there just writin what they can? Sure. I'm more in line with what Mr. Rothstien described, but they are out there.

For our dept, our motors guys work high accident and complaint areas, along with things like school bus operations.

[Fangs]

I think it's silly to regulate everyone to the abilities of the least capable. No, the soccer mom in her minivan with several screaming kids probably shouldn't be doing 90mph on a decently busy highway. I don't see why that should be held against me on a motorcycle at 4 am on that same highway when it's deserted.

I'd like to see what would happen if we kept the same laws, since I know simple traffic stops result in many arrests of drunks and criminals, but remove the penalty for open highway speeding. Double up on the responsibility factor though, like any accidents caused involving other vehicles while over the limit removes your privilege to travel at excess speeds for a year or so.

JMHO.

[srothstein]

The state admitted, to my way of thinking, that it sees all tickets as revenue generation when it passed the surcharge bill for points. No one made any bones about it being a fund raising bill at the time.

Steve -- As someone who's never been involved with Texas traffic tickets, can you tell us what this is?

I think it was four years ago. The state passed a law that assesses a surcharge on your driver's license for certain violations o combination of violations. This is done as a civil cost raising the DL cost so that it does not come under the limit on fines or extra punishment. Anyway, for each moving violation you get two points, but some (excessive speed - more than 15 over I think - is the one I remember) are three points. Points stay on license for three years. If you get six points, you have to pay $100 (I think) per year for three years. Some specific violations (no dl, no insurance, DWI, driving on a suspended license are examples) have their own surcharges instead of points. The surcharges go up to $2500 per year I think for the DWI.

Refusal to pay the surcharge means your license gets suspended.

As you can imagine, the program is under review now. Not many people paid the surcharges and most just kept driving on a suspended license.

[MadMonkey]

I think my record is 77 over (in a 60 ), back when I was young and dumb. Glad I didn't get a ticket that night!

I probably get more tickets than an average person, but at least it's usually once a year or less. As long as I keep a year between Defensive Driving classes I'm good

I don't think I've even hit 85mph in the last 2-3 years. I just don't have that urge for speed like I used to...