Speeding in America

American cops in general have a massive ego problem and more often than not turn out to be complete dicks. It doesn't help that the American public help massage their egos.
 
The guy got away with a telling off, in hindsight he'll probably be thankful. Thing is, if the cop has decided to just issue a verbal warning it has to act as a deterrent otherwise what's the point? Maybe I'd feel different if it happened to me but I'd certainly be careful with my speed afterwards.
 
Would have taken that over points or a fine any day! American police bloke had to make a point..ok maybe he didnt do it in the most professional manner but at least he gave him a telling off.
 
Dogbreath said:
He was abusive, condescending and completely unprofessional. So pretty much a model American cop.
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Better than being told you were speeding nicely so you'll be all like "pftt that was nothing, no repurcussions yay!" Intimidation can do wonders.

I'm on the fence with this though, I'd be terrified it was a cop on a power trip and wouldn't know what he would do next. Being pulled out/tazed or physically hurt wouldn't be the first occurance of it happening.
He actually looked like he was restraining himself from doing something silly.
 
I have been stopped 3 times in the states as a driver + once as a passenger.

First time was in Tennessee, cop simply saw me coming a bit 'hot' and flagged me down by hand and told me to 'slow down'

Second time I was a passenger. We were going I believe 85 in a 65 and approached a cop car traveling in the opposite direction to us. This was in Arizona. The cop did a swift U-turn and pulled us over, was very polite, said we were going 'real fast back there' and wrote my friend out a ticket for 75 in a 65, said he was being nice to us and 'writing it down'. He then made us drive directly to the courthouse so Andy could walk in and pay the fine to the cashier, it was something in the region of $110.

The other time was in California, I remember it well, I was going 80mph when we saw a 45 sign, I then looked in the rear view mirror and was astonished to see I had infact been going 80mph in a 35!! I couldn't believe how low the speed limit was in the absolute middle of nowhere, on a relatively straight road!!

Then I thought 'well if it's 45 I better slow down' and as I slowed I saw a cop car, again in the opposite direction, I think they call it 'moving radar' and I don't think they can do this in the UK, but it measures the closing speed of the vehicles and subtracts the cop car speed to calculate your speed. Anyway, woman cop pulls me over, literally comes up to the car screaming 'you guys were going SEVENTY.... in a FORTY FIVE, license (*US Spelling intentional*) and registration PLEASE' I handed them over 'what country is this from???' she said so I replied 'Uk m'am' and she went away, made some calls, and came back, a little calmer, and said 'okay in California that fast is a mandatory court citation, but we cannot issue one to your license, so you guys got real lucky today. slow down okay?'

Final time I was going I think 81mph or something in a 70 in Minnesota. Cop pulled me over, said 'nice audi, how fast do you think you were going back there?' and I said 'well when I saw you I looked at my speedo and it was about 80, I apologise I hadn't notice the speed creep up'. He said 'well you know - there's a lot of snow on the highway, you shouldn't be going that fast' (everyone else was, I know to you all it must sound awful but seriously with snow tyres it's no big deal, there really wasn't much snow) and then he wrote me out a 'warning' ticket. So yeah, even thought I got pulled over 3 times to my buddy's one, I didn't have to pay once :)
 
shifty_uk said:
He gave him a comical stern warning and zero fine or points = where's the issue?

I know what I'd rather have.
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It was only comical for people watching on Youtube though, he's a police officer, a servant of the people ...he is supposed to uphold a certain standard of behaviour ...and you could easily see he wasn't being tongue in cheek (no pun intended) about it, he was being serious. Police officers aren't paid to be funny they are paid to be professionals, otherwise we might as well just go back to having watchers and posses again, armed mobs hunting down criminals and meeting out their ideas of justice.
 
The German should have put on his sexiest Eurotrash sex accent and said "Ohhhh vould you like to viaolate me?? Mmmmmhhhhhh yaaaa"
 
Scuzi said:
The German should have put on his sexiest Eurotrash sex accent and said "Ohhhh vould you like to viaolate me?? Mmmmmhhhhhh yaaaa"
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I had to put so much effort into not spitting my tea out! :eek:

Would have got him a good beating, methinks.
 
Much rather get a telling off and be all "yes sir no sir" than get a fine and points like here, I dont think anyone could say different. Plus that experience will stick in his mind and, probably, have some effect on his speeding.
 
To be fair, I've had far worse treatment from UK cops than US ones. So many of you let stereotypes become the be all and end all, which is why "all American cops are like this" is being thrown around.

I've had some awful experiences with UK cops, yet only one iffy running with a US one so far and even that went well for me as he ran out of speeding tickets!
 
Scuzi said:
American cops in general have a massive ego problem and more often than not turn out to be complete dicks. It doesn't help that the American public help massage their egos.
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Are they more or less miserable than the Homelands Security people on immigration at JFK?
 
Building Candy said:
Much rather get a telling off and be all "yes sir no sir" than get a fine and points like here, I dont think anyone could say different.
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Points yea, but they can't do anything to your license in America, so it's just a fine. I'd sooner pay $110 or whatever it is than be treated like that German guy (I really mean that) and I'd pay another $110 on top of that for the pleasure of giving the cop an ear-bending of my own. $110 is not enough to make me take that lying down. I would shut up if points were involved but they wouldn't be, so it's just money.

Besides it has a passage in my passport about the treatment of Her Majesty's Citizens by foreign powers, I'd get that printed up on some fancy parchment and framed for him to hang on the station wall.
 
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Moeks said:
It was only comical for people watching on Youtube though, he's a police officer, a servant of the people ...he is supposed to uphold a certain standard of behaviour ...and you could easily see he wasn't being tongue in cheek (no pun intended) about it, he was being serious. Police officers aren't paid to be funny they are paid to be professionals, otherwise we might as well just go back to having watchers and posses again, armed mobs hunting down criminals and meeting out their ideas of justice.
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I think you need to get a thicker skin.
 
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