What's up with Ohio State Police ?

[Francesca]

Hey, O.P.!
Is this your rig?



If I had a setup as conspicuous as yours, I wouldn't be criticizing any LEO's whose jurisdiction I might be passing through.

[baraff]

The last thing I worry about when driving the motorhome on the interstate is getting a speeding ticket. I do about 60-63 mph, well below what everyone is doing.
I'm more worried about being rear-ended by a semi doing 70-75.
I also avoid the Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania turnpikes whenever possible. Horrible roads, just horrible. Sometimes we have no choice however.

[grafxman]

Originally Posted by Wayne M

For years, before any holiday period while in the military, videos would be shown that were produced by the Ohio State Patrol. The showed some horrifying scenes of actual accidents. When it came to the blood and gore it was blacked out but the mind's eye actually could capture the moment.

It was all about safety and what NOT to do. Some were tilted "Speed Kills."

Now picture this scenario that they produced. It showed a road grader that was just parked for the day and the operator getting off and going home. Then, kids came upon it, and like many children the inquisitive minds of the young had them swarming all over this piece of machinery. One youg boy was crawling on top of the grader blade, and swinging under it. The other boy was in the control seat and hit a lever. It showed the blade rapidly descending with a cut away of the boy underneath the blade. So you can imagine what the auto accident videos were.

It was supposed to make everyone a safer driver, at least for the holiday weekend.

So I'm not surprised that Ohio has some strict enforcement on speed limits and such, and justifiably so.

What is the point of speeding, especially in a motorhome?

It is perplexing to believe that they let a major pool of violators pass unchecked.

I went to school in Belpre OH. When I was in high school they showed us kids the most horrible film I have ever seen. I don't think it would be allowed to be shown today. It was called "Death on the Highways" and was produced by the Ohio Highway Patrol. In was emotionally traumatizing to us kids. Girls started weeping and guys got glassy eyed looks. The next time I saw guys with faces like that was after combat. Over 50 years later I can still see a young woman's long blond hair attached to the top of her skull which had been separated from the rest of her head by a rear end collision with a flatbed truck.

For many decades Ohio authorities have brainwashed themselves into believing that speed kills. Most of the rest of the world realizes that careless, inattentive drivers are what leads to accidents. Speed makes accidents worse of course but they happen in the first place by carelessness. If speed killed people I would have been dead a few hundred times over. When I came back from 'Nam in '66 the first thing I did was buy a new '66 XKE Jaguar. It would do 150 mph anytime I felt like it putting it there. I'm still kicking but I don't speed anymore. I just take my time and enjoy the scenery.

[DSL417]

Originally Posted by baraff

The last thing I worry about when driving the motorhome on the interstate is getting a speeding ticket. I do about 60-63 mph, well below what everyone is doing.
I'm more worried about being rear-ended by a semi doing 70-75.
I also avoid the Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania turnpikes whenever possible. Horrible roads, just horrible. Sometimes we have no choice however.

Agree on the quality of roads in IN and PN; bumpy terrible in IN and narrow in Western PN and bumpy terrible in Eastern PN. I thought Ohio has made great strides on their toll roads...smooth, and relatively inexpensive if you have EZ Pass (they discount 30-50%).

JMHO

[RustyJC]

Originally Posted by Rick & Hope

As of July 1 Ohio's speed limit raised to 70 MPH for everyone. Ohio used to be notorious for writing tickets to truckers for 57 MPH when they had split speed limits. When the toll road eliminated the split speed limit to entice truckers to pay the high tolls, the state police said it would dbut nothing but blood and gore all over the toll road with semi's going 65 MPH. Funny thing happen the accident rate on the toll road went down. With all the vehicles moving at near the same speed there were less interactions(Passing and being passed), less interaction =less accidents.

This has been proven in a number of states. Eliminate the speed differential between vehicles, and the accident rate drops. Texas eliminated the different speed limits between cars and trucks on many highways years ago. I lived in Ohio for 22 years and it was always frustrating to have the different car and truck speed limits; Interstate driving was like driving through a moving chicane.

Having said that, I tow at 62-65 MPH, stay in the right lane and let the 75 (or more) MPH Interstate traffic have the left lane(s).

Rusty

[Wayne M]

Originally Posted by grafxman

I went to school in Belpre OH. When I was in high school they showed us kids the most horrible film I have ever seen. I don't think it would be allowed to be shown today. It was called "Death on the Highways" and was produced by the Ohio Highway Patrol. In was emotionally traumatizing to us kids. Girls started weeping and guys got glassy eyed looks. The next time I saw guys with faces like that was after combat. Over 50 years later I can still see a young woman's long blond hair attached to the top of her skull which had been separated from the rest of her head by a rear end collision with a flatbed truck.

