I have the right to go the speed limit.

[Jesuspaidtheprice]

There is something about a thread like this when the 4 year old nephew of another forum member was recently hit and killed by a car.

[Sojourner]

[quote name='Jesuspaidtheprice' post='1021845' date='Jul 11 2006, 03:39 PM']
There is something about a thread like this when the 4 year old nephew of another forum member was recently hit and killed by a car.
[/quote]
Not to denigrate that tragedy, but this thread really doesn't have anything to do with that incident. I don't know why you would bring that up here.

[Jesuspaidtheprice]

Quite on the other hand, the person driving the car likely wasn't even breaking the law, but Catholics here believe it is perfectly acceptable to break the law in a motor vehicle every time they personally think it is acceptable. Seems quite contrary to how Catholics usually feel about authority.

[scardella]

[quote name='Jesuspaidtheprice' post='1021845' date='Jul 11 2006, 01:39 PM']
There is something about a thread like this when the 4 year old nephew of another forum member was recently hit and killed by a car.
[/quote]

I'm sorry if it bothers you, and it stinks that that happened. I think it's safe to assume that nobody in here is advocating or condoning flying down residential streets at 40-50 mph. I'm all for rational laws and rational drivers.

I just think that the laws are far oriented towards anal-retentive/lowest common denominator/making money for police departments. I just think it's perfectly ok to use the full potential of your car on a deserted curvy road on a warm dry day. I'm all for race tracks too. Unfortunately, there's none within an hour's drive of me.

[Era Might]

[quote name='Jesuspaidtheprice' post='1021855' date='Jul 11 2006, 02:55 PM']Quite on the other hand, the person driving the car likely wasn't even breaking the law, but Catholics here believe it is perfectly acceptable to break the law in a motor vehicle every time they personally think it is acceptable. Seems quite contrary to how Catholics usually feel about authority.
[/quote]
The Catholic approach to civil law, basically, is "the law was made for man, not man for the law".

Catholicism is a remarkably nuanced religion. You'd be surprised.

Anyway, do what you feel is right. If you feel you have to stay at or below the speed limit on the highway, ease your conscience and do it.

[scardella]

[quote name='Jesuspaidtheprice' post='1021855' date='Jul 11 2006, 01:55 PM']
Quite on the other hand, the person driving the car likely wasn't even breaking the law, but Catholics here believe it is perfectly acceptable to break the law in a motor vehicle every time they personally think it is acceptable. Seems quite contrary to how Catholics usually feel about authority.
[/quote]

1. AFAIK, the speed limits are set assuming that people are going 5-10 over.
2. Also AFAIK, In some places, the speed limits are set in order to produce revenue.
3. It is more dangerous to drive slower than the speed of traffic than to drive faster than the speed of traffic by the same amount. Basically, you become an obstacle for everyone to have to avoid at speed. If you drive faster than everyone else, you're the only one who has to do any obstacle avoiding. If you are driving the speed limit at 55, and everyone is doing 75, then you're actually more dangerous than if you too were driving 70.
4. Did you read my first post on this? I was speaking independent of a given speed limit.
5. The ultimate purpose of traffic law is safety on the roadways. Nobody is disagreeing with that goal.

PS. I also used to be very scrupulous about this (and I mean it in the technical sense). It kills any enjoyment of driving when you're always hovering over your speedometer and freak out if you exceed 5 over...

Edited July 11, 2006 by scardella

[avemaria40]

[quote name='Jesuspaidtheprice' post='1021855' date='Jul 11 2006, 02:55 PM']
Quite on the other hand, the person driving the car likely wasn't even breaking the law, but Catholics here believe it is perfectly acceptable to break the law in a motor vehicle every time they personally think it is acceptable. Seems quite contrary to how Catholics usually feel about authority.
[/quote]

I'm Catholic and I don't find it personally acceptable to break the law in a motor vehicle. In fact, I can be overly scrupulous and anal-retentive about driving (though part of it comes from being a new 17-year-old driver) I know people who have gotten into scary car accidents, people who are closer to me actually, and I was very saddened to hear about the 4-year-old who died from being hit by a car. I understand the importance of obeying the law, after all, Our Lord did say, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar and give to God what is God's" I view authority as something we all have to submit to, regardless of whether we agree with it or not (unless they are asking us to do something immoral like deny Christ or support abortion or something) Don't use what a few Catholics (out of a billion) believe against Catholicism as a whole, and also, these people aren't advocating breaking the law, they are just stating disagreement with that law and there is nothing wrong with that.

