Is there a law against quick acceleration?

[Forbidden Snake]

Let's say you're stopped at the red light. When it turns green you take off and quickly accelerate to the posted 45 MPH limit in no time (less than 3 seconds if at all)... then you take your foot off and cruise the speed limit once you've reached speed limit.

Can a cop stop and pull you over for that?

Another question... can you be pulled over for chirping the tires on a take off, or fish-tailing on a 1st -> 2nd gear quick acceleration?

(I'm sure it all depends on the cop if he wants to bust your ass or not, but is it illegal to do those three above?)

 

[Ryan]

IIRC its called unecassary (sp?) acceleration.........

 

[Steelejay]

To answer your questions about the legality of quick acceleration off the line at a stop light, this type of driving tends to fall under the "Exhibition of Speed" rules. Exhibition of Speed rules give police a sort of catch-all for what could be considered dangerous driving behavior even when it occurs below posted posted limits.

At best, any law enforcement official would frown on this type of behavior, and you can be ticketed, especially if another driver near you was exhibiting the same driving behavior - you could then be ticketed for both exhibition of speed, as well as drag-racing even if the posted limit was not exceeded. These tickets are easier to defend in court, however you still have the word of the officer against you, and they are given a lot of leeway in this regards.

As to chirping the tires upon acceleration, this also falls under the "exhibition of speed" rules in most states, and you can be ticketed. If acceleration is so great that the tires break loose at gear changes enough to create fish-tailing or tire smoke, you could be ticketed for several infractions up to and including reckless driving. Any time an officer witnesses tire-spin on dry roads you are pretty much guaranteed a costly ticket that is difficult to defend against.

 

[Forbidden Snake]

Thanks for the explanations -- that makes sense. Fish-tailing may be a little extreme (reckless driving), but getting pulled over for chirping the tires or doing a brisk acceleration is un-called for. Like I said, it all depends on the cop whether he or she's feeling the itch or not.

I got pulled over by a female cop down in California when I first got my 98 Cobra. It was hard to drive (getting used to a new car) so I had to rev a little and make sure the engine doesn't die when I get it in gear. Well... when I took off, the car made a little chirp as I proceed to go down the road slow. The cop was on the other side of the street. She pulled me over for it -- I forgot what she said. Thankfully, she didn't give me a ticket (after a long while of researching my info), but I still feel it was ***ing retarded and uncalled for. (Sorry, just ranting a little bit there!)

 

[CDCGraphic]

I think here in MA they call it "Failure to take care starting or stopping" or something like that...

 

[OSUMASON]

Ours is called "spinning of tires", and most to the time is some POS that is doing it in the parking lot of a Quicktrip where the cement is slick and that is about the only place they can do it, eventhough there are people walking all around.:nono: :nono:

 

[chassebr]

Ours is called excessive acceleration unless it's a cruise night, then it's ok.

 

[hillie16]

In PA you can put just about anything under careless driving.

 

[i8u]

Originally posted by chassebr
Ours is called excessive acceleration unless it's a cruise night, then it's ok.

I got one of them.:bash: Damn heavy foot.:shrug:

 

[FordSVTFan]

Try cutting off a few toes at a time until it lightens up

 

[i8u]

Originally posted by FordSVTFan
Try cutting off a few toes at a time until it lightens up

:lol: I think I'll pass on that one. I think the fines and lawyer fees lighten it up enough.

 

[03CobraBro]

If you take off and dont spin the tires... how can they tell if your acclerating too quickly? I couldnt imagine a cop walking up to me and saying... "You were pulling close to a G back there son... Im going to have to ticket ya."

How do they measure accleration?

That sounds alittle questionable to me... Maybe the officer takes off very slow himself. (heh not with all the ass end sliding iv seen in my area done by police officers during the midnight hours.)

 

[chassebr]

Originally posted by 03CobraBro
If you take off and dont spin the tires... how can they tell if your acclerating too quickly? I couldnt imagine a cop walking up to me and saying... "You were pulling close to a G back there son... Im going to have to ticket ya."

How do they measure accleration?

Ummmm, the front wheels off the ground are an obvious sign of excessive acceleration! duh! Geez, some people I tell ya.

