Gerald Nickels

Back when 55 was the LAW I was in my 64 Vista wife and three kids. I thought I was going 55 then this Cop pulled alongside of me telling to pull over. He gave me a ticket for 58 in a 55 Zone. Can someone top that.

no1oldsfan

I was on the other end too many times. I was clocked way over the speed limit so many times. Back in the early days they would sit and bs with you and let you go.

tom99

A few years back, just east of Beaumont, Texas I was stopped by Texas DPS. I was clocked on radar doing 71mph, in a 70 mph zone. I got a written warning, and was told to watch my speed. The rest of my trip I had the cruse control set on 69 mph.

rocketraider

Any time LE is writing tickets for less than 5 over, somebody above them is invariably hammering them about revenue. The worst offenders are little chickenshit towns trying to balance a budget on traffic fines, which is why many states limit traffic fine revenue to 3% or less of a local government's line item budget.

Generally accepted speedometer accuracy standards are +- 2mph, even on supposed "certified" police car speedometers. Likewise a radar instrument can be "calibrated" same as any other electronic gizmo.

I wish there was speed enforcement on some roads I travel regularly. I admittedly am generally traveling 3-5 over the speed limit but 70 in a congested 45 area is beyond the pale and not uncommon here, along with a lot of aggressive driving and unsafe movements.

But this is NASCAR and VIR country.

joe_padavano

^^^THIS. I've noticed that when tax revenue declined during COVID, a lot of the local jurisdictions here in NoVA dramatically stepped up traffic law enforcement, presumably to make up for the shortfall.

edzolz

On the other end too. When I was attending a Jr College close to home, I had a 61 Vette that I had installed a 350 horse 327. A friend and I had been visiting some girls and we were coming home around 11:00. I dropped off a hill and nailed it, Noticing a car behind me but thought nothing of it. After I had topped out, don't know how fast but the cable drive tach had quit working, I could see red lights. I pulled over and the highway patrol walked up and asked why I stopped because I would have easily outran him. I said, well you know where I live because I own the only Corvette in the county.

rocketraider

1981 original



And a badass CGI remake


Somehow just seemed appropriate for this thread. Now imagine it with a Hurst/Olds or a W30 instead of 59 and 62 Corvettes.

Oldsguy

That CGI remake is very, very cool. I remember the first time I watched that movie in a drive in theatre the graphics for the time were impressive but the sound kind of lacked. But overall a very impressive experience. This kind of reminds me of a video as seen by a drone or something as it goes down the road then when it splats on a windshield you realize you were seeing it through a bug's view point. Can't remember the movie or maybe a music video beginning not sure.

chip-powell

I can see it from the other side also. Down where I live in southern Maryland, we have what is called on the local news "The deadliest road in the entire state". Route 210 is a long, flat, straight 4 lane divided highway for several miles and people have been drag racing and dying on it for years.

Well, the state in their infinite wisdom decided to put speed cameras up. Problem solved right? Wrong! Somehow a cap got put on how high a fine can be. So now, whether your going 20 over the speed limit or 120 over it. The max fine that you can get is $40. The local paper just put out about a car clocked doing 168 on the camera. The driver still only got a $40 fine.

bw1339

It's also possible that OP was going more than 3MPH over the limit, but the cop decided to be kind. It has happened to me more than a few times.

matt69olds

My 2 bullshit ticket stories:

I was driving my Ram on a divided 4 lane highway. There was an arrogant state trooper right in front of me. I say arrogant because he was going a few mph under the speed limit, and had for several miles. Needless to say, traffic was backup for quite a distance, as nobody wanted to pass him.

Finally, I come to my exit. The exit is a long gentle sweeping downhill exit, giving the illusion that I’m speeding up as I exit. I want to make it clear, I did NOT accelerate!!

Suddenly the cop cuts in behind me with his lights flashing. I immediately turn on the flashers and slow down. I’m not pulling over on the exit, I drive an additional 1/4 until there is a wide open spot to stop. The guy is young, and I’m guessing out to make a name for himself. My wife was with me, she had already gotten the registration and insurance info out of the glove box. The cop immediately tears into me for not stopping as soon as he pulled in behind me. No change in attitude when I told him it probably wasn’t a good idea to stop on a narrow exit. He then points to the gauges on my A pillar (I have 3 auxiliary gauges to monitor the diesel engine) and says “with all these gauges you don’t know how fast you’re going?!” I calmly told him I was going the speed limit. He carries on for a little longer, then goes back to his car.

A few minutes later he comes back. He gives me a warning to “SLOW DOWN!!” Never did say how fast I was supposedly going, no other explanation. Didn’t get a written warning, just the verbal. Maybe he felt a little compassion for my clean driving record?

Story #2, this happened probably 25 years ago. I was driving my 78 Grand Prix, a car I paid 75 bucks and probably should have talked down the seller. It was dark, I had just left a friends house to retrieved my engine stand I had loaned him. Needless to say, the trunk wouldn’t close with the stand inside, so I had the trunk lid held down with a rachet strap.

My friend lives way out in the country, I’m driving with my high beams on. There is a car probably a half mile in front of me, driving pretty slow, so slow in fact it doesn’t long for me to catch up to the 4 way stop. The guy stops, then slowly goes thru the intersection and stops. I stop, then turn to the right. The car backs up and then turns to follow me, and turns on his lights.

I know the routine, license, registration, I have all that ready. Goes to his car, comes back a few minutes later. He asks “where is your license plate?”

Keep in mind, this is a 75 dollar car!! The licence plate holder was broken, the plate was propped up in the back window. He couldn’t see it, due to the trunk being open. He then starts in on me not dimming my headlights soon enough when I was following him. Basically, nit picking.

Im guessing he drove by my friends house and noticed the car, or maybe heard me when I would visit. This is the Grand Prix that I swapped the 425 Olds into, it had a pretty aggressive sound. I’m betting he saw the car, saw no license plate, and figured when he saw me driving it would be an easy ticket or impound.

His final comment: “Get the license plate fixed!” 🙄

oldcutlass

So a small mph over the speed limit is not speeding, kinda like almost pregnant...

matt69olds

Here is a positive cop story!!

I have a retired county sheriff friend who just happens to be an Olds fanatic. He has a 70 442 that he bought as a kid, he tore it part years ago for a restoration that will probably never be finished. He has moved 3 times, all three times the car and parts go with him.

Occasionally, I would do cop-ride-alongside with him. Because of that, I knew all his speed trap hiding spots.

One day, I’m driving the Olds and I see his car in one of his spots. I decide, I’m going to have a little fun. I stop in the road just a little distance from his car and proceeded to do a rod-stretching John Force burnout.

A few days later, I see him. He said he really wish I wouldn’t do that again. I asked why not, noise wake you up?! He told me he had someone else riding along, and was a little uncomfortable explaining why he didn’t come after me.

no1oldsfan

58 in a 55 is a lame excuse to pull someone over.

Fun71

Seriously?