"If they can write tickets for slide-offs can we, in turn, sue the responsible municipality for not adequately clearing the roads of ice and snow?"
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Sure you can...anyone can sue anybody for anything....

oops..sry..hannah

Teste....Hanna said BUTT and in big letters even!!:)

tjkluvjc - ever think the reason the sheriff's deputy was "hassling" you was because Roadside Assistance is about the slowest way possible to get a tow truck out to you. Maybe he was concerned that you weren't in the safest place and could have been hit by the next person who slid off the road in the same place you just did. Why not take the tow that was there and offered and then settle with you insurance company later - after you're out of the way and no longer a hazard?

I love sliding around, it's fun.

I'll bet there will be fewer highway killings and injuries in Dodge County.

jvldds, I know what you mean! The corner of Grant and Memorial at the stop sign is pure ice. Was with the last storm too. I called, nothing was done. Once you get stopped, if you get stopped....it is near impossible to get going again.

If they can write tickets for slide-offs can we, in turn, sue the responsible municipality for not adequately clearing the roads of ice and snow? I know several intersections in Janesville have dangerous patches of glare ice where vehicles need to stop for stop signs...and we haven't had any snow for dseveral days.

I was barely driving 20 mph a few weeks ago and slid off the road while adjusting for another driver who was across the center line. Should I have gotten a ticket for that? I was also upset when the Sheriff hassled me because I called for roadside assistance through my insurance company, instead of paying a tow truck driver who stopped while I was waiting for the one my insurance company was sending. That is what I pay my premiums for.

I have been driving on 51 by the airport, trying to leave plenty of room between me and the next car...when someone pulls out in front of me and puts on the breaks. Even doing 25, you start to slide.
So when the counties fail to maintain the roads, you have people who don't care how they drive, wow. What a money making venture.

Ridiculous.

I slid off a road once barely creeping along -- bare ice on a curve on a snow-covered road. Once I hit it, I very slowly glided off of the edge. I've seen slide-offs happen to others who were going slowly, too.

When, from the look of the scene, the authorities are able to tell that a person was going excessively fast, a ticket might be in order, but, otherwise, they may just be fining people for trying to get to work on a snowy day.

True, no I wasn't sited. Like I said, it was 20 years ago and back then if you were caught with a beer in the car, the officer would just ask you to pour it out. Or so I heard.

Oh Testi one, no I will not saying butt over other things. In fact, in first grade I was told that was the proper word to use so therefore I will continue to do so. Don't read if you don't like it.

I don't believe I was driving to fast for conditions. In fact, I think I was a nuisance just being on the road that day. Unfortunately, work didn't take kindly to "I'm afraid of driving in the snow and I'm not very good at it" for an excuse.
I, too, have been driving on I90 in bad weather and people just fly right by me. Of course, when I am driving 25, thats not hard to do.

Well i guess you got em on the front end of that because in order to maintain the roads better we would have to eliminate budget short comings, which would require higher taxes, that was shot down so does that make it your fault the roads arent maintained better?

I drive the Interstate everyday from Milton to Sun Prairie. I would "guesstimate" at least 30% of the drivers are going too fast for conditions in the winter. I see these young kids with their little cars passing everyone. Then sure enough, 5 miles up the road, they're spun out in the median or ditch. One gal last winter happened to spin out and fly down a ditch, probably 100 feet off the road. Her car was flipped on its hood. She was OK, but it backed the interstate up for miles.

If the roads are impassable, don't drive! There is NOTHING so important that you risk life and limb to get there.

Hmmm, they got ya coming and going, don't they?. Don't maintain the roads properly so you can just about "slide off" regardless and then they can fine you for it to boot! What a state...? When will it's inhabitants wake up and say "ENOUGH!?"

A couple of weeks ago I was travelling through Janesville on I90 (going south) and saw a cop with the front end of his squad car stuck in the ditch. Do ya think he would give himself a ticket???

A few weeks ago, when there was actually snow on the ground, I drove up to Camp Douglas. I could not believe how many runoffs there had been. I saw tracks from cars that went half way or more through the median. It is pretty obvious that these people were going way too fast. Seeing as there was nearly 2 feet of snow in the median plus the wall of snow from plowing you would have to be going pretty fast to travel that far through that much snow. I know there are people who give excuses like the road was clear but I just hit some black ice or what not. Honestly if the conditions are right for black ice you should be wary of it and not be going 70mph. A former co-worker of mine always said it is the slow drivers that cause accidents in bad weather. I simply cannot believe this line of thinking at all. Four wheel drive may mean you have better traction but if you need to stop or for some reason lose traction bad things can still happen and will most likely be made worse by traveling at a high speed.
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I'm sure that in Dodge county the officers will take the facts into account before they write a ticket. If someone was trying to avoid someone coming at them in their lane and went off the road, I doubt they will give you a ticket. However, if there were no other vehicles near you and you end up 100 feet into the ditch, well, you deserve a ticket because you were obviously driving too fast for conditions. People may get luck and spin out not hit anyone but there are still people who do drive too fast and hit people.

its fairly easy to distinguish between the ones who pulled off the road and got a 2 tires stuck and the ones who are completely backwards 30 yards off the road who were driving too fast.