 

[FordSVTFan]

Originally posted by i8u
:lol: I think I'll pass on that one. I think the fines and lawyer fees lighten it up enough.

I hear yah there. But that is usually temporary. The toe removal is permenant:-D

good luck

 

[CraneClan]

Originally posted by 03CobraBro
If you take off and dont spin the tires... how can they tell if your acclerating too quickly? I couldnt imagine a cop walking up to me and saying... "You were pulling close to a G back there son... Im going to have to ticket ya."

How do they measure accleration?

That sounds alittle questionable to me... Maybe the officer takes off very slow himself. (heh not with all the ass end sliding iv seen in my area done by police officers during the midnight hours.)

Your vehicle growing extremely small in 2 seconds is a dead giveaway. Realistically, you can get away with this when you are pulling out into an opening in front of moderate traffic, especially if you misjudge the speed of oncoming cars. It's fun with a Lightning. And sometimes somebody cooperates by speeding up as if to say, "Oh no you don't you son-of-a-bitch!" Then you gotta hit it kinda hard to avoid collision. (But officer, that guy was gonna rear-end me!)

 

[2F2F]

> How do they measure accleration?

Most likely by the roar of your engine and pounding exhaust note. And/or the distance between you and the vehicle next to, or behind you.

 

[TJSwoboda]

Driving to work once, on a route which took me along a 55 mph country highway, into a town, 55 again and back into a town, I pulled into the first town (Yorkville, IL) and the highway went to four lanes. Pulling up to a red right there was one of the current Impalas in the left lane. I didn't want to be stuck behind a blue hair for the next five miles of two lane highway, so I pulled into the empty right lane. I figured if he got on the gas at all, I'd let him go ahead, otherwise I'd get in front of him before my lane ended.

The light turned green, and I let the clutch out with just a little gas. (oh, this was in my old car, a '92 Nissan Sentra XE 5spd, not my CSVT. ) Impala seemed to hesitate, so I punched it, chirped just a *little bit* shifting to 2nd (only 115 HP, I'm surprised I could chirp at all! ), signalled left and moved over. Looking in my rear view mirror, I noticed at this point that his plate started with a small red S, followed by more small red numbers. S***! He was unmarked, no antenni, spotlight or anything, but the license plate was unmistakeably Kendall County Sheriff's Police.

He never stopped me, though. I don't think he heard me chirp the tires, and I actually signalled my lane change... It was my lucky day, I guess...

--T.J.

 

[03CobraBro]

Originally posted by ox03
> How do they measure accleration?

Most likely by the roar of your engine and pounding exhaust note. And/or the distance between you and the vehicle next to, or behind you.

Yeah but I here/see ricers all the time that you'ed swear had that thing going full bore from the sound of it but arent accelerating any faster than my Grandpa's Caravan.

And what if the guy in the vehicle behind you is an old geezer or has a car that wont move for garbage and I accelerate normally? I mean sounds kind of jakey to me.

What would the acceleration limit be if there were one? (how is it measured?) I mean the cop just cant make up a rule... there has to be some set law somewhere, in writing, in the United States that talks about how quickly a person can accelerate before they decide that its endagering the lives of others. Even if they give the right to the officer to use his good judgement there is still a general number out there somewhere that they have to go buy. This number is what I'm looking for.

 

[03CobraBro]

I think there needs to be acceleration limit signs myself if this is truely how its going to work... The sign would say.

"Speed limit 30 -- Acceration maximum 4 seconds"

Meaning if you get to 30 mph any faster than 4 seconds then you can be ticketed.
Since that would be the only logical way to measure it, and I doubt any police officer is going to sit behind a row of traffic with a stop watch...

 

[harry gilbert]

Guys, cops can ticket you for ANYTHING, and it's YOUR burden to defend yourself. I've had the same situation: old geezer in next lane, I accelerate normally, cop claims I was drag racing the geezer! Another time, I was making a left turn, stuck behind a geezer who had pulled out into the intersection and FELL ASLEEP. Light turned red, I honked my horn to wake up the geezer, cop pulls me over for excessive noise and running a red light! Ignored the geezer falling asleep at the wheel. Luckily, I talked my way out of both incidents when the LEO realized how ludicrous the situation.
Non carborundum illegitimati!