Speed May Not Kill, But It'll Get Your Balls Busted
We didn't have to read this report from Speed Trap Exchange to know that the Austin Police Department has a serious hard-on for speeding. We live about a block south of the river, where APD sets up shop to pull over speeders and, hopefully, a few drunk drivers. Our parking lot, as well as the hotel and burger joint next door, have become a repository for police who've pulled over said offenders. And while we totally agree that drunk driving is a horrible offense and should be curtailed, if at all possible, we wonder if the cops might be just a little overzealous about catching people doing 40 in a 30. Then again, ever since the widening of S. 1st, the street seems to have turned into a veritable freeway. Ok, we're rambling.
Regardless, we think the 5-0 may be a little eager in trying to meet some kinda quotas. Maybe enough people aren't getting robbed or murdered or raped or pillaged, and they just need something to do. We don't know. And we're not real ly sure whether speed traps cut down on accidents or increase pedestrian safety, but we imagine one of our bright readers has some stats to back up the answer. (M1EK, we're looking at you)
All of that rambling aside, Austin has placed 7th in the nation in a list of cities with the most speed traps. The nation's capital ranks second, and, trust us, from having lived there, if you hear the word "traffic cameras" come into public discussion anytime soon, be worried. Hello, mailbox, what have you for me today? Oopsy! A ticket for running a yellow light four days ago? Weee!
You can go online to the Speed Trap Exchange and let others know about traps around town. Or, you can just tell us in the comments section.
