This can be discussed to death. I guess I will just continue to drive the way I CHOOSE to, and pay the fines on those rare occasions when they catch me. After all, they really don't WANT to impound my vehicle, OR make the roads a safer place, for that matter. If they did, they would get a lot of them morons off the road...and definitely out of the left lane. All they REALLY want is my money, so I will just pay up when caught, and that is that....

Since the 50 over law, my new slogan has been "know the limit, speed within it".

Before the law, I was not adding 50 to every posted limit just to see how much I could have...

Good thing or bad? I don't know. If anything I probably am more aware of my speed, but I seem to care less about my position between 1 and 49 above the limit.
It gives the perception that the cops don't care so much about that bracket anymore as they focus so much on "street racing".

I agree with Ziggy. I'll do the time if I do the crime because I don't know a single person that has ever managed to remain within posted speed limits at all times. Don't even try to claim otherwise, you DSM-owning speed demons!

I read an article in The Star about Red from The Red Green Show (Steve Smith i believe his real name his). In the article he was talking about his Dodge Viper. I remember he said "I don't drive over the speed limit but I sure like getting there fast." I am the same way and that's why I drive fast cars. I definately drive over the speed limit 90% of the time but doing 160kmh really doesn't do sh!t for me. It's being able to get to that speed fast that I get the adrenaline from. I am sure a lot of people here share the same feeling. I agree with the statement that we all go through that young and foolish stage. everybody does. It's the stage where you feel that you are invisible and nothing on the road can hurt you. It's that same stage where you aren't thinking about the other drivers on the road. I remember when I first got my DSM my buddy and I were doing 240/250kmh down the highway in the middle of the day. I look back on that now and think about what could have happened and the consequences of something happening at that speed. To be honest it scares the sh!t out of me thinking about it. I won't do it again. Some kids aren't as fortunate and something does happen to them. I suppose that's life and there isn't much we can do about it other than preach what we've learned to others.

I'm the same way. 10 over on 50+ zones and 120kph on highways is about as fast as I'll go unless i really need to make a quick lane switch then i speed up then slow down to the limit.

getting to the limit fast is what it's about. every car can hit 150+ if not 200 these days, nothing special about that. when it's clear, i'll boot it to the limit sometime, but that's about it.

once upon a time I was a stupid driver...hydroplaning on the highway because i wanted to run through the giant puddle, chasing a bike at over 200+, driving at 180 to work, etc...now i'm done. even my gf's dad thinks i'm a slow driver now lol.

I just hope you guys wear your seatbelts ALL the time. Ive seen too many retards at work that dont wear their seatbelts and well... they pay for it, big time.

I love Rob's slogan..."know the limit, and speed within it"...
And I think he is right. They are concentrating so much on the 50 over street racers, they are letting almost everything else slip by. Last year I went through a speed trap at 140 and he just gave me an admonishing wave of the finger, didn't come after me...of course, maybe he felt awkward pulling over a scooter at 40 over the limit??

Or he just knew that nobody would believe him or his radar, and the finger is the most he could give you!
And if he gave chase, imagine the embarassment if he somehow lost you?

Go Ziggy! lol

Speed limits are to make money, if they cared about safety they would put limiters on ALL cars at 120km/h but this has all been said before.

I don't care how fast people want to drive on the highway, that's what it's for but if you do 110 stay the f out of the left hand lane, and really, stay the hell out of the middle lane too, granny.

I dont think there is any correlation between the speeds people drive on the highway and their ability as a driver. Every one considers themselves a superior driver than the guy next to him and uses this sort of thinking to justify their EXCESSIVE speeding.

"I can handle myself at 200km/h on a public highway, no problem. I've done it once and I will do it again and come out just fine, everytime."

Its only a matter of time before you hurt yourself or someone else because of your stupidity. Comparing a Canadian highway to the Autobahn is pointless.

If you want to push your car, do it on a track. There is nothing to prove on a public highway that is used by everyone, grannies included.

Not trying to prove a thing, just trying to get where I am going. And you are right, you can't compare a Canadian highway to the Autobahn...on the autobahn, everyone on there KNOWS how to drive....

