First automobile speeding ticket in 1904, 12 mph, speed demon!!!

[steve2470]

The first speeding ticket issued in the United States (handed to the offender in the paper form we’re used to today), was issued to Harry Myers in 1904 for driving a blistering 12 miles per hour down West Third Street in Dayton, Ohio.

from today's howtogeek.com newsletter

[hlthe2b]

1. LOL... but when everyone is walking (or on horseback), that might seem fast.

[steve2470]

2. very true nt

[htuttle]

4. Seen this?

Traffic in downtown San Francisco, 1906

[hlthe2b]

5. that's some cool vintage footage...

But then that scene in Gone with the Wind as Atlanta is about to be overrun and horses and wagons are flying through the town and mowing or nearly mowing everyone down always gave me pause too.

[Submariner]

7. Ahhh..The way it should be

That was great!!!

As well as no traffic lights, none of those damn crosswalks or painted lines on the road to interfere with the flow of jaywalkers dicing with cars, trucks, and horse drawn carriages jockeying for position.

That was American exceptionalism at its finest. The good ole days.

[htuttle]

3. In 1906, a Stanley Steamer set the land speed record of about 126 MPH

But they weren't weaving through traffic.

[stopbush]

6. How did they know how fast Harry was driving?

It’s not like they had radar guns.

[SCantiGOP]

8. Two other tidbits about autos in that day

Many states wanted to ban the new inventions. I remember one state had a law proposed that anyone driving a car had to preceded by a person ON FOOT carrying a lantern and warning people to get out of the way.
There was also a auto insurance ad from years ago that noted that in the year that Ohio had two cars registered........they ran into each other. Turns out they were both appearing at some parade and one accidently backed into the other as they were getting in line.

[jmowreader]

9. The best speeding infraction ever written

http://dcist.com/2012/10/dc_police_once_gave_the_president_a.php

In the days before motorcades, paid assassins and communist presidents like we have now, Ulysses S. Grant enjoyed driving himself all over town in a horse-drawn carriage.

Oh, and he was a menace to the public order.

This happened before the speeding ticket was invented so they had to drag him down to the station house. The happy part of this story (it's not in the link) is the officer - who was African-American, btw - also loved fast horses and they became good friends.