Tippecanoe Co.'s MRAP

[KLB]

Totally different issue, and at this point, totally hypothetical. The reality is we do have speed limits. A coinciding reality is that when police are around, enforcing not only speed limits but other traffic offenses, people drive "better" for the most part.

How about something from the last 10 years on urban/suburban streets?

As another derail (can you derail a thread about a wheeled vehicle?) it is not really a surprise to me that people drive "reasonably" in a no speed limit environment. Roundabouts require a certain amount of reasonableness to be safe, and they are safer (so far) than 4 way stops or 4 way stoplights.

People drive more safely when they can SEE the police car. If safety is the goal, the officer would be much more effective driving down the road at the desired speed. Hiding around corners and/or using unmarked cars to catch people being bad does little to nothing to stop people from speeding.

For whatever the reason, the trend is more and more to hide the officer and pull people over. Whether it is to generate revenue or interactions with people that could lead to other charges/confiscations is something that only the departments can know.

How about something from the last 10 years on urban/suburban streets?

How many police cars do you see looking for speeders on urban/suburban streets? There is also a world of difference between speeds on those streets and highways.

The speed limits are kept artificially low in many instances. If they set the limits where the majority of the drivers were actually driving, there would be much less of an issue.

 

[T.Lex]

Whether it is to generate revenue or interactions with people that could lead to other charges/confiscations is something that only the departments can know.

Well, my point is that, at least in Indiana, it is a net-loss in terms of revenue for the locality. Which tends to support the interactions-as-active-policing option.

How many police cars do you see looking for speeders on urban/suburban streets? There is also a world of difference between speeds on those streets and highways.

This is speculation, but I'd bet there are more tickets written by local jurisdictions - police/sheriff deputies - than ISP. I'd even guess it 10x.

The speed limits are kept artificially low in many instances. If they set the limits where the majority of the drivers were actually driving, there would be much less of an issue.

Man, I can't remember the name of it, but there's a civil engineer manual that defines what a speed limit should be set at. As I recall, one of the principles is that it should be no less than the 85th percentile of what people are actually driving. Now, there are other factors, such as how many "entrances" there are in the area (residential has more, boulevard has less) and how far apart they are.

I'm not saying there aren't places with "artificially" low speed limits. I'm just saying there's engineering "mumbo jumbo" that's supposed to go into setting them.

 

[Stang51d]

I always feel safer when law enforcement is stopping people for speeding. They are saving lives!!!

Like in this vid, had they not stopped this car, there could have been a BAD wreck!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lva2Y0mSr50





yes, all purple

 

[T.Lex]

And to bring it full circle, maybe the MRAP can be used to pull up behind each traffic stop. Like those big dump trucks park "upstream" of INDOT workers.

 

[Stang51d]

And to bring it full circle, maybe the MRAP can be used to pull up behind each traffic stop. Like those big dump trucks park "upstream" of INDOT workers.

Yep, because that would be better for the driver then hitting a crown vic.

 

[T.Lex]

Yep, because that would be better for the driver then hitting a crown vic.

Better for the officer and the person they pulled over. Who is INGO more worried about - the hapless victim of overzealous police traffic enforcement, the officer, or the distracted/drunk/inept driver who crashes?

ETA:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pam.21798/full

A naïve OLS regression of accidents on tickets suggests that there is no impact of tickets on accidents. However, an analysis using exogenous variation in the number of tickets issued to identify the causal effect of tickets on road safety gives rise to distinctly different results—tickets in fact lead to fewer motor vehicle accidents. Further, tickets help to reduce nonfatal injuries stemming from motor vehicle accidents. In addition, the heterogeneous impact of tickets suggests that there is scope for intervention, for example, by allocating more resources toward municipalities with higher population densities and increase traffic enforcement at night since tickets have a larger impact during nighttime.... However, there do not appear to be differences in the impact of tickets on different age groups. Overall, the findings of this paper suggest that as unpopular as traffic tickets are among drivers, motorist behavior does respond to tickets.

Uh.. the part that I took out...

Also, females appear to be more deterred by traffic law enforcement than men.

Whodathunkit? :lol:

 

[RobbyMaQ]

No man who supports DST works a labor or construction job. DST is strictly for golfers only.

Robby, TCSD doesn't answer dance off challenges unless the challenger supplies a sample video. The department doesn't have time to dedicate to mere puffery.

I've got street cred. I can moonwalk in boots, on gravel, uphill, both ways. Rhino is my witness.

 

[LockStocksAndBarrel]

I would like to know where to get one! If they are giving them away for free, surely there is a sign up sheet or something?

 

[KLB]

Well, my point is that, at least in Indiana, it is a net-loss in terms of revenue for the locality. Which tends to support the interactions-as-active-policing option.

I disagree with the notion that there is a net-loss, unless your contention is that these officers are hired just to give out tickets.
I do agree it is more likely to generate interactions. Then of course we can get into forfeitures.

This is speculation, but I'd bet there are more tickets written by local jurisdictions - police/sheriff deputies - than ISP. I'd even guess it 10x.

I would agree in total tickets, but maybe not on an officer by officer account. How many more local officers are there than ISP?

Man, I can't remember the name of it, but there's a civil engineer manual that defines what a speed limit should be set at. As I recall, one of the principles is that it should be no less than the 85th percentile of what people are actually driving. Now, there are other factors, such as how many "entrances" there are in the area (residential has more, boulevard has less) and how far apart they are.

I'm not saying there aren't places with "artificially" low speed limits. I'm just saying there's engineering "mumbo jumbo" that's supposed to go into setting them.

