Little help?

[Coach1987]

I am 65, so I have been driving for say fifty years. I have never, I mean never, been stopped and had to provide a driver's license, except my one speeding ticket in a South Carolina speed trap.

How is it that these football players are constanly getting pulled over and being questioned? If they were speeding or such, there would be another charge with the failure to have a valid license.

PS - be careful getting off 95 heading to Myrtle Beach.....

[jsc28]

I am 65, so I have been driving for say fifty years. I have never, I mean never, been stopped and had to provide a driver's license, except my one speeding ticket in a South Carolina speed trap.

How is it that these football players are constanly getting pulled over and being questioned? If they were speeding or such, there would be another charge with the failure to have a valid license.

PS - be careful getting off 95 heading to Myrtle Beach.....

Are you white?

[rounds]

Charmed life??

[rounds]

Or hermit??

[atlantagator86]

I am 65, so I have been driving for say fifty years. I have never, I mean never, been stopped and had to provide a driver's license, except my one speeding ticket in a South Carolina speed trap.

How is it that these football players are constanly getting pulled over and being questioned? If they were speeding or such, there would be another charge with the failure to have a valid license.

I have a feeling that this happens to more than just football players probably has to do more with loitering and people calling attention to themselves.

I suspect that the UPD, just like regular police, are trained to look for certain activities, such as groups of people hanging out and maybe things being handed back and forth. Not just football players but any group.

I know when I was in school the athletes hung out together in certain areas and there were always lots of other people hanging around as well. My guess is that the police like to keep an eye on this type of activity and want to know what's going on. And my guess is that when they get the chance, they will stop people to try to ascertain what's going on and make sure people know they are being watched.

And they are going to want to know who people are and they're going to ask for ID's if they're doing their job. And when somebody can't produce an ID, they're going to be cited.

At our neighborhood pool when I was HOA President a couple of years ago, we had 9th grade kids coming from other neighborhoods to hang out at our pool. Most weren't a problem, but there were a few doing vandalism, drinking, drugs and even sex in the bathrooms and someone dealing drugs out of the restroom. As soon as we knew what was going on, we had parents start asking for ID's and making sure the kids knew they were bring watched. And we had the sheriff come by daily and do a walk thru. Within 2 weeks, they were all gone and we haven't had a problem since.

I know some people probably view it as harassment, but in terms of keeping a place safe, it's pretty effective. And it's better to be proactive than to wait until there's a problem.

But to the point, I think some of the football players are just getting caught in the middle of this police activity.

It's just my opinion and I'm sure others will completely disagree. ;)

[gtr2x]

I am 65, so I have been driving for say fifty years. I have never, I mean never, been stopped and had to provide a driver's license, except my one speeding ticket in a South Carolina speed trap

PS - be careful getting off 95 heading to Myrtle Beach.....

Seems like just about everyone I now has been caught in a SC speed trap. Neighbor got caught last week driving back from NC. Speed traps and fireworks.

[nortonis]

Seems like just about everyone I now has been caught in a SC speed trap. Neighbor got caught last week driving back from NC. Speed traps and fireworks.

Haha. I got a ticket in Florence SC when I was driving from NY in 1993!

[rounds]

Those fancy FUZZBUSTERS ain't worth crap vs. them FHP airplanes on I-10...
Seems unfair!

[g8rboy]

Ever try not speeding?

[ironhead1]

Ever try not speeding?

Today's speed limits are antiquated.......at best. Today's vehicles are well designed for handling and higher speed characteristics. Speed limits are nothing more than revenue streams for the local municipalities . After all, if was all about "safety" why would the police hide?
Radar detectors help.....so do distortion tag covers.

That stretch of road between 95 and Charleston (17) is notorious for the robbers to steal your cash in the namer of "safety".

[DuPontGator]

Those fancy FUZZBUSTERS ain't worth crap vs. them FHP airplanes on I-10...
Seems unfair!

I still have never seen the airplanes. I've seen the signs though.

[Coach1987]

In South Carolina, little towns, like to nab you in the area between one speed zone and sighting a higher speed zone sign in front of you.

[orangeblueorangeblue]

1. They're teenage & early 20s boys. Maybe you don't remember, but being safe and slow in an automobile was not a priority at that point in my life.

2. See #1. The same things that drive the impulse to go 110mph in your friend's Geo Metro just to see if it can (and it can) drive the impulse to put a little weed in your console, drive home after a few beers, not bother renewing your registration/license etc.

You're 65 years old, so you're 43-47 years removed from what that feels like. Consider yourself lucky. Or unlucky, depending on how you look at it.

[BobK89]

Driving while black?

Sent from my iPhone using GatorCountry

[grant1]

Driving while black does not cause one to violate traffic laws and you will not get pulled over obeying the laws. Unless, of course, it's at DUI check point.

Just because vehiles can handle higher speeds doesn't mean the highway system can provide a safe facility. Every highway was designed and constructed with a design speed and posted speeds can't be greater than the design speed. The maximum design speed for a superelevation in a horizontal curve is 70 mph. Obviously, between curves (horizontal and vertical) the design speed could increase to allow a higher posted speed, but what a pain that would be for having changing speed limits so fequently.

[Gatormb]

Those fancy FUZZBUSTERS ain't worth crap vs. them FHP airplanes on I-10...
Seems unfair!

Gotta keep an eye open for the line crossing the lanes. If you see one there's another (usually two) coming!

[ironhead1]

Driving while black does not cause one to violate traffic laws and you will not get pulled over obeying the laws. Unless, of course, it's at DUI check point.