I'm not sure what people think but the autobahn isn't some crazy highway with really wide lanes and straightaways for 100's of kilometers. The autobahn is the entire freeway system in Germany and it is constructed exactly the same as our highways only, as Ziggy said, people in Germany know how to drive.

I drove across Germany and I didn't see a single person pass on the inside. Know why? Because there are no dummies going slow in the left hand lane. There are strict fines for passing on the inside and I know people will get warnings for sitting in the left hand lane going slowly.

If you don't know how to use the freeway properly, stay on highway 2.

They don't just get WARNINGS for being in the left hand lane if not passing, it is ILLEGAL (as it is here). Only difference, there this is ENFORCED. Also, there they would rather enforce the "no driving on the left, and no passing on the right" rules to make the roads safer. Here they tell us "stay in a single line like lemmings, never change lanes, that is dangerous, set the speed limit ridiculously slow, and then pull over everyone they can as a cash grab.

There is SOME difference in the actual roads. They limit the amount of bend in the roads on the autobahn, they slightly bank some curves, and they do NOT have the potholes and irregular surfaces we have here. The autobahns are METICULOUSLY maintained. And they DO in high traffic areas and at high traffic times lower the speed limits. The DON'T select some arbitraty number like "100" as a general maximum at all times and under all conditions.

I guess the difference is, they seem to have put some thought into it, and make some sense...

Which is why we need the 'draconian' laws that we do. I don't like them, but I never complained when I got ticketed.

Heh, I hit you hard like that to shake you on that high horse a bit, Ryan. According to everyone I know, my experience, and the fact that I managed a rather good time on my first and only auto-X run, lets me think that I AM a good, safe, driver. You're absolutely right about your comments on the laws protecting other people, and I AM concerned about people speeding the way you mentioned. The people that watch others go fast and think that they can do it, too, or ones that do it in cars not geared for it. As fast as I CAN drive, I'm also the guy that drives under the speed limit when conditions permit, watching others crash around him. Traffic also tends to flow a bit better after I go through, and it's nice to watch people's faces light up after they watch what I've done, do the same thing, and get through the jam that much quicker along with clearing the jam itself.

Too many people concentrate on turning the circle and pushing the pedals, and don't think about traffic flow and such. As Mario Andretti said, "Sometimes you can be faster by slowing down."

Our roads are different down here, Ryan. I COMPLETELY change my style in the conditions you mention (lots of intersections, open country, etc.). Lots more variables then, like you mention. Not as many teenagers here stand in the middle of them getting high. And think about what you said, you had time to react at 110, at 120 you just have to be a hair faster. At 140, THEN you would have had a problem. (And I'll bet that stupid girl let you tear a strip off her, but now thinks, "That a$$hole was just driving too fast. *I* didn't do anything wrong." Which is why I think auto-driven cars can't come soon enough. There's a LOT more of them then there are of us.) Heck, if I was in the car with you, I might have said you were driving too fast.

And yes, I understand perfectly the difference between a quick accelerating car and a fast one, thank you. But I also see people being idiots with them by dropping back in traffic, then flooring it to within an inch of the car in front of them, repeat, repeat... And cops will pull you over just as fast for 'excessive acceleration' or 'stunting'. As for dual-purpose? Nah. I'd have a sufficiently good car for normal use and something more specialized, like an Atom or Formula Ford, for the track.

You guys talk about breaking laws and getting away with it (noise laws, emissions, etc.) all the time with the attitude of 'it doesn't apply to us'. This is the same. I totally agree, not that it doesn't apply, but that the SPIRIT of the law is adhered to (you pass emissions tests with no EGR system or cat-con) although you don't follow the law itself. It comes down to trust. If you drove with me, then you'd understand.

