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from the avoiding-accidents-is-dangerous-driving dept.
BBC reports that according to Dmitri Dolgov, lead software engineer for Google's driverless car project, Google's self-driving cars are programmed to exceed speed limits by up to 10 mph when surrounding vehicles are breaking the speed limit, because going more slowly could actually present a danger. In many countries, including the United States, the speed limit is a rather nebulous thing. It's posted, but on many roads hardly anybody obeys it.
Almost every driver speeds regularly, and anybody going at or below the limit on a clear road outside the right lane is typically an obstruction to traffic—they will find themselves being tailgated or passed at high speed on the left and right. A ticket for going 1 mph over the limit is an extremely rare thing and usually signals a cop with another agenda or a special day of zero-tolerance enforcement. In fact, many drivers feel safe from tickets up to about 9 mph over the limit. Tickets happen there, but the major penalties require going faster, and most police like to go after that one weaving, racing guy who thinks the limit does not apply to him. Commenting on Google self-drive cars' ability to exceed the speed limit, a Department for Transport spokesman said: "There are no plans to change speed limits, which will still apply to driverless cars".
(Score: 2) by VLM on Wednesday August 20 2014, @03:22PM
Locally "or a special day of zero-tolerance enforcement" means your beater or SUV or whatever really isn't built to handle snow like a passenger car, so rather than argue about subjective "too fast for conditions" in court, its simpler for all involved to give you an objective factual 1 over or whatever. If you were 1 or more under you'd have gotten a "too fast for conditions" or "reckless" or something like that. Or if you appeared to be "reckless" but talked the cop down to a measured 1 over, this happens. So yeah I was in fact going 26 as you measured in a 25 zone in a 1 foot blizzard but these are arctic grade blah blah with DOT certified chains blah blah well I guess its not really reckless after all, but to save face you're gonna get that 1 over ticket.
Also if you blow 0.0001 under the legal alcohol limit but 1 MPH over the speed limit and insist on arguing and fighting with the cop you will almost certainly get a 1 over instead of a DUI. Traditionally they also pull people who are going 1-over as an excuse when they want to discover weed or seatbelts or dui or just plain old DWB and they get pissed if they can't bust you for the "real" thing so they hand out the 1-over as compensation.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Wednesday August 20 2014, @06:16PM
No cop will issue you a ticket for 1 over. The radars aren't that accurate anyway, and neither is your speedometer, and neither is his, and the fine is based on the degree to which you exceed the posted limit.
They aren't dragging you in for 1 over.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.