WTH. . . Not Spain Too !!!!!

[Deb]

Received this from Hertz today

It's those damn roundabouts, just so tempting to drift through. . . . I can't go anywhere

 

[Kenadian]

Wow @Deb, you're a menace on a Global Scale

 

[ElektroVodka]

Damn El Jefe

 

[Slider]

Wait, aren't limits 130 everywhere there? I mean, they were everywhere I went (at least dozen countries or so), but Spaniards are a weird bunch

 

[Deb]

Heeheehee, some things are worth it

 

[Jerad]

Heeheehee, some things are worth it

*Eurobeat intensifies*

Really though, a ticket for doing 11km over the limit in a 120 zone?

 

[Noodleguitar]

*Eurobeat intensifies*

Really though, a ticket for doing 11km over the limit in a 120 zone?

Yeah, 100 Euros as well, not cheap in Western Europe. In the Netherlands for example:
Running red light: 230 Euro
Sticking on the left lane: 140 Euro
Overtaking on the right: 230 Euro
Running into somebody when you're tailgating above 100 km/h: 600 Euro
Not giving way to pedestrians on pedestrian crossing (no lights): 380 Euro
For speeding it's about 10 Euro per 1 km/h over the limit

 

[Shilka]

*Eurobeat intensifies*

Really though, a ticket for doing 11km over the limit in a 120 zone?

Yeah, here that is usually after a mandatory auto correction where they take a few km/h off (the faster you drive the larger the auto correction is), and since speedometers are calibrated towards the safe side too, an 11 km/h ticket for over 120 km/h usually means you had at least 140 km/h showing on your speedometer XD

 

[Deb]

Oh why oh why don't the cops here give tickets for people sticking in the left lane or driving too slow Slow, distracted drivers are more of a hazard then most speeding drivers. I was in the Express Lanes this morning, speed limit of 75 MPH, most folks do 90 or better, this guy is going 62 MPH where it narrows to a single lane, so now he has a bunch of frustrated drivers piled up behind him

Sorry for the rant, clearly a pet peeve.

 

[Slider]

Yeah, 100 Euros as well, not cheap in Western Europe. In the Netherlands for example:
Running red light: 230 Euro
Sticking on the left lane: 140 Euro
Overtaking on the right: 230 Euro
Running into somebody when you're tailgating above 100 km/h: 600 Euro
Not giving way to pedestrians on pedestrian crossing (no lights): 380 Euro
For speeding it's about 10 Euro per 1 km/h over the limit

If half of these were enforced here, cops would only have to do that to equal their current PD income...my morning commute is a joke sometimes. 7 (3 express, 4 collectors) lanes in each direction on this section of the highway, yet always those one or two cars in left lanes going slower than even trucks...normal speeds in left lane are 120-140 (limit 100), but I've come across people moving over into left lane and do 80....it's more dangerous than everyone going faster than the limit.

Don't mind everyone on my street that's a 40 zone doing 80

 

[Shilka]

Don't mind everyone on my street that's a 40 zone doing 80

I'm assuming you don't have a 9 year old that has to go to school on bicycle for 2 miles on that same road by itself then XD

Here you lose your drivers license if you do double the speed limit or exceed any speed limit by 31 MPH, and the police may decide to add a mandatory 3 day driving course to that which you will have to pay for yourself (around US$ 1000). A judge will set an additional fine, upping it for past behavior as well, and he will decide if and when you'll get your license back. And if losing your license means losing your job, it's considered your own problem, no exceptions made.

 

[Slider]

I'm assuming you don't have a 9 year old that has to go to school on bicycle for 2 miles on that same road by itself then XD

Here you lose your drivers license if you do double the speed limit or exceed any speed limit by 31 MPH, and the police may decide to add a mandatory 3 day driving course to that which you will have to pay for yourself (around US$ 1000). A judge will set an additional fine, upping it for past behavior as well, and he will decide if and when you'll get your license back. And if losing your license means losing your job, it's considered your own problem, no exceptions made.

It's a street that has 2 lanes in each direction, just about no turns, a separate lane for parking and I drive on it at about 6:15am, so only people on it are ones working on outer edge of the city like me. There's a school, but nobody is there and literally everyone drives at least 60, with most going 80 on the downhill section. Yes, if cops were there, we'd all lose licences, but he'd have to pull over at least a 100 cars it's not as dangerous as it sounds.

 

[Deb]

*Eurobeat intensifies*

Really though, a ticket for doing 11km over the limit in a 120 zone?

Yeah, it was a camera, not a cop, so likely some town's speed trap. I think it actually may have been my husband driving, based on the location on the ticket, but not sure.

I'm not sure at what point they take away your license here. The largest differential I've had is doing 90 mph in a 65 zone, but that was on a new highway before they had finalized the speed limit, which is now 75 mph. It was expensive, like over $300 but the ticket just said exceeding the speed limit by more than 10%. I would think you would have to be doing something really crazy or have multiple serious infractions to loose your license.

Now I use the WAZE app. Not sure if that works in Europe, but in suburban areas here, it is great. It does tell you were the cameras are and notifies you when you are approaching a cop. Knock on wood, haven't had a ticket since I started using it regularly.

