Posted on 05/07/2008 2:01:31 PM PDT by Sopater
ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — The Howard County State's Attorney's Office says a driver who struck and killed a county police officer last year has paid her traffic fines.
Prosecutors say Stephanie Grissom of Columbia paid $310 in fines for speeding and negligent driving. She also received three points on her driving record.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
The woman is responsible for her kinetic energy. The officer is responsible for walking onto a highway in a safe manner.
Anyone know what time of day it was? On several occasions I’ve seen officers try to flag people down at night by raising their hand while shining the light in the drivers eyes (and therefore making it hard to see the officer or his hand) rather than shining the light on their hands or otherwise making themselves more visible.
No, manslaughter charges for committing a vehicle code violation which resulted in the death of the officer. While his actions may have contributed to his death, it was ultimately her violation which triggered the incident in the first place, and she bears the bulk of the responsibility IMHO. And 71 in a 55 is 16 MPH above the posted speed limit, which is not "a few miles over" as you characterize it. If you are living on a street where there are children and the posted speed limit is 25, and someone zooms down your street at 41 MPH, are you going to be okay with that? I have a rubber ball in my yard just waiting for those drivers.
Even if a kid stepped in the street. Manslaughter or murder charges would be far too much for being a few miles over the limit. Maybe causing death by reckless or dangerous driving. At the end of the day, it was still an accident...
I agree.
If this were the case, then why is the Gov. not reducing the present max speed limits to conserve fuel given the current state of the worlds oil prices?
“If you are living on a street where there are children and the posted speed limit is 25, and someone zooms down your street at 41 MPH, are you going to be okay with that? I have a rubber ball in my yard just waiting for those drivers.”
No, I would be screaming for that guy’s blood. But then again, that’s I wouldn’t be responsible for deciding the man’s punishment.....
Manslaughter probably needs some element of reckless, and I don’t know if 71 in a 55 is reckless. Sometimes, it takes 20 over the speed limit for reckless driving, that lack of reckless element kept the grand jury from indicting. Bad judgment all around, however. Painful and enduring lessons for those left living.
Good question. But look up the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act:
The Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act, signed on January 2, 1974, established a national 55 miles per hour speed limit to reduce gasoline consumption. It was extended indefinitely on January 4, 1975 (U.S. Dept. of Transportation, 1979c). It also provided that Federal-aid highway funds could be used for ridesharing demonstration programs.
Just damn....
Yes, this occured under the Carter regime. Reagan later eliminated this act and allowed states to set their own max speed limits. However, on many state and county roadways, the Max speed limit was not changed (left at 55) due to safety issues (e.g., traffic volume, narrowness of the roadway, number of highway access points, etc). IMHO, it’s time to revisit the issue of max speed limits in order to increase fuel conservation - that would be one approach to the current oil crisis. Other approaches would be to allow drilling of our own oil reserves, increasing the number of nuclear power plants, incentives for new technology that increases fuel economy for vehicles, etc. Until we get away from middle eastern oil, the problem will only get worse.
Doing 71 mph in a 55 mph zone is like doing 32 mph in a 25 mph zone. (29% over the limit)
Doing 41 mph in a 25 mph zone is like doing 90 mph in a 55 mph zone. (64% over the limit)
Tell you what. Drive down a city residential street at 41 mph in a 25 zone, strike and kill a kid playing in the street, and see if you get charged with manslaughter or negligent homicide! 16 mph over the posted speed limit is not a small difference.
16 miles over is not a few miles.
Actually the Act was signed while Nixon was in office. I don’t know when it was eliminated, but my first guess for not raising the limit in certain states is due to revenue generation. Call me cynical.
The distance it takes to reduce your speed or come to a stop at 71 mph versus 41 mph makes your argument invalid.
I agree. Stupid headline. If you step in front of ME, you will die. Just the way it is. What is it with cops nowadays??
Maybe so, but I would like to point out that most places that have a 55 mph or greater limit are limited access highways without intersections, driveways, school cross walks, etc. It’s not often you have to come to a complete stop. 16 mph over the limit on a limited access highway is no where near as bad as doing it in a 25 mph zone, which is typically in a residential area.
I'd go with assisted suicide. Don't stand in front of speeding cars.
So, let’s just forget about the volume of traffic on those limited access highways, and the potential for road hazards (such as a ladder that falls off of a pickup truck). That 16 mph increase does become extremely crucial when there are road hazards (and since no one can predict when something will happen, then if you choose to drive over the posted speed limit the onus is on you if something happens).
http://blogs.knoxnews.com/knx/silence/archives/2007/05/video_of_me_bre.shtml
The 55 mph speed limit on most Interstate highways is a joke.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.