UL article: I-95 speed trap

[KBCraig]

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=I-95+speed+trap%3a+Any+topping+80+got+wacked&articleId=4f949dba-2641-49fe-a6c0-5117268e289c

I-95 speed trap: Any topping 80 got wacked

By MARK HAYWARD
Union Leader Staff
55 minutes ago

Northbound Interstate-95 was a speed trap yesterday, as New Hampshire state police issued 125 tickets during an eight-hour-long effort designed to slow down holiday traffic, police said.

Speeding was so bad that police let off most people with a warning if they were driving under 80 mph, said Lt. Robert Quinn, who oversaw the operation.

"Unfortunately, it was very easy getting that many over 80. You concentrate on the high ones," said Quinn, the commander of the Troop A barracks, which covers Rockingham and Strafford counties.

Several speeders were clocked over 100 mph, he said. In all, about 140 cars were pulled over, and 125 tickets written, he said.

People who were ticketed for speeds over 90 mph must appear at Hampton District Court and could lose their license, Quinn said. Two people were charged with misdemeanor drug charges after police pulled over the car for speeding and saw marijuana in plain view, he said.

Daniel A. Pray, 19, of Auburn, Mass., was charged with transporting marijuana. Kenneth Hoyt, 19, of Shrewsbury, Mass., was charged with possession of marijuana.

In other areas of the state, police also made efforts to crack down. Near Manchester, state police concentrated on southbound traffic moving out of the Hooksett tolls, said state police Sgt. Jim Geraghty. Two enforcement details were in place, one for each fork in the highway.

"They were looking for everything. They just wanted to have high visibility," he said.

Quinn said the enhanced enforcement patrol was located on the northbound side of I-95 about four miles south of the Hampton toll booths. Traffic was heavy most of the day, he said.

The effort took place from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Police parked a minivan at the side of the highway. Inside were two officers who used a laser device to clock the speed of oncoming cars about 1,500 feet away.

They radioed information about the speeders to chase cars. A dozen marked cruisers were lined up to run down a speeder, issue a ticket and then return and wait in line for a turn at the next speeder.

"It was an enforcement initiative to slow down the motoring public during a busy holiday weekend," Quinn said.

[KBCraig]

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=I-95+speed+trap%3a+Any+topping+80+got+wacked&articleId=4f949dba-2641-49fe-a6c0-5117268e289c

( . . . )

Police parked a minivan at the side of the highway. Inside were two officers who used a laser device to clock the speed of oncoming cars about 1,500 feet away.

They radioed information about the speeders to chase cars. A dozen marked cruisers were lined up to run down a speeder, issue a ticket and then return and wait in line for a turn at the next speeder.

"It was an enforcement initiative to slow down the motoring public during a busy holiday weekend," Quinn said.

B-effin'-S!

If they wanted to slow down traffic, they would park marked cruisers where they were very visible to drivers. Or, they'd put active radar units every couple of miles, to slow down those using detectors. Instead, they used an unmarked minivan to check speed, and hidden cruisers to chase down speeders.

That's not a deterrent action, that's a revenue collection action.

Let's see, 125 tickets, at (I'm guessing) $200 a pop amounts to $25,000. Subtract 10-16 troopers, at probably $150 apiece for a day's work, and the operation netted at least $22,600.



Kevin

[tracysaboe]

This is what we "celebrate" memorial day for. All them freedoms those miserable soldiers died for.

Tracy

[aries]

My tiny town of 700 had 3 state police out giving tickets out at the intersection of Route 302 and 3.

There's a corner where people going west on route 302 rarely slow down to 30, the limit changes to 30 for NO reason at all, and the cop was just around the corner waving people over to the side of the road. I noticed him when I drove down the road eastbound, so I slowed down and didn't get pulled over, but he probably gave out a good 50 tickets, at least. There were 2 other police further up route 3.

[Lloyd Danforth]

CT state cops gave out 1206 speeding tickets over the weekend.

[JonM]

I was driving down I-495 in Mass this morning, just passed some big trucks in the left most lane doing 80 and a state trooper got on my bumper, but before I noticed him he moved over, passed me on the right, then moved over to the rightmost lane to pass another guy on the right.

[AlanM]

I was driving down I-495 in Mass this morning, just passed some big trucks in the left most lane doing 80 and a state trooper got on my bumper, but before I noticed him he moved over, passed me on the right, then moved over to the rightmost lane to pass another guy on the right.

And?

[KBCraig]

I was driving down I-495 in Mass this morning, just passed some big trucks in the left most lane doing 80 and a state trooper got on my bumper, but before I noticed him he moved over, passed me on the right, then moved over to the rightmost lane to pass another guy on the right.

And?

Passing on the right is unsafe and illegal. But, just like speeding, it becomes safe and legal if you're in a police car. 

[AlanM]

I was driving down I-495 in Mass this morning, just passed some big trucks in the left most lane doing 80 and a state trooper got on my bumper, but before I noticed him he moved over, passed me on the right, then moved over to the rightmost lane to pass another guy on the right.

And?

Passing on the right is unsafe and illegal. But, just like speeding, it becomes safe and legal if you're in a police car. 

Passing on the right is legal in NH, and (correct me if I am wrong) I believe it is legal in MA.

[Fluff and Stuff]

Not only that, but speeding, if it is less than 10 miles over, is ususally safer than not speeding on the interstate (so long as traffic is no so thick that you are forced to move slow).

[toowm]

I got pulled over by a Mass state copy on Friday - I passed him as he was going 75, but my record is clean  and he just gave me a warning.

[Atlas]

Isn't public safety threatened when cops continually pull people over all day long?

[Dreepa]

Once gas got to over $2.50 I set the cruise control to 60mph.

[KBCraig]

Isn't public safety threatened when cops continually pull people over all day long?

Absolutely. Traffic flowing smoothly at 70-100mph is much safer than the accordian effect that you see whenever a cruiser is spotted and everyone slams on their brakes.

[aries]

Once gas got to over $2.50 I set the cruise control to 60mph.

I've been going slower as well.

I don't need speed limit signs to tell me what speed to go, but when gas is $2.75 at its cheapest around here, I try and keep it under 70 on the highway, and under 60 on the road (where the limit is 55. I do the limit when it's 50/40)