Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

ace_account456 t1_iren5z0 wrote

Reply to comment by Pappyjang in Bridge Painter dies after Semi- crashes into the bucket lift by [deleted]

There are probably multiple factors at fault here, but it is a huge problem. I don't feel safe doing any less than 60, even in the right lane because I will always get passed by crazy people going 75+ who don't know what a turn signal is, swerving all over the road. Sometimes I wonder if the road would benefit from raising the speed limit to 65 in certain areas, but then cracking down hard on speeding with automated enforcement like they have in Europe. Between Churchill and Monroeville, the curves are absolutely banked hard enough for 65. Really, the only spot outside of city limits where that would be dangerous is the curve headed inbound right after the Churchill on ramp. If you go through that at 65 in the rain, especially on a top heavy vehicle, there could be problems.

2

arguchik t1_irep52a wrote

This area needs that and other kinds of automated enforcement. Red light cameras, for starters, backed by high enough fines to discourage people from gunning it to "make" a light they should know will turn red long before they get there anyway.

2

tylamb19 t1_irf4437 wrote

Automated enforcement which issues actual tickets is not legal in PA as well as most other states in the US.

The work zone speeding enforcement that started in 2020 issues “violations” which cannot affect a driver’s record and there is no real way to collect the revenue from the driver other than just to send them to a collections agency. You can’t renew your registration with an outstanding , but that’s about the only penalty.

1

CARLEtheCamry t1_irfz4kd wrote

> issues “violations” which cannot affect a driver’s record

Well shit, that's stupid. There was an old thread where some guy mentioned that he sped through one of the auto-enforced work zones every day for like 2 weeks and I was like "bye bye license", I guess not.

2

the_real_xuth t1_irf6wrt wrote

I agree that it's not legal currently. The problem is that PA is unique in the manner and extent that it undercuts or even disallows enforcement of its laws against many forms of dangerous driving. And I don't know how this is going to be fixed because driving dangerously with respect to other people without suffering any consequences for it seems to be wildly popular in this state and with the state legislature.

1

steelcitykid t1_irfj24c wrote

My landlord got his workzone violation sent to his old address (my home) and I opened one accidentally - Inside it had a picture of his vehicle/plate, speed violation, and a small paragraph stating it was a warning but that later this year, they would start collecting actual fines for such violations.

1

tylamb19 t1_irfzas8 wrote

Yep - the “real fines” are still not actually a ticket though. It’s a “violation notice” and does not affect your driving record, insurance, or anything else. It’s purely monetary. Most people don’t know that though.

1

arguchik t1_irgkx34 wrote

Frustrating

1

tylamb19 t1_iriohyf wrote

I wouldn’t necessarily call it frustrating. It’s a constitutional right to face your accuser in a court of law. If a computer installed on the side of the road is your accuser then there is not a way to face them in court. You also have the right to be considered innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If you state you weren’t driving at the time, and there isn’t a human who can verify beyond a reasonable doubt that he processed your license and got your signature on the ticket, you have to be presumed innocent. Both of these reasons is how and why the work zone enforcement can’t issue anything legally binding. PennDOT can codify into their rules that the owner is responsible for their vehicle then issue “violations” against your vehicle registration. An actual legally binding citation is issued to the person, who is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

As much as I wish we had better traffic enforcement, especially on highways around here, undermining constitutional rights is not a great way to do it. These are all the reasons other states have taken away most of their red light cameras and speed cameras that issue actual tickets. Most issue tickets against a vehicle and do the same thing our work zone enforcement does.

1