[scardella]

Personally, I think that it should be harder to get a license. I know that (at least ~10 years ago), the driving test at some DMVs only consisted of driving around the block. I'd be happier if you had to drive about 30 minutes or so on a mixture of highway and city driving. I think it would be good if they had you panic stop or maneuver in cones too. That'd mean that you would actually have to have some degree of skill to drive. I think that alone would probably do much more to reduce accidents than these awful restrictions on driving.

[Sojourner]

[quote name='Jesuspaidtheprice' post='1021855' date='Jul 11 2006, 03:55 PM']
Quite on the other hand, the person driving the car likely wasn't even breaking the law, but Catholics here believe it is perfectly acceptable to break the law in a motor vehicle every time they personally think it is acceptable. Seems quite contrary to how Catholics usually feel about authority.
[/quote]


[quote name='Era Might' post='1021860' date='Jul 11 2006, 04:04 PM']
The Catholic approach to civil law, basically, is "the law was made for man, not man for the law".

Catholicism is a remarkably nuanced religion. You'd be surprised.

Anyway, do what you feel is right. If you feel you have to stay at or below the speed limit on the highway, ease your conscience and do it.
[/quote]

[quote name='scardella' post='1021863' date='Jul 11 2006, 04:08 PM']
1. AFAIK, the speed limits are set assuming that people are going 5-10 over.
2. Also AFAIK, In some places, the speed limits are set in order to produce revenue.
3. It is more dangerous to drive slower than the speed of traffic than to drive faster than the speed of traffic by the same amount. Basically, you become an obstacle for everyone to have to avoid at speed. If you drive faster than everyone else, you're the only one who has to do any obstacle avoiding. If you are driving the speed limit at 55, and everyone is doing 75, then you're actually more dangerous than if you too were driving 70.
4. Did you read my first post on this? I was speaking independent of a given speed limit.
5. The ultimate purpose of traffic law is safety on the roadways. Nobody is disagreeing with that goal.

PS. I also used to be very scrupulous about this (and I mean it in the technical sense). It kills any enjoyment of driving when you're always hovering over your speedometer and freak out if you exceed 5 over...
[/quote]

Yeah. What they said.

[Jaime]

Illegal parking on the other hand is a HUGE sin

[Sojourner]

I can tell you from experience that it's much cheaper to park illegally than to speed. Unless you get towed. Then the ante is really upped.

[qfnol31]

Since when were most people on this forum Lockians?

[scardella]

[quote name='qfnol31' post='1022586' date='Jul 12 2006, 12:23 AM']
Since when were most people on this forum Lockians?
[/quote]

Umm... please explain...

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='Sojourner' post='1022138' date='Jul 11 2006, 07:59 PM']
I can tell you from experience that it's much cheaper to park illegally than to speed. Unless you get towed. Then the ante is really upped.
[/quote]
Not if you park in a handicap spot.... RussianGirl has done this-- twice.

[Sojourner]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' post='1022798' date='Jul 12 2006, 11:26 AM']
Not if you park in a handicap spot.... RussianGirl has done this-- twice.
[/quote]
I've never done that. I've parked illegally in many other ways, but not that one.

[homeschoolmom]

It's expensive.

[Sojourner]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' post='1022810' date='Jul 12 2006, 11:32 AM']
It's expensive.
[/quote]
Last time I parked illegally I got towed to the tune of $125. That was no fun. I have since opted to park within the bounds of the law.

[homeschoolmom]

I think college was the only time I parked illegelly and that was on campus while I was moving in.... otherwise, I think I'm pretty good with parking legally.

[Sojourner]

I was trying to save money on parking ...

Didn't so much do that. That one incident was equal to about a month and a half of paying for parking.

[God the Father]

[quote name='scardella' post='1021863' date='Jul 11 2006, 03:08 PM']
1. AFAIK, the speed limits are set assuming that people are going 5-10 over.
[/quote]

To me this doesn't make sense, concerning the nature of the word "limit." I'd think that in the government, where everything revolves around careful wording, techincalities, and red tape, the officials would not place a "limit" intending for the limit to be broken.