Oklahomans about to be ticketed for slow driving....

[jsw]

Nice.

For those who can't see the video, the gist is this: in Oklahoma, drivers driving below the speed limit in the left lane are now getting warnings but soon will get $206 (£6) tickets.

I don't like slow drivers in the left lane, and I especially hate people on cell phones who drive too slowly forever, but I'm not keen on laws where one can, at least in theory, get ticketed for driving anything but exactly the speed limit. They pulled one woman over for 62mph in a 65mph zone. Given the standard variance in speedometers, I think it's a bit unreasonable.

Fine by me if it's a warning or some trivial $20 ticket. But $206 for driving a few miles under the speed limit? Seems severe to me.

And note that I very much detest slow drivers in the left lane. I'm just not a fan of yet one more way to unfairly generate revenue.

 

[eb6]

Not this Oklahoman

 

[wightstraker]

It seems the deeper you move into the midwest the more aggressive the police get with ticketing; the lower the population density, the more towns depending on ticketing for revenue.

On the east coast drivers seem to get away with doing just about anything - no offense to my coastal friends.

 

[bartelby]

In the uk last week a woman was banned from driving and ordered to retake her test for driving at 10mph, whilst straddling the hard shoulder and continually braking when cars passed her, on a motorway (speed limit 70mph).

She told police it was a one off as she panicked. But in the rear window was a sign:

 

[iBlue]

That's rubbish if they can really ticket for going 3 mph under the speed limit. It should go by percentages like it does for speeding. (10-15% IIRC?) So like 6-8mph under MAYBE but it should go to those who are clearly holding up traffic and or going 10mph under.

Should is a useless word though, clearly.

 

[emw]

I agree that it has it's pros and cons. While nice that it may get some slowpokes out of the left lane, since I tend to drive somewhat over the limit, even someone driving less over the limit than I am is annoying

And as you say, this essentially gives the police free reign to give tickets regardless of how you're driving. Of course, it's seems to be okay to drive slowly in the right lane.

 

[Queso]

In the uk last week a woman was banned from driving and ordered to retake her test for driving at 10mph, whilst straddling the hard shoulder and continually braking when cars passed her, on a motorway (speed limit 70mph).

You'd think she'd just cycle. Probably get there quicker if she did.

 

[devilot]

They pulled one woman over for 62mph in a 65mph zone. Given the standard variance in speedometers, I think it's a bit unreasonable.

A bit?! That was one of my first thoughts, too. Just about any car I've ever sat in that's gone by a little speed clocker doohickey (and of course those are super accurate, too ) shows a deviation of anywhere from 1-3 mph. How on Earth is this really being enacted?

On the east coast drivers seem to get away with doing just about anything - no offense to my coastal friends.

Maybe the east coasters get away w/ stuff, but we sure as heck don't in CA. Dah! Stupid CHP.

 

[PlaceofDis]

That's rubbish if they can really ticket for going 3 mph under the speed limit. It should go by percentages like it does for speeding. (10-15% IIRC?) So like 6-8mph under MAYBE but it should go to those who are clearly holding up traffic and or going 10mph under.

Should is a useless word though, clearly.

i agree with this. if its 10mph under or more then sure ticket, but keep it within 10mph of the speed limit and you're okay. at least thats my take on it. then again here, the speed limit is 55, which really should be raised imo.

 

[bartelby]

Going slower should have the same variance threshold as going over.
So in the Uk speed cameras have a 10% variance threshold.
30mph zone and you do 26 = Penalty!
40mph zone and you do 35 = Penalty!

70mph zone and you do 10 = Firing squad

 

[Markleshark]

$206 (£6) tickets.

Hahahaha. Funny and True.

Speed is such a grey area in the UK. I failed a driving test not for breaking the speed limit but 'reaching it too quickly' WTF??

 

[Abstract]

Is it really 10%?

I think in Australia, they assume the uncertainty is around 3 or 5 km/h over or under the limit. If they really did give people a 10% leeway, going 120 km/h in a 110 km/h zone is still OK because 10% of 120 km/h is 12 km/h, and you may still be going at 110 km/h, except that the speed gun is wrong.