 

[Shilka]

In 31 years of driving I had 1 ticket, in my first year of driving, for driving 4 km/h over the speed limit XD For the last 30 years I have driven without getting any tickets and accident free

Seriously though, it seems like it's very socially accepted to ignore speed limits etc over there? (and I really don't want to condemn anyone with this statement, it's just a dry conclusion) There is most definitely a culture difference in traffic behavior it seems, and I do know that part of the reason for it is the fact that a chance on getting fined is much lower in America then over here. Another reason is that here in the Netherlands there is way more bicycle use in traffic, and traffic laws are -very- protective for bicycle users and pedestrians (you're always at least 50% liable when having an accident with them, even it's not your fault), and kids under 14 (you're always 100% liable when having an accident with them). And to be honest, after some number crunching, traffic related deaths and injuries per 100.000 inhabitants here are 76/68% lower then in the US for example.

But as I said, I guess it's about what you're used to and social acceptance. I can tell you though that things like 50-100% speeding here is not only not legal, but also considered completely socially unacceptable in general XD

It's always interesting to read how things work in other parts of the world though, one of the things I like about places like this being a melting pot of people from all over the world

 

[Slider]

I can only speak for Southern Ontario here. In general, up to 10km/h over the limit is ok with cops, even 15-20 km/h if everyone else is driving at that speed and it's safe (highway). As soon as they see one car stand out in any way, they'll pull it over. I spend about 80% of my commute on the highway, only seen the police cruiser once, not counting accidents. In the city, same thing, they won't touch you as long as you keep it safe and withing 10-15km/h of the limit, but school zones and whatnot are strictly enforced and if you get caught, you're screwed.

@Deb They can ticket the owner/renter of the car, but don't think it can touch your licence because they can't prove who drive, right? I got a red light camera ticket here (traffic caused me to stop in the intersection and I had to continue once red turned on so I don't become the obstacle myself, but I went to court and it was dismissed), it was $325, but can't go against my insurance or licence because they can't prove who the driver was.

 

[Deb]

Yeah, the pictures are of the rear of the car, so doesn't show who is driving. I am not worried about my license, it is a ticket in Spain, so I don't see how that impacts my license here, but I guess you never know. But I don't think I'll be going back to Spain to go to court over a traffic ticket, well, unless I can drive the GT4 again

@Shilka, Texas is very different from the Netherlands. We have large open spaces with great highways. Think about this, it takes about 14 hours to drive across Texas east to west and about nine hours north to south, so it is a huge state. The speed limits on the highways range from 65 to 85 mph depending where you are and the cops usually give you at least 10 mph over the speed limit, maybe more in a rural area. So many people view the speed limits on highways more as a suggestion then a requirement. In the morning when I drive the express lane in, there is not much traffic, speed limit is 75 mph, but plenty of folks are doing 90 - 105 mph. So seriously, someone doing 70 mph in those lanes is a rarity and is a hazard, particularly if they are in the left lane.

Where you definitely don't speed is through school zones and neighborhooes, everyone is very careful going through the school zones for obvious reasons.

 

[Shilka]

Yeah, I fully understand that, and with 11 km/h you're nowhere near losing your license for sure. It was the driving 80 instead of 40 that got me talking about losing a license

If you drive fast enough for losing your license here, and get caught in the act (physically by a policeman), they will also take your license if you're a foreigner though. And if you drive much faster (think 100% over the limit), they will take the car too and a judge will decide if it will be given back (no matter if it is yours or not, you'll get a slightly larger bill from the car rental) And being a foreigner if they catch you in the act you'll even have to pay the fines right away too to keep you from not paying after leaving the country, they will call a district attorney and let him decide on a figure, and you'll be taken to the nearest bank if you don't have enough money on you. No worries, you'll get a receipt XD

Of course all of this is not applicable to Deb's mild offence, but foreigners are certainly not exempt from having their license taken here. Actually there is a specific law stating that it's not allowed to replace taking a license by for example a larger fine for foreigners, to prevent unfair treatment of local residents vs foreigners, and the same goes for most European countries as far as I'm aware of...

 

[Deb]

I apologize upfront for a little Texas attitude here:

 

[Shilka]

Hahaha good one Deb XD

 

[Jerad]

Yeah, it was a camera, not a cop, so likely some town's speed trap. I think it actually may have been my husband driving, based on the location on the ticket, but not sure.

I'm not sure at what point they take away your license here. The largest differential I've had is doing 90 mph in a 65 zone, but that was on a new highway before they had finalized the speed limit, which is now 75 mph. It was expensive, like over $300 but the ticket just said exceeding the speed limit by more than 10%. I would think you would have to be doing something really crazy or have multiple serious infractions to loose your license.

Now I use the WAZE app. Not sure if that works in Europe, but in suburban areas here, it is great. It does tell you were the cameras are and notifies you when you are approaching a cop. Knock on wood, haven't had a ticket since I started using it regularly.

Oof, the worst I got was $150 for 140kph in a 110. A buddy of mine nabbed a $1000 ticket doing 160 on the same highway. Cop had him on radar doing over 170 but brought it down to 160 as it was his first infraction and I guess it becomes a criminal offence at that point.