Friday, August 04, 2006

Speed Trailers

Why. Please tell me why our local tax dollars are being used to purchase these overgrown speedometers on wheels?

Just the other day in my fair suburban town, I noticed yet another one of these beacons of "safety spending" standing on the side of a major thoroughfare which I travel at least 5 days a week. Yes, yes I know. Driving fast (women who put makeup on while driving and cell phones are probably higher) is the cause of most accidents and we should all be more aware of our speed. No agrument here. But do we really need to have it broadcasted in neon lights on the side of the road? I don't know about you but I usually know how fast I drive. Why? BECAUSE I KNOW WHERE MY FREAKING DASHBOARD SPEEDOMETER IS!

So why do I need to have my speed flashed up on an overgrown LiteBright on wheels when all I need to do is look down over the steering wheel?

What. Like this huge speedometer-on-a-trailer is going to be a huge speed deterant? Seriously, how many of you upon noticing the police speed trailer slam the petal to the floor to see how fast you can get it to register before you pass it? If anything, these police speed trailers turn roads into glorified carnival attractions. Instead of paying a dollar to a carnie to see how fast you can throw a baseball into a bunch of metal milk bottles, your testing your car's upper velocity limit on a 200 foot stretch of side street. Hell, it might as well say "Go ahead a punch it!"

Now I'm all about safety. I run into too many people daily who think the word: "School Zone" is code for "Indy 500". The last thing I want to see happen is someone killed by a jackass speeding.

Still, unless there is a cop with a radar gun on the otherside of the speed trailer, don't look for me to pay too much attention to these things. And, not that I would, but if I go too fast, I have my own little notification system and its far more effective. MY WIFE!