Re: CHAT: Speed cameras (was: Word usage in English dialects)

Carsten wrote:
> However, is it true that  in the US, 'tempo sinners' (as
> they're called here by the bureaucracy) must go to jail for
> one or two days depending on how much too fast they drove
> on the highway? A acquaintance of mine told me once, this
> happened to her mother when she were having a stay in
> America.
No, I'm pretty certain this is not the case in any jurisdiction in
the US. It sounds like the kind of urban legends that people spread
because it justifies their prejudices, in the case that the US is the
home of oppression and judicial malevolence.  Typically, when one
speeds (and we simply call them "speeders") and gets caught, the
policeman writes you a ticket, and you have the opportunity to
contest it in court. There are three options:  "innocent", "guilty",
and "no contest".  Most people choose this last option, because
they were in fact guilty, but they get out of the hassle of actually
appearing in court, and they pay a small fee.  One friend of mine
plead innocent, however, because he was able to prove that the policeman
in question was acting out of his physical jurisdiction, much as
Mark suggests.  In Texas, if you choose to contest the ticket, then
you must appear in the county in question, which is often a major
hassle when, say, you might have to travel a distance greater than
that separating Paris from Berlin.

 =========================================================================
Thomas Wier	       "I find it useful to meet my subjects personally,
Dept. of Linguistics    because our secret police don't get it right
University of Chicago   half the time." -- octogenarian Sheikh Zayed of
1010 E. 59th Street     Abu Dhabi, to a French reporter.
Chicago, IL 60637

Reply