Turnpike speed trap

[Hoss]

There needs to be a regulation that cars have sensors in them to tell when they are getting to close to a car or stationary object.  Also it should have a sensor to detect when you drift out of your lane and corrects the steering.  Then the speed limits could be much higher without an accident.  Also it would almost eliminate drunk driving as a problem.  It seems like common sense to me. 

Who's gonna foot the cost to put those sensors on the roads?  In the cars?

If you start taking responsibility away from the driver, then who do you start suing when/if people get hurt?  The state?  The manufacturers of sensors?  Yeah, that will go over REAL well.

Driving laws need to be more stringent.  You can't force people to add items on to cars that weren't there to begin with, and if you do, you can't force them to pay for them if the equipment they had when the car was purchased was legal.  The only option is to start mandating driving exams at an age that can be agreed upon by those smarter than I.

[rwarn17588]

That doesn't explain the westbound speed limit drop. The casino exit is in Missouri. The speed limit, heading west, drops at the state line. You'd be past any traffic when you hit that speed zone. The next exit isn't for 10 or so miles past the state line.

Yes, and people do go onto I-44 from the interchange as well as exit it, correct? To assume there wouldn't be a heavily flow of westbound traffic after a show or during a busy weekend is presumptuous, to say the least.

The interchange may be in Missouri, but it's so close to the state line that the difference is meaningless.

[TUalum0982]

There needs to be a regulation that cars have sensors in them to tell when they are getting to close to a car or stationary object.  Also it should have a sensor to detect when you drift out of your lane and corrects the steering.  Then the speed limits could be much higher without an accident.  Also it would almost eliminate drunk driving as a problem.  It seems like common sense to me. 

they already have this technology in quite a few cars.  Check out Infiniti's lane departure warning system that made its debut I think in 2005.  Also check out dynamic laser cruise control.  It automatically applies the brakes once you reach a certain distance to the car in front of you.  I know BMW has it as an option, as does Mercedes.  My parents have it on their 08 Toyota Avalon limited as well.

[DTowner]

Does either ODOT or Turnpike Authority have the authority to alter the speed limit?  I was under the impression that state law sets speed limits by category or type of highway.

[patric]

It looks like they just installed some "speed limit 60" signs on the Rogers Turnpike entering Oklahoma from Missouri near Joplin. One at the state line and one a few miles in. Then a few miles later it goes up to the usual 75.

I just drove through there a few days ago and they are not only still up, but are permanent signs.
Speed drops just over the state line, then goes up inexplicably a few miles later.
No construction or anything that would give an indication as to why, and apparently no corresponding drop going eastbound.

Didnt see OHP hiding behind a sign, but at the toll plaza there were cruisers in front of the crash barriers (that divide the cash lanes from the pikepass lanes) in both eastbound and westbound lanes, each facing oncoming traffic.  Looked like a disaster waiting to happen.

[cannon_fodder]

A classic government "solution" to a problem.

Problem:  trucker fell asleep at the wheel
Result: fatal crash
Solution: Lower the speed limit

Of course, since he was asleep it wouldn't prevent the crash, nor would it prevent him from falling sleep.  And in fact a sudden drop in speed could *cause* accidents as people vaguely familiar with the roadway are accelerating and people watching the signs closely are breaking.  But hey, why should a solution have anything to do with the problem or have have any real reason to address it?

[patric]

A classic government "solution" to a problem.

Problem:  trucker fell asleep at the wheel
Result: fatal crash
Solution: Lower the speed limit

Since the crash happened in the westbound lanes (where the speed limit is unchanged) Im not seeing the connection, either.  Something else may be afoot.

[Conan71]

Oh, I thought it was east-bound.  How did I have that backwards for so long?

[TheTed]

I just drove through there a few days ago and they are not only still up, but are permanent signs.
Speed drops just over the state line, then goes up inexplicably a few miles later.
No construction or anything that would give an indication as to why, and apparently no corresponding drop going eastbound.

Didnt see OHP hiding behind a sign, but at the toll plaza there were cruisers in front of the crash barriers (that divide the cash lanes from the pikepass lanes) in both eastbound and westbound lanes, each facing oncoming traffic.  Looked like a disaster waiting to happen.

They now have signs warning you of the lower speed limits ahead, but they're so close to the actual signs that lower the speed limits as to be nearly worthless. And there is no corresponding eastbound speed limit drop. Last time I went through there I saw no cops bringing in revenue in that area.

A couple weeks ago, while driving through that Vinita toll plaza, a trooper was driving the wrong way in the Pike Pass lanes (where the speed limit is 75). He was half on the shoulder and half in the right lane.

I nearly had to change my pants when I spotted him. Luckily I was in the left lane to avoid all the traffic coming and going from the cash lanes. Unless somebody is literally dying, it seems completely ridiculous for troopers to be driving the wrong way down an interstate with a 75 mph speed limit.

[patric]

After one year, the 60mph signs are still up.
Only the westbound (heading into Oklahoma from MO) lanes, and right before you get to the "welcome to Oklahoma" sign.
There is another 60mph sign a mile or so down, then without warning goes back up to 75mph.

There is absolutely no warning to westbound drivers that the speed limit is about to change, which I believe is a violation of federal law.

[Ed W]

There needs to be a regulation that cars have sensors in them to tell when they are getting to close to a car or stationary object.  Also it should have a sensor to detect when you drift out of your lane and corrects the steering.  Then the speed limits could be much higher without an accident.  Also it would almost eliminate drunk driving as a problem.  It seems like common sense to me. 

It's not impossible, but it's difficult and expensive.  Essentially, you're asking for a car capable of independent operation without human input.  This is the focus of the DARPA Grand Challenge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2AcMnfzpNg

But here's an obvious problem with any independent control system.  What happens if it malfunctions and locks out the human operator?  One rule of thumb says that as we make systems more complicated, we multiply the potential failures.  In fact, in electronics we have what's called 'infant mortality', a high failure rate that diminishes over time and slowly increases again as the systems reach old age.  In order to avoid that, you have to build in system redundancy, which increases cost and complexity once again. 

[joiei]

THis speed trap method is also being practiced in OKC.   From right where I-35 and I-44 meet heading northbound there is a speed limit of 60 mph sign for about a mile.   There are always at least 2 troopers sitting there waiting for you to not slow down.   They are stopping cars going in either direction, north or south. 

[guido911]

A tad O/T, but what are those "don't drive into smoke" (or something like that) signs all about? And "yes", I know what that it means not to drive into smoke.

[Hoss]

A tad O/T, but what are those "don't drive into smoke" (or something like that) signs all about? And "yes", I know what that it means not to drive into smoke.

Brush/grass fires.

[patric]

THis speed trap method is also being practiced in OKC.   From right where I-35 and I-44 meet heading northbound there is a speed limit of 60 mph sign for about a mile.   There are always at least 2 troopers sitting there waiting for you to not slow down.   They are stopping cars going in either direction, north or south. 

So it might appear that these signs are not just some oversight on ODOT's part, but OHP is actively capitalizing on them.