And what about the people who get run off the road because some @$$hat is coming at them in their lane and take the ditch over a head on collision?

I Dodge county it doesnt matter, you'll get a ticket anyways. Theres reasons why a number of people I know go AROUND Dodge county instead of going throuh it. Ever get a ticket for 2mph over?

Can you still get a ticket if your pulling off to the side of the road because of the moron behind you and you slide into the ditch? I'd like to hear gone fishin's opinion on this because he/she are the ones who told me that I cause accidents for driving too slow. But I think it's the morons that drive to fast and the people who are driving the right speed for the conditions are the ones being put at fault. If you try to pull over to the side of the road no matter what speed you are going you can slide into the ditch especially when you have a moron on your ass trying to get around you. I almost slide off the road a couple weeks ago, I don't believe I was going too fast, but I was stuck in someone's tracks (the road hadn't been plowed) and they started to run off, I couldn't get out of their tracks, I fish-tailed but I corrected it and never went off the road. It's very scary and I wish everyone would just slow down. It doesn't matter what kind of vehicle you have, everything can slide on ice.

99.9% of the time it is the drivers fault, ive driven a cavalier for 7 years with semis up my butt next to me and in front of me passing me at 3 times my speed, i havent ever slid off the road, you dont just "slide off the road" even if you think that was the reason, it was operator error plain and simple. Do i think a $180 ticket is excessive? yes the 1st time i think the towtruck bill is enough, if it happens say twice in 1 season, then yes write a ticket. learn how to adjust and drive people.

I hope Rock county tries that crap like that moron sheriff in Dodge county. I'll see ya in court.

"Too fast for conditions" is when you post messages so quickly you don't take time to notice you are using "to" when you should be using "too" or when you don't notice you've mistyped "conditions" and "icy".
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I've been "rear-ended" by a driver going too fast on a snowy, slippery road, so I'd have to agree with the Sheriff about issuing more tickets to people who slide off the road. I hope he allows it at the discretion of the deputies, so they can make exceptions for unusual circumstances - such as someone who would otherwise have stayed on the road, but accelerated in a hurry or stomped their brakes to get out of the way of another sliding/skidding motorist and wound up in the ditch to avoid a collision.

Irish.....when you find yourself in the ditch you will realize that you were going TOO FAST for conditions no matter what speed you were going.

To fast for conditionns define to fast!!!!! When it ict or snowy and roads are not cleared 10 miles an hour will put you in a ditch...........

Testerrific: I vote no to the word, "tushus". And, please, don't get me started on "fanny"!

Cops certainly aren't stupid. They know that they can make money this way, justify their existence, and increase the statistics used to argue that there is a need for more police.

TRISH....is it possible to make your points without using obscenities like "biting my butt" and "up my butt"?? We live in Wisconsin, and we don't like to hear such things on a small town message board. "Riding my Rear" and "Up my Tuchus" would be more appropriate here.

Exactly!

Cops aren't stupid. If they aren't there to see exactly what happened they can usually put 2 and 2 together and come up with what happened. They DO listen to you when you explain to them the situation. If not, you can always fight the ticket.

But were you cited for running off, Trish? That's the subject anyway. Remember lots of stuff goes on in traffic that goes unreported and not seen by a police officer.

Just another way to make money for Dodge Co.

Rocky, it is still the driver's responsibility to adjust. If someone creates a hazardous condition in the road, then cite them as well. But the driver shouldn't just plow into it with their car. Driver's need to continue paying attention and adjusting to conditions. I know I do.

Quite a few years ago, I slid off the road going 20 mph in a 55mph zone with a big truck biting my butt. Was I going to fast for conditions, or perhaps being inexperienced with a semi up my butt caused it?

Right, it's not about speeding. Driver's 'run-off' because of their lack of adjusting to weather and conditions. If the Officer on scene feels the driver could not have avoided the run-off, then the driver would not be cited. But honestly, most run-offs are avoidable.
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I understand why they want to start issuing tickets. The amount of calls police get for these run-offs is unbelievable--evertime it snows! It gets old and expensive real quick.

Will they also ticket the homeowners who plow into the road, creating piles of snow and slush that can cause a car to slide off?

It's called "too fast for conditions" and if you slide off, you were going too fast.

How do they know if the driver was speeding or not when they slid off?