[geeks] Stuff fo' sale

der Mouse mouse at Rodents.Montreal.QC.CA
Fri Aug 11 15:08:40 CDT 2006


> My instinctive reaction on hearing people complain about speed
> cameras being used for revenue raising is 'So?'.

Depends on the grounds for the complaints.  If they are being sold to
the public as being for safety but are really there for revenue, then I
think the public does have legitimate grounds for complaint.

> After all speeding is against the law so motorists who break the law
> have no leg to stand on when they start complaining.

> [...].  But if you don't want to get fined, don't speed!

This would be more persuasive if it were more realistic.  There are a
lot of pieces of road (at least in North America) where - at many times
of day - there is, technically, no legal way to drive whatsoever: if
you don't speed, you are going enough slower than the rest of the
traffic to be guilty of some form of dangerous driving.

I'm surprised nobody has overturned a speed limit based on some
"everybody always ignores it" version of the "ancient custom has the
force of law" maxim.  (Of course, this couldn't work in Louisiana or
Quebec, but there are plenty of places that *do* subscribe to
common-law principles.)

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