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      (GUEST COLUMN)   NO TOLERANCE FOR NO TOLERANCE
(Written under the psuedonym, "George Steinkrueger", and published 25 September 1996 in the Neighborhood Journal. Posted in toto with Pre-Preface Preface and Post-Epilogue Epilogue 3 October 2001)

PRE-PREFACE -- Everybody needs a break now and then, even a columnist. A friend of mine asked if he could fill in for a week, and I agreed. This would be one of several columns written by guest columnists. It should be noted that the original PREFACE and EPILOGUE ran with the column, and should be read as such.

        Although I thoroughly enjoy writing this column, it has now been eight weeks since its debut, and I have decided its time to take a break. When a friend of mine, E.W., asked me if he could write the column this week, I agreed, as this will probably be the last opportunity I have until after the election. Thus, consider this week's column to be George's vacation, if you will, for I will be back next week. Enjoy.---George Steinkrueger

No Tolerance for No Tolerance

        A few weeks ago on one of Arkansas' interstates a couple of individuals were arrested transporting drugs through our State. This 'drug war' story might have left individuals' minds as quickly as it entered, since it seems we are bombarded with such stories by the media. However, there was a major component of this story that drivers in Arkansas need to be aware. The reason the driver was stopped in the first place was the fact he was traveling 73 mph, 3 miles per hour over the posted speed limit.
        For those of us who have gotten off our couches and traveled the highway systems in our State recently, we have noticed changes in the posted speed limits. Some interstates and freeways have had their speed limits raised to 70 mph or 60 mph, depending on the rural or urban character of the various areas. Also with these changes, a new policy, whether embedded in stone or not, has gone into effect as well. This policy is simple. NO TOLERANCE! NO TOLERANCE! NO TOLERANCE!
        For those of you who do not understand what no tolerance means, here it is in elementary terms. Say you are driving your family along US Hwy. 67/167, and the posted speed limit is 70 mph. You pass an Arkansas State Trooper with your speedometer gauge slightly to the right of the dash marked 70 but well to the left of the unmarked dash halfway between 70 and 80. The trooper pulls you over and shows you his radar display flashing 71 mph. Then, he writes you a ticket for going 1 mile per hour over the posted speed limit. That, my fellow Arkansans, is no tolerance, plain and simple.
        Drivers in Arkansas might think that this policy of no tolerance is just another scare tactic, since   past history has shown that there has, for the most part, been a buffer of at least 5 mph over the speed limit. (Officers in at least one town in Arkansas will not pull over anyone unless he is traveling 11 mph over the limit. Obviously, that town is not one of the so-called speed traps in the state.) This implied buffer was allowed for legitimate reasons. Radar gun and speedometer gauge errors have been cited as reasons for the minimal speed buffer. This buffer gave motorists the benefit of the doubt. For the traffic courts, the buffer prevented defendants from using 'the error defense,' thus convictions had better chances of remaining intact -- saving dollars.
        However, new technology has allowed car engineers to include digital speed readouts that can even flash on the windshield. This technology will give drivers the opportunity to know precisely how fast their cars are traveling, without always looking at the gauges. Also, enforcement officials have benefited from new technology with the advent of laser guns and more improved radar guns.
        So why is the 'no tolerance' policy the wrong approach to take considering that the law IS the law? There are two main reasons why this implied buffer should remain intact. First, terrain can easily cause a law-abiding citizen to venture into the red zone. Why do you often see Arkansas' finest sitting at the base of hills? You might climb a hill at 60 mph, but after cresting that hill, the car will increase speed even without the driver touching the accelerator. This even occurs with set cruise controls. Depending on the size of the hill, the increase varies from 5 to 10 miles per hour on average. The majority of Arkansas' terrain is hilly or mountainous.
         Second, humans created the new technology, and humans, at last count, are still not perfect. The majority of cars do not have the digital speed readouts. If engines and tires can malfunction on cars, why can't speedometers malfunction -- even a couple of mph from the actual speed. Laser guns are expensive, so not every enforcement agency has access to this technology. Still, these guns as well as radar are not perfect either. Benefit of the doubt must remain to balance man's imperfection.
        So if you want an intolerant Big Brother off your back, move to Montana, the real "Land of Opportunity."

Epilogue---George Steinkrueger
       In the space remaining, I would like to thank E.W. for filling in for me this week, and I would like to add some of my own thoughts on the subject.
       Most traffic engineers will tell you that speed limits are supposed to give an indication of the safe speed; however, in many cases, the speed limit has absolutely nothing to do with safety and are arbitrarily set by politicians and bureaucrats. Are the freeways really that much more dangerous at 71 than 70? I think not.
       Sadly, speed limits have helped legitimize police intimidation. Like in the case that E.W. cites, speeding is used as an excuse by some police officers to intimidate the citizenry. I speak from experience on this, as I was stopped for going 47 in a 45 zone (downhill, just north of Newport on 67), and then interrogated on the roadside by an officer wanting to know my whole life's history. If I hadn't been lucky enough to have a gas card to verify my employment, I would have probably been arrested. My crime? Driving alone in a car with out-of-state tags.
       Do we really want to provide another excuse for tyranny?

POST-EPILOGUE -- This column seems especially appropriate now, given the sever curtailment of our civil liberties since the disaster of September 11. We are now subject to random searches at football games and other public events (in the name of security), and our once great and free nation is quickly devolving into a military/police state. If we keep proceeding down this course, comments like these will end me in jail for being subversive. Can you say, “Heil”?