Just because vehiles can handle higher speeds doesn't mean the highway system can provide a safe facility. Every highway was designed and constructed with a design speed and posted speeds can't be greater than the design speed. The maximum design speed for a superelevation in a horizontal curve is 70 mph. Obviously, between curves (horizontal and vertical) the design speed could increase to allow a higher posted speed, but what a pain that would be for having changing speed limits so fequently.


As I said earlier, if the design for a new road requires a 70 mph limit then the mathematical equation for said design is antiquated.

Any competent driver can easily compensate for road conditions.

Lets get real here,Speed limits are set arbitrarily not with safety in mind at all. For example, if a 6 lane divided by median highway had posted limits st 45 , while a connector road which is 2 lanes and is not divided has limits posted at 55 what design limit in the new road caused a lower speed limit on the divided highway? Even with a school zone and more turns in the 55 zone, the newer divided portion had lower limits on speed. The cops on said road give a good clue as to what is amiss.

The design limit is revenue.

[gatormatt75]

This is from first hand experience. A lot of guys the players age lower their cars, put rims on them, tint the windows, and put a sound system in them. Once you do this to a car it instantly becomes a cop magnet. I've had 3 vehicles that I bought bone stock, I customized them and within the first month I got pulled over for something stupid (1 tag light out) crap like that. I wasn't pulled over in any of the 3 until I put rims on them or lowered them. I work around Florida State Troopers so I started asking them about this and almost every one of them said the same thing "customized cars catch my attention".

[Speedofsand]

Are you white?

Most football players are not. Play the race card, FAIL.

[Brad]

I lived in Gainesville for 6 years, and only once did I interact with a cop.

My crime? Talking to a black person.

It was the middle of the day, and I was leaving my apartment at Lexington Crossing, waiting at a stop sign on whatever road that is (35th? 37th?) with my windows open. A black guy waiting at the bus stop there asked me for some change, which I denied, and next thing I know, I'm getting pulled over.

The cop asked me if I knew why he pulled me over. I said "no". He said "Let me tell you what I saw. I saw a young white kid in a nice car [toyota camry, btw, close to ten years old] talking to a black man. What do you think that I think was going on there? I'd like to search your car."

That is exactly what he said. That was the day I realized for sure that certain (most?) cops play the race card as hard as they can--especially in Gainesville.

[grant1]

As I said earlier, if the design for a new road requires a 70 mph limit then the mathematical equation for said design is antiquated.

Any competent driver can easily compensate for road conditions.

Lets get real here,Speed limits are set arbitrarily not with safety in mind at all. For example, if a 6 lane divided by median highway had posted limits st 45 , while a connector road which is 2 lanes and is not divided has limits posted at 55 what design limit in the new road caused a lower speed limit on the divided highway? Even with a school zone and more turns in the 55 zone, the newer divided portion had lower limits on speed. The cops on said road give a good clue as to what is amiss.

The design limit is revenue.

Can't argue that a 70 mph freeway design speed is antiquated, but FDOT or FHWA are not likely to make any changes.

Actually, many speed limits are set for safety. The safe distance an above ground fixed object is based on speed (ie recovery time). The safe distance one can see over a hill is based on speed and the geometry of the hill. the number of lanes has more to do with traffic volume than speed, also, if it has a raised curb, in most cases the speed limit is 45 mph. 4th Street in St Pete is a good example. The north end is 6 lane, divided and a 45 mph limit. It is a straight shot, with no hills. Yet, the fatality rate is higher than the state average. It's all about safety.

Cops on said road give a good clue that there are too many speeders.

[grant1]

Gotta keep an eye open for the line crossing the lanes. If you see one there's another (usually two) coming!

Yup, see 1 line and there will be another in 1/4 mile.

[grant1]

I lived in Gainesville for 6 years, and only once did I interact with a cop.

My crime? Talking to a black person.

It was the middle of the day, and I was leaving my apartment at Lexington Crossing, waiting at a stop sign on whatever road that is (35th? 37th?) with my windows open. A black guy waiting at the bus stop there asked me for some change, which I denied, and next thing I know, I'm getting pulled over.

The cop asked me if I knew why he pulled me over. I said "no". He said "Let me tell you what I saw. I saw a young white kid in a nice car [toyota camry, btw, close to ten years old] talking to a black man. What do you think that I think was going on there? I'd like to search your car."

That is exactly what he said. That was the day I realized for sure that certain (most?) cops play the race card as hard as they can--especially in Gainesville.

Did you agree to the search? If I didn't need to be somewhere, I probably would have said "no", knowing I had nothing to hide.

[DuPontGator]

I lived in Gainesville for 6 years, and only once did I interact with a cop.

My crime? Talking to a black person.

It was the middle of the day, and I was leaving my apartment at Lexington Crossing, waiting at a stop sign on whatever road that is (35th? 37th?) with my windows open. A black guy waiting at the bus stop there asked me for some change, which I denied, and next thing I know, I'm getting pulled over.

The cop asked me if I knew why he pulled me over. I said "no". He said "Let me tell you what I saw. I saw a young white kid in a nice car [toyota camry, btw, close to ten years old] talking to a black man. What do you think that I think was going on there? I'd like to search your car."

That is exactly what he said. That was the day I realized for sure that certain (most?) cops play the race card as hard as they can--especially in Gainesville.

This race garbage is so 90's

[gtr2x]

talking to a black man. What do you think that I think was going on there? I'd like to search your car."

That is exactly what he said. That was the day I realized for sure that certain (most?) cops play the race card as hard as they can--especially in Gainesville.

I'm not sure that is racist, after all he pulled you over not the black guy. Sounds more like hassling the college kid with money, which is standard procedure in the Gainesville legal system.