This is not the way to treat your citizens VA!

[OakRidgeStars]

Enough.

This thread has reached it's shelf life and is about to get tossed.

Hope everyone has a happy Friday!

[CowboyT]

I'd never live in NYC. Not only do you have to defend yourself from all the muggers, but the cops too! Ask that Haitian dude that got violated w/ the broomstick a few years back. Oh wait...you *can't* defend yourself in NYC, because you're not allowed to carry! Whoops....

Nope, no NYC for me, I'm a *Liberal*, not a *Commie*. I'll take VA any day compared to NYC.

[GS78]

From my own experience, I have seen an upswing in State Troopers on the interstates, generally pulling out of state cars because they KNOW they're not gonna fight the tickets, they're gonna PAY them, or ignore them, and get a warrant, thereby MO'MONEY!

I have some LEO's as friends, and the one thing they express the most distaste is traffic enforcement. Even doing accident work is a PITA to them, because most of the time it's a fender bender. On the true bad accidents, it's a tragedy, and it affects them greatly. I feel for the street level officers, I have no empathy, patience, or respect for SOME of the upper level "political" police officers, and chiefs. One, or two exceptions.

But... most agree, the highways were designed to go 80 MPH when cars were quite a bit unsafe. Today? With all the safety features, it makes no sense, not to up the limit BACK to 80 MPH.

Just my opinion. Take it for what it's worth.

For the record I'm with Sgt Bill. You all sure paint with a broad brush. I frequently drive up and down I95 and I85, and have lived in VA for years. I rarely drive the speed limit, but I almost never drive recklessly which is a helluva lot more than I can say for some truckers and a lot of car drivers. The only time I was stopped by a State Trooper was when I was doing 100MPH or more on the toll road out to rte 28. Why was I driving so fast? Because I was being stupid because I was going to be late for work! What did the officer do? He gave me a verbal warning and sent me on my way, when by rights I guess he could have arrested me. Other than that I have never been stopped or ticketed by a VA State trooper. So like Sgt Bill I'm always suspicious of these stories that are wholly one-sided (That's not to say that Troopers aren't out of control, some are and we have seen enough to know that). I just don't think we need smear State Troopers for the actions of a few.

I'll bet every last one of you, I know i have seen it, have been driving oh maybe 10 or so MPH over the speed limit or however traffic was flowing, and suddenly out of nowhere cutting in and out zooms by some character yapping on a cell phone, or racing his buds. I don't know how many times I have seen that same nut ball pulled over a few miles up the road. My reaction to that is YESSSSSSSS!

I agree with you that most modern cars are very capable of moving safely at 80 or more MPH. However, the safety of the car at speed is not the problem. The skill, temperament, maturity and proficiency of the driver are the real problems. High speed demands high attention and a degree of skill that we do not require of anyone to get a driver's license. The fact is VA interstates are damn dangerous primarily due to driver's who don't know what the hell they are doing behind the wheel of car. If you regularly drive that span of I85 I think it is just before where it intersects with I66 with the mix of trucks and cars, you know what I mean!

Gat6
The past is not just about the past, it's about the future

The majority of professional truck drivers are the best drivers on the road, not only here in Va but in all 48 . You can try to "paint them all with your own broad brush" but once again you would be wrong. As far as troopers go, I have dealt with more than my share in every state in the country, 99.99% are decent people who have a terrible job sometimes. I have always treated them with the utmost respect, and recieved the same. As for your story about being stopped for 100 MPH in a (I'm guessing 65 MPH zone) I am skeptical about the warning, that is not only reckless driving but endagerment, you would have gone to jail.