For many decades Ohio authorities have brainwashed themselves into believing that speed kills. Most of the rest of the world realizes that careless, inattentive drivers are what leads to accidents. Speed makes accidents worse of course but they happen in the first place by carelessness. If speed killed people I would have been dead a few hundred times over. When I came back from 'Nam in '66 the first thing I did was buy a new '66 XKE Jaguar. It would do 150 mph anytime I felt like it putting it there. I'm still kicking but I don't speed anymore. I just take my time and enjoy the scenery.

That was the same video we saw before holidays in the mid to late 60's.

Yes, it really is carelessness and inattentiveness and speed compounds the results.

Originally Posted by RustyJC

This has been proven in a number of states. Eliminate the speed differential between vehicles, and the accident rate drops. Texas eliminated the different speed limits between cars and trucks on many highways years ago. I lived in Ohio for 22 years and it was always frustrating to have the different car and truck speed limits; Interstate driving was like driving through a moving chicane.

Having said that, I tow at 62-65 MPH, stay in the right lane and let the 75 (or more) MPH Interstate traffic have the left lane(s).

Rusty

When traveling, there are still states with the dual limits depending on vehicles and I'm glad Texas is not one of them. Go to California towing anything and it is 55 mph with everyone else doing 65+. Then it is some very crazy drivers.

whoever designed some of the freeway sections did not account for ingress/egress by puting the on ramp before the off ramp.

[Airstreamer6]

I'm not sure the one-size-fits-all approach to speed limits is safe.

I think it was in Texas that I found myself on a two-lane rural highway with a 65 mph limit. I could not bring myself to drive that fast with all the driveways, mailboxes, bicycles and pedestrians so close to my truck/trailer combo. I had no confidence I could safely stop in such close and cluttered quarters.

So, I went 55, which was more than fast enough. I doubt the sportscars behind me felt the same.

[hoss1045]

Here in Ohio, the State Trooper force is very unpredictable. Most likely during the holiday weekend they targeted 4wheelers for other then speeding ( changing lanes unpredictability, seat belt, racing). That is how you find drunk drivers and drug traffickers. On holiday weekends they tend to let the truckers try to get home. They are human too.

[Ken-55]

Originally Posted by baraff

The last thing I worry about when driving the motorhome on the interstate is getting a speeding ticket. I do about 60-63 mph, well below what everyone is doing.
I'm more worried about being rear-ended by a semi doing 70-75.
I also avoid the Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania turnpikes whenever possible. Horrible roads, just horrible. Sometimes we have no choice however.

I can understand your logic BUT it bit me several years ago on our trip to Maine to pick up our motorhome . . . very light traffic, I was on cruise control following 3 other cars doing 62 in a 55 MPH zone, just passed by a military recruiter's car doing at least 75 when we came upon a Maine state trooper in the median. I didn't even slow down as I falsely thought nothing of it. When he pulled me over I was shocked! Was I speeding, yes, would I come back to Maine to fight, no . . . AND I haven't been back since, so much for the efforts of the Maine Tourism Board. I firmly believe that they target out-of-state vehicles. They may have beat me for a few bucks but that's they last $$$ they'll ever get from me!

[wa8yxm]

One thing about speed radar... On my trip north this year I passed one of those signs that says "The speed limit is XX you are going YY" with a radar measuring your speed.

I saw that sign go from like 45 mph to 90 as I approached it and NOBODY was standing out in the traffic flow.. Everybody was going about the same speed give or take very little.. Yet the sign showed a serious range of speeds.

So,, Do I trust RADAR.... Not so much

[TeJay]

That film was put out by the Ohio SP and was called, "Mechanized Death." I saw it when I went to Keesler AFB 1965 just before labor day. We saw it projected on the side of one of the barracks. It was bigger than a drive-in movie screen. Scared the snot out of me. I have never been a careless driver but it never hurts to get a wake-up call. That movie worked for me. Hey do what ever it takes to reduce accidents. Nobody really has the right answer and there is without a doubt no one right answer.

TeJay

[Francesca]

"Mechanized Death" is still out there, y'know...I'm surprised no one has posted the link.

For those of you who dare to watch it, here it is on Youtube.

[road dogs]

I grew up in a little town in eastern Ohio called Canfield where many of Ohio's major state routes converged. Back then, in the '60s, they weren't concerned about trucker's speeding, but being overweight was a major crime (and revenue source!). IIRC, the town cops were usually retired truckers who could spot overloading at a glance and they always carried portable scales. In those days trucks didn't have a lot of power OR stopping ability so it was common for trucks to go WOT down hills so they could gather momentum to go up the next hill without losing too much speed. Since most intersections were at the bottom of the hills, seems like most accidents occurred from people not realizing those trucks were rolling max speed when they pulled out in front of them. Many of those gory truck accident clips from the '60s "training" films came from the area around Canfield.

[frypanman]

Yep ! That's the rig , now maybe you get a better idea why I motor along at a reasonable speed . No sense bringing unwanted attention while on the highway .