"someone is going to get killed"... Let's hope so. That would be what we call a self solving problem.

This just in: Teenage boys are farking morons with no sense of danger for others

I know because I spend YEARS as a teenage boy. Hell I'm not that far removed from it now.

Take down the display? No way. They need more technology, not less. Automatically raise a wall in front of the speeders. Fine the families for the cleanup. Problem solved.

AlanSmithee: Another reason for the US to switch to the metric system.

I hit 100 on the highway the other day and boy people were pissed. Kept honking at me and flipping me off. I guess they weren't a fan of me driving under the speed limit in the passing lane.

I call these "high score signs".

We have these signs and we have spike strips that can pop up and back down with a switch. Why not combine them to flatten tires of someone doing at least 15 over? No fines or points, just have to replace your own tires. Put devices on emergency vehicles so when their flashing lights are on the spikes won't ruin taxpayer tires.

/would love to see that on my road

If this is happening, why aren't there cops a block down from the sign doing business?

FTFA: "They didn't care when it was 30mph and they don't care now. "

That pretty much says it all.
Lowering the speed limit to 20mph is just dumb.
Especially if they aren't going to enforce the 30mph limit.

We have one here on a 25 mph road that flashes "slow down" once you get to 35. I have an addiction to making it say that every time... In my defense, it really shouldn't be 25 anyway. it's a crowded cut through road with double yellow lines and everything.

oh_please: If this is happening, why aren't there cops a block down from the sign doing business?

Because the UK isn't obsessed with speeding fines as a form of taxation, and so has about 1/4 the cops that the USA does (and 1/10th the people in jail, because we're not quite as big on legislating morality and differential sentencing by race)

Just got back from Scotland, and I observe that most of these signs have a cutoff above which they go blank, typically 45 mph for the 20 mph ones (and before the nannies jump in, yes, it is safe to go 45 mph in the 'hood at 4:30am on a wide open street) ... this would seem to be a good reason why.

/ GPS speed apps for cellphones are a free download
// and before someone asks, an iPhone 4GS is free with 12 month contract at half the monthly over there

1. Put snakes on plane: Take down the display? No way. They need more technology, not less. Automatically raise a wall in front of the speeders. Fine the families for the cleanup. Problem solved.

This rapid deployment barrier comes to mind:

youtube (pops)

The law isn't effective in stopping the speeding. Let's change the law to a different number. That will show them.

Have a cop in a marked car in the area on and off for a month, handing out a few tickets. End of story.

I fear for the ginnels. What about the ginnels? I aks ya?

What they do around here is have the sign stop reading out after 45 or something.

oukewldave: We have one here on a 25 mph road that flashes "slow down" once you get to 35. I have an addiction to making it say that every time... In my defense, it really shouldn't be 25 anyway. it's a crowded cut through road with double yellow lines and everything.

We have a cut through in our neighborhood that's 30 MPH. Every 3 months or so, the cops drag out a huge SPEED LIMIT 30 YOUR SPEED XX, and motorcycle cops sit a block down in the side streets and rack up the fines until everyone goes 30-35. The thing is, you can't miss this sign from two blocks away, more than enough time to slow down, but idiots get tagged left and right anyway. I call it a dumbass tax.

ParaHandy: oh_please: If this is happening, why aren't there cops a block down from the sign doing business?

Because the UK isn't obsessed with speeding fines as a form of taxation, and so has about 1/4 the cops that the USA does (and 1/10th the people in jail, because we're not quite as big on legislating morality and differential sentencing by race)

Just got back from Scotland, and I observe that most of these signs have a cutoff above which they go blank, typically 45 mph for the 20 mph ones (and before the nannies jump in, yes, it is safe to go 45 mph in the 'hood at 4:30am on a wide open street) ... this would seem to be a good reason why.

/ GPS speed apps for cellphones are a free download
// and before someone asks, an iPhone 4GS is free with 12 month contract at half the monthly over there

While I agree with you about ticketing as a form of taxation here, this seems like it's a genuine safety concern.

Even the 65 mph ones won't display above 85 or so -- they go blank.

In 2001 I bought one of the 1st Subaru WRX's in the area, and my friend was a local county sheriff, they had one of those portable "You're Speed is" Signs set up on this 4 lane road in an industrial park in an attempt to slow down dump trucks. We took my car out there at 2 am on a sunday too see what happened when you hit 100, it went blank after 99 mph.

/Ahh to be 25 and stupid again.

lack of warmth: We have these signs and we have spike strips that can pop up and back down with a switch. Why not combine them to flatten tires of someone doing at least 15 over? No fines or points, just have to replace your own tires. Put devices on emergency vehicles so when their flashing lights are on the spikes won't ruin taxpayer tires.

/would love to see that on my road

It depends on the speed they are going, but multiple tires blowing at road speeds tends to cause cars to loose contol and crash. Sometimes into other vehicles. Do you really want to put people's lives at risk to punish speeding?

Funny, I couldn't get it to blow up...

Typically these are programmed to not display speeds in excess of 10 or 15 over the limit, precisely to discourage this type of behavior.

Speed bumps.

Unless you really really really don't care about the undercarriage of your car ;)

/oblig
//obv

31 is my new number. (new window)

The_Original_Roxtar: /oblig
//obv

Would have been better with a Back to the Future reference.

No, subby.

According to the Mythbusters, you need to go 245 mph to get it to blow up. Come on, now. Up your game.

Teen Wolf Blitzer: The_Original_Roxtar: /oblig
//obv

Would have been better with a Back to the Future reference.

seems like you missed the twin trails of fire along the road

Teen Wolf Blitzer: Would have been better with a Back to the Future reference.

Look again. Look closer.

If my calculations are correct, when those signs hit eighty-eight miles per hour... you're gonna see some serious shiat.

The one by my house tops out at 65. Stupid POS.

Teen Wolf Blitzer: The_Original_Roxtar: /oblig
//obv

Would have been better with a Back to the Future reference.

You know how I know you need your vision checked? Hint: Look at the road.

i miss the interactive speed signs we used to have. they got rid of the ones that showed your actual speed years ago, to curb problems like this. now if your going 5+ over the speed limit, it just shows a big, red, flashing SLOW DOWN message.

Gosling: Teen Wolf Blitzer: Would have been better with a Back to the Future reference.

Look again. Look closer.

Ah! Excellent

buckeyebrain: Teen Wolf Blitzer: The_Original_Roxtar: /oblig
//obv

Would have been better with a Back to the Future reference.

You know how I know you need your vision checked? Hint: Look at the road.

also the score board... Doc E - 88mph

Gosling: No, subby.

According to the Mythbusters, you need to go 245 mph to get it to blow up. Come on, now. Up your game.

I'd think you'd need to exceed 255mph in order to crash the sign.

threadjackistan: Gosling: No, subby.

According to the Mythbusters, you need to go 245 mph to get it to blow up. Come on, now. Up your game.

I'd think you'd need to exceed 255mph in order to crash the sign.

Well, 245 was the speed at which the speed camera couldn't keep up anymore.

Grables'Daughter: GIS for "Boy racer"

[sp5.fotolog.com image 500x375]

Huh.

Oh yea? I see your "boy racer" and raise you a truck that looks like a slot machine.