Web site helps motorists stay on top of those pesky speed traps

Driving the family by minivan to Virginia Beach this summer? A piece of friendly advice: Watch the speed traps.

As a matter of fact, Virginia Beach wins the prize for the worst speed trap city in the commonwealth. The runners up, by the way, earning the not-so-coveted title of “dishonorable mention,” are Chesapeake, Emporia and Norfolk.

The information about Virginia’s most lucrative speed spots is found on the cleverly titled Web site SpeedTrap.org. Sponsored by the National Motorists Association, SpeedTrap.org contains tips on hundreds of cities across the nation motorists have found to be speed traps. According to the submissions and other information on the Web site, Virginia has 545 (and counting) speed traps.

Please note: This is how the information about the speed traps is prefaced on SpeedTrap.org:

“The Speed Trap Exchange is a site where visitors can post what they believe are speed traps. The National Motorists Association cannot attest to the validity of these listings. They are individual postings from private individuals who believe a speed trap is in effect in these locations.”

So, these are not necessarily official findings or published municipal reports. They are the anecdotal findings of travelers who have been zapped in a particular spot and reported on this Web site.

Among the findings for our immediate vicinity, a search for Warrenton yields five locations for speed traps. An example is one reportedly located on U.S. 211. The posting describes the trap as having troopers or deputies watching the location during rush hour and late at night.

“They face both ways in the medians/cutovers and are in different ones all the time. They are normally at the bottom of hills, but I have seen them out of the cars shooting with radar. It is really heavy during holiday weekends catching out-of-towners going to the Skyline.”

Other Warrenton sites include U.S. 17 northbound, Bear Wallow Road, and two locations on U.S. 29.

As for Culpeper, there are four speed traps listed. (Let’s just say it’s up to you to find out where other folks claim there are traps in our fair city.)

SpeedTrap.org has other useful information for motorists, such as the fact that authorities can attempt to mail you a ticket — such as one catching you at a traffic light camera — but if that doesn’t work, they have to hand-deliver it in order for the ticket to be valid.

And the Web site also rates the top 10 worst states for hitting your wallet when you hit the gas pedal a little too much. New Jersey, with its turnpikes, toll roads and speed traps, is the worst state; in other words, the best state at hitting motorists in the pocketbook. Among the other top states (from No. 2 to 10): Ohio, Maryland, Louisiana, New York, Illinois, Delaware, Virginia, Washington and Massachusetts.

By contrast, the states that treated motorists most fairly, according to the National Motorists Association, are Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska and Kentucky.

Now, please understand. I pride myself on being a safe driver who, no matter what others think, drives the speed limit. OK, so maybe I drive in the ubiquitous “just a little over” zone.

But I’m not a lead-foot.

If everyone followed the posted speed limits (or a little bit over) and would abide by other traffic safety laws, we’d all have a much better time along the highways and byways of our land.

n LAST WORD: A quick word about Michael Jackson: All I kept thinking since last week was, when is too much, too much?

Then I saw the end of the Jackson memorial service. That’s when the impact sank in. His lovely, sad daughter speaking from her broken heart at how Michael was a good dad, and that she missed him and she loved him.

That’s what it really boils down to: Three children have lost their father.

Walker’s column appears each Wednesday on the editorial page.