I am speaking more about expressways than urban streets here. I have heard about this and I don't think they use it on Interstates in a lot of areas.

 

[D-Ric902]

I got pulled over for doing 105 mph in a 30 zone. Sheriff followed me home and said he would tell my mother if I did it again. Chewed me out pretty good about not wanting to scrape me up off the highway.

 

[steveh_131]

As another derail (can you derail a thread about a wheeled vehicle?) it is not really a surprise to me that people drive "reasonably" in a no speed limit environment. Roundabouts require a certain amount of reasonableness to be safe, and they are safer (so far) than 4 way stops or 4 way stoplights.

Yes, roundabouts are a fantastic example of letting people use their brains instead of turning off their brains and following signals.

They are safer and faster.

This principle of human nature, in my mind, applies to every area of traffic control.

 

[HoughMade]

Yes, roundabouts are a fantastic example of letting people use their brains instead of turning off their brains and following signals.

They are safer and faster.

This principle of human nature, in my mind, applies to every area of traffic control.

I think you and I must be a rare minority in our thoughts about roundabouts in our particular corner of the world.

 

[steveh_131]

I think you and I must be a rare minority in our thoughts about roundabouts in our particular corner of the world.

Really? Are they unpopular?

I think that the times they fail are when people encounter them who are too used to following traffic signals. Having to stop and use your eyes and brain and awareness is just too much for them.

And I think this is why our roads are unsafe.

 

[LockStocksAndBarrel]

We've been on a roundabout installation roll around here in St. Joe County. I believe their success is directly related to the intelligence of those behind the wheel. I love them but most of the drivers here are clueless. Sad. SMH

 

[HoughMade]

Really? Are they unpopular?

I think that the times they fail are when people encounter them who are too used to following traffic signals. Having to stop and use your eyes and brain and awareness is just too much for them.

And I think this is why our roads are unsafe.

First of all, if you have to stop, somebody's doing it wrong. I think they're great. However until the hog farm thing, they seemed to be the biggest cause of consternation in Valpo.

 

[steveh_131]

We've been on a roundabout installation roll around here in St. Joe County. I believe their success is directly related to the intelligence of those behind the wheel. I love them but most of the drivers here are clueless. Sad. SMH

Even a monkey can turn his head and see if there's a car coming.

I think it's because we've encouraged ourselves to turn off our brains when driving. Dark, icy road? Speed limit's 55, I'm going 60! Watching for cop cars, not black ice! Things like that.

First of all, if you have to stop, somebody's doing it wrong. I think they're great. However until the hog farm thing, they seemed to be the biggest cause of consternation in Valpo.

Yes, plenty of people were up in arms. The expense was legitimate complaint. But don't you think the 5-point and that intersection of sturdy and laporte are a hundred times faster than when there were lights there?

 

[HoughMade]

...Yes, plenty of people were up in arms. The expense was legitimate complaint. But don't you think the 5-point and that intersection of sturdy and laporte are a hundred times faster than when there were lights there?

Yes. I always supported them.

 

[Stang51d]

Ahh, the round-a-bouts. Maybe in some congested, urban area, they are a good thing. I dont live in one of those, never will, and cant comment on what good/bad they are there. But, The one that I can comment on is the biggest pain in the a$$ and/or abortion that the INDOT has ever had there name on.

Its not far from me, at a rural intersection of an open highway and a county road with not much traffic. It is not in a city or on a city street. reciently when they re-did the road right there, they put this in, in place of a 2 way stop where the county road had to stop. There is very little traffic on this county road, and as often as I go by there, it is very rare to see anyone on that road. Now there is a one lane circle in the middle of the highway. If a truck is going thru there and just staying on the highway (going half way around), he has to drag the trailer over the curb on the inside. When it snows, they plow it all to the inside and if ther is much of a pile, a truck will get stuck tryine to get around the circle and block the highway.

And the iceing on the cake, if you are behind some moron, most of the time they will stop for no reason. Not a car within 2 miles, the idiot will stop and look around like someone is hiding, and going to drive up out of the ditch and hit him if he goes.

BTW, if you happen to be in a truck and going off of that county road and onto the highway, where you have to make 3/4 of the circle, your whole trailer is over the curb on the inside.

 

[RobbyMaQ]

View attachment 38691

That's too long of a line. I have decided to build my own!
Startng here: https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...ruck-mirrors-new-old-stock-military-mrap.html

 

[red_zr24x4]

Ahh, the round-a-bouts. Maybe in some congested, urban area, they are a good thing. I dont live in one of those, never will, and cant comment on what good/bad they are there. But, The one that I can comment on is the biggest pain in the a$$ and/or abortion that the INDOT has ever had there name on.

Its not far from me, at a rural intersection of an open highway and a county road with not much traffic. It is not in a city or on a city street. reciently when they re-did the road right there, they put this in, in place of a 2 way stop where the county road had to stop. There is very little traffic on this county road, and as often as I go by there, it is very rare to see anyone on that road. Now there is a one lane circle in the middle of the highway. If a truck is going thru there and just staying on the highway (going half way around), he has to drag the trailer over the curb on the inside. When it snows, they plow it all to the inside and if ther is much of a pile, a truck will get stuck tryine to get around the circle and block the highway.

And the iceing on the cake, if you are behind some moron, most of the time they will stop for no reason. Not a car within 2 miles, the idiot will stop and look around like someone is hiding, and going to drive up out of the ditch and hit him if he goes.

BTW, if you happen to be in a truck and going off of that county road and onto the highway, where you have to make 3/4 of the circle, your whole trailer is over the curb on the inside.

This is my experience with round-a-bouts. They suck with any kind of trailer, you are always running over the curb.