I posted this in the Rocky Mountain chapter where I live but I thought I would ask this chapter as well. By the way I do own a 2000 S2K since new.

My friend ask me to find a convertible Solara for his wife for their 15 year wedding anniversary. I found a 2006 Solara in Seattle so we bought a one-way ticket to Seattle and drove the car back stopping first in Boise then Salt Lake where my friend had some business than on home to Denver.

.....so going through Oregon I got a speeding ticket - 92 in a 65 in the middle of nowhere - $427.00! Caught by Laser. The OSP was doing their job and I'm not pissed - but the fine seems high. Does anyone know if I take a defensive driving course that Oregon will reduce or eliminate the fine? The Oregon State Police officer stated something to that effect. I was thinking that a defensive driving course might be fun. I'll take the S2000 for the driving portion and have a good time. Has anyone taken a defensive course before?

Lastly, I have to say that 92mph is safe in a 2006 model in the middle of nowhere on a straight road. But the revenue generating government thinks you will kill yourself. I have to laugh sometimes......

 

 

The defensive driving course is up to the judge, and there is no driving involved in it. You just sit around and doodle in a workbook while a 16 year old talks about some retarded move he pulled.

 

Even if the course resulted in the fine being dropped, would the time involved in going back to Oregon be worth it?

 

I agree that the time going back to Oregon would not be worth it. Maybe I can take the course here in Colorado? I will call the court tomorrow and see what my options are. Thanks for the response.

BBY2KS2K - I appreciate your opinion, but go to Germany sometime and drive the autobahn - or maybe you have? It will give you a different perspective on what speed is and realize that 80-90 or 100 MPH is not a death wish. With the technology and the great build quality of today's cars it is - in my opinion - not dangerous.

 

Ummm.....this isn't Germany.

And because it isn't Germany, there are far tooooo many idiots that dont know how to drive and have the privelege handed to them when they turn 16. So I think you ar comparing apples to oranges

 

I appreciate your opinion but tukluc has a good point. Plus the Autobahn is designed for speed and is well maintained; something that doesn't really apply to the pot-hole ridden and half-assed patched roads in the good ole US of A. The Autobahn's entrance and exit ramps accomodate the faster speeds (I don't know many on ramps around here that will allow mom's Suburban to safely giddy-up to 90 mph) grades are less than 4% and turns are also banked appropriately. Even with all that, the "recommended" speed limit in rural areas of the Autobahn is 80 MPH.

 

I agree that the autobahn is built for speed plus the German drivers are much more educated in driving than the majority of the US drivers. I also agree that a Suburban for example may/should not want to do 90 or 100 as it's was not designed for that. My point on this whole speed deal is that the US feeds us the "Kool-Aid" that speed is cool, but gets caught at 90 or 100 on a good 4-lane highway in rural America and the law looks at you like you robbed a bank. I believe many cars today are designed to do 90-100mph comfortably, easily and safely. Education and good roads are the key.

I should take a poll on people who drive I-80 or I-70 for example and ask them if there is very little traffic on a clear day in the afternoon on a straight road if they could do 80 or 90 or 110mph would they? It would be interesting to see what they would say.

Lastly, I saw in the Denver paper a few weeks ago that a highway in Texas recently raised the speed limit to 80. So that tells me you can set the cruise at 5-8 over and you should be fine. Should most drivers obey the speed limit or go slower than the posted? In a Suburban? A BMW? An Audi? A S2000? What is

 

All comes down to driver judgement. If you've driven recently (since roughly 1990) in Germany and think those speeds aren't a potential death wish, do us all a favor and just send your drivers license back in to your local DMV...you shouldn't be behind the wheel...