 

[Crawn2003]

I agree to an extent.

I don't know how many times I would have like to pass to the left (because the car in front of me was going at or below the speed limit) and the car in the left lane was either going the same speed as the car in front of me or was next to me going the same speed.

~Crawn

 

[bartelby]

Speed is such a grey area in the UK. I failed a driving test not for breaking the speed limit but 'reaching it too quickly' WTF??

Accelerating too hard.
That on it's own isn't a fail, unless you did it all the time.

 

[Koodauw]

I think its a good law. I mean its not for anyone who is driving under the speed limit, just those in the passing lane.

 

[motomullet]

Good. I hate people that drive slow in the passing lane. Having to pass on the right is dangerous, and having to follow slow moving road blocks is annoying to say the least.

 

[saxman]

I'm not sure how this would be an issue in Oklahoma. I've lived and driven in a lot of states in the mid-west, and I think Oklahoma drivers are more aggressive than Missouri, Kansas or Arkansas. Probably not like NYC or Chicago drivers, but still more aggressive than neighboring states.

A good idea, but exactly the speed limit is unfair. What if the driver in the right hand lane is going the minimum? How do you pass if you can't/won't drive exactly the speed limit?

 

[heehee]

I do strongly agree with this. If you are not passing, get off the left lane, it's simple, even if you are doing the speed limit. It's a PASSING LANE!

 

[IDANNY]

A bit?! That was one of my first thoughts, too. Just about any car I've ever sat in that's gone by a little speed clocker doohickey (and of course those are super accurate, too ) shows a deviation of anywhere from 1-3 mph. How on Earth is this really being enacted?

Maybe the east coasters get away w/ stuff, but we sure as heck don't in CA. Dah! Stupid CHP.

yah chp sucks, Vegas police are way more relaxed.

 

[faintember]

I think its a good law. I mean its not for anyone who is driving under the speed limit, just those in the passing lane.

Exactly. If you are in the left hand/passing lane then you should be doing at least the speed limit.

However the tolerances for this do seem to be a bit out of whack with speedometer calibration as others have stated. Maybe the police were just pulling everyone over that was technically in violation of the new law during the "warning only" phase, and later will take speedometer calibration into account when the monetary fines come into play.

 

[Markleshark]

Accelerating too hard.
That on it's own isn't a fail, unless you did it all the time.

Thats just it, I wasn't hammering it away from standing. Even more room for my confusion.

 

[benbondu]

A good idea, but exactly the speed limit is unfair. What if the driver in the right hand lane is going the minimum? How do you pass if you can't/won't drive exactly the speed limit?

This law can't be enforced on people in the process of passing slow vehicles to the right. As long as you get back into the right lane after overtaking, you should be fine even if you're going a little under the speed limit. If, on the other hand, you stay in the left lane and force other cars to pass you on the right, you deserve to be ticketed.

 

[dabirdwell]

Not going to be a problem for me

But when the largest highway around is three lanes at most (or just two like most of the way between Norman and OKC), traffic alone is going to force people to drive slower than the limit a lot of the time. So what do you do, not use the left lane unless it's open? I see a paradox here...

In any case, I don't think law enforcement should ever be tied to revenue generation for a municipality/state. Inherent conflict of interest.

 

[dukebound85]

colorado has a law that if you arent passing, you cant be in left hand lane. this is what OK should have done

makes you wonder about the speed limit as it's a LIMIT

 

[jsw]

But when the largest highway around is three lanes at most (or just two like most of the way between Norman and OKC), traffic alone is going to force people to drive slower than the limit a lot of the time. So what do you do, not use the left lane unless it's open? I see a paradox here...

Technically, that's what they're saying. The law would encourage even more jams on the road because you couldn't be in the left lane except to pass, meaning if the middle lane started to go faster than the left lane, all left lane vehicles could get ticketed.

I think it's all stupid and clearly just a way to bump revenue. It'd be far better to ticket "reckless" drivers or those who are endangering public welfare or creating a nuisance - which could include driving too slowly. Of course, that's a lot harder to prove. And would make less money.

And, in the end, it's all about the money.