As for highways, Grant has the right of it. But those standards were written for pre-70s era tech, and were only brought down when the gas-crunch hit in the early 70's. They remain in effect because of the revenue they generate, and partially because of the housing explosion since then. (You don't know how much it grates me that the people in charge think of the revenue before the safety factor.) I've doubled the limit on ramps in slippery conditions without breaking a sweat, even in a 'cheap' car with 'cheap' tires. It's the one thing that makes me feel safer with some of the drivers out there, so I'm not going to suggest they drive any faster than what they do.

seems as though this 17 yr old punk started quite the debate

This debate is always ready to explode. The same participants, the same opinions. All it needs is a suitable trigger.

That it does Grant.

Well Troy, I am happy to say my record is completely clean Probably why I pay $88/mo at the age of 22 on a 2 door AWD Turbocharged sports car. That's full coverage with loss of use as well.

To me, it doesn't matter if I get to my destination a whole FIVE MINUTES later than I would have if I was doing 40 over. Let's do some math shall we?

Distance to destination: 150km

120 km/h = 12 km driven every 6 minutes
140 km/h = 14 km driven every 6 minutes

150/12 = 12.5 * 6 = 75 minutes
150/14 = 10.71 * 6 = 64.26 minutes

Grand total: 10.74 minutes

So, doing 40 over the speed limit gets you there 10.74 minutes faster, however you burned a lot more gas than driving 120 km/h seeing as how most vehicles begin to loose their aerodynamic efficiencies over the speed of 110.

So, do I do the 140 so I can get there faster? Look at the real differences in time. Plus, you get the added bonus of possibly owing money to the "Cash Grab" we call speeding fines.

20 over = $95 minimum
40 over = $295 Minimum

^^ Correct me if I'm wrong on the above.

10.74 minutes = approximately $11. less $3. approx. additional fuel = $8. ahead on each trip. If I make 37 trips without getting caught, I am ahead of the game, even at 40 over.

And if I were caught every 37th time I speeded, I would have starved to death LONG ago...

The actual fines associated with speeding tickets are the absolute LEAST of your concerns.

The 3 year impact that every ticket has on your insurance rating is far, far greater. Trust me on that one.

Ziggy... how about we agree to disagree?

I never understood why the argument of choice is:
1. You don't get there much quicker.
2. You don't save gas.

If I wanted to have a boring driving experience and save gas, I'd have a Honda Civic or something. I don't drive home from the store hoping to shave 21 seconds from the trip. I drive home at a speed that's enjoyable to me.

It's like being given the choice between a $12 a ticket 2 hr Michael Bay movie and a free 1 hr 50 minute documentary about snails and bugs on TVO. Speed and money are not issues. Wanting to poke my own eye out from boredom is

If he disagrees, is that really an agreement?

It's not that Michael, I am just pointing out that the risks if you are caught greatly outweigh the benefits.

But, to each his own. I still wouldn't worry about driving on the road with Ziggy, or any of you guys on the road with me.

Anyway... too bad for that kid who got busted, hope he gets a cell mate with the name "Bubba".

I'm gonna predict a 3 year license suspenion. Seen it happen before.

For some people time is money. If I get caught speeding chances are I made that money back a long time ago. I am not talking excessive speeds like 150kmh but I am talking over the speed limit. My boss drives in the commuter lane on his way to work. He said that if he were to get ticketed once a week for doing so, he would still have made that money back and he would consider it worth it. He hasn't been caught yet. This is not to say that any of this is acceptable however it goes to show that there are so many angles to this argument. Who really knows who/if anybody is right. As it was mentioned before, this argument could go on for days. However, in regards to the topic at hand, has anybody heard any updates on this kid?

That may be Ryan, however did your boss consider the repercussions of insurance rates?

Too many speeding tickets = loss of license. Personally, if time was money and I needed my license, I would be making sure I didn't lose it.

15-29 over = 3 demerit pts and it stays on your record for 3 years.

Get caught doing 20 over 5 times in 3 years = bye bye license.

"IF" you are caught. His decision not mine but it seems to be working for him. The point of that post was to support the point that everybody will have different opinions. It's useless arguing over this topic as it has been said before.

OK Troy, time to hand in your DSM badge, and possibly your man card.

I'm not agreeing to anything.....wouldn't be in my nature

I am as disagreeable as it gets...

Heh. I'm about to do the same thing with my Passat, Rob. I'm just saying there are people that criticize others for speeding, and then go light up a joint and harp about how it doesn't harm others, and shouldn't be illegal. Nothing's wrong when it's what YOU want to do.

It's part of the reason for your insurance, Ryan. I started off paying the same rates as you, and then they leapt into the stratosphere (no change from my clean record then). I was paying the same rates as you, even when I had a ticket on my record. (Which wasn't even my fault. )

And again, I totally agree with you. You're actually wrong in that aerodynamic drag overcomes rolling resistance at only 90kph. Try driving that distance sticking to 90 and REALLY see some savings. I was never in a hurry enough that I HAD to speed, even when I was late. I did it for the enjoyment. Still do. Like you say, I laugh at everyone screaming through traffic that I catch up with within a few minutes. Even considering my time as being worth $120 or more an hour, I don't think about it.

When I worked 135kms from home at a University, a co-worker would leave and drive at a speed of 140-160kph so he wouldn't be late. Cost him a fortune. And it always boggled his mind how I could drive around 120kph...and BEAT him there. Or you can consider the drive I once made to Digby. Late at night, deserted highway. AVERAGE speed was 160kph. 300kms in less than 2 hours (passed a cop, slowed from 210 to 160 to be 'safe' while approaching (not knowing it was a cop) in case something happened, he flashed his lights at me and continued on...) but it took almost a full tank of gas. Drive home took 2hrs, 30 minutes averaging ~120kph., About 1/2 tank of gas.

And he didnt pull you over?? WTF? If that was me, i'd probably get the whole dept on my ass.

Probably because it was too dangerous to pursue and by the time he caught up to him, Troy would have been gone.

Your only speeding when you get caught. Lesson don't get caught.

I think he saw me slow down and pull over a bit, and figured I was on the safe side. It was a long enough straight where he could have turned and still kept me in sight, and I probably would have stopped for him. As many times as I've gotten tickets for stupid reasons (speeding up to avoid accidents, forgetting and going 15kph over, etc.) I still can't bring myself to run, even given the opportunity. The speed limit is still a LAW. You get pulled over for breaking it, that's just your bad luck. You have no right to complain.

There's a stretch of 2-way highway here that goes across a straight (passing zone, then no-passing) starts a steep downhill (SHORT passing zone, even though you can't see over the crest) and continues a long downhill through a sweeping right into an equally steep uphill. Approaching traffic has 2 lanes to allow uphill passing. I'd followed a slower car (okay, it was doing the limit at 100kph) and pulled out to pass (forgot it was a short zone) at ~110kph and ran out of passing lane with the car I was passing right beside me. An RCMP cruiser comes out to pass the first oncoming car. I hit the brakes to fall back and tuck in behind the car I was passing, but he does the same thing. I speed up, HE speeds up... So I'm seconds from impact with the cop. I anticipate the car beside me braking as I'm about to, so I hammered the accelerator, shot to about 160kph and got back in just beforehand. Off course, the cruiser's lights go on and he pulls over to make a U-turn, but he has a 1/4 mile lineup of traffic behind him. I have a HUGE avenue to escape through the downhill at rather high velocity (and having just gotten a stupid ticket recently, I'd sworn I'd never stop again)... I curse a bit and pull over to wait.

The cop was rather friendly and nice while I explained myself to him, but he definitely made it clear that while he would have been understanding anyway, the reason he let me off without even a warning was that I was gracious enough not to make him chase me down.

The NEWS is not ever NEWS. It is just like the bible or m kid's fair tales. The foundation is in truth but they dress it up with extravagant extras to coerce you into believing something that part of a larger agenda.

This speeder law is an example. It is a fairy tale of protecting the innocent (the free people) from insane speeders (terrorists) by putting down severe penalties (police state mentality).

Be glad this is not Florida - they have a new law where the fine is the easy part and jail time is the new standard, and it's for less severe actions.

That Lincoln cannot get up to that speed with that many people in it without significant runway. The cops are finger painting the story and there are not enough intelligent people out there to question it. They win.