Tail of the Dragon Crackdown
 

Saw this on a Subaru forum, interesting how the cops always take away the fun!

Dragon Shut Down

Steve

If all that stuff were in fact true, I'd be pretty pissed. Sounds like the troopers are doing more harassing than ensuring safety.

Oh it is true. It is just stupid. I like right next to the dragon here in Knoxville and the whole city has gone Cop crazy!! I once thought it was impossible to get pulled over in the state of Tennessee, not any more. You cannot go driving without seeing someone pulled over. After all this madness on the Dragon what is a guy to do?

I wasn't aware we exported our cops over to you guys??? :p

Welcome to our nightmare!

go to the track, it is afterall a street....just like any other, but with many turns and speed limits
so TECHNICALLY any time you go there you can get pulled over and ticketed, because you are clearly braking the law.

same as making a complete stop at a stop sign in a manual car...

I understand its a public road and all, with speed limits and lines, but some of this stuff is just downright harrassment. I wonder if the cops patrolling this section of road drive 30mph while looking for violations? I would love to here about someone slamming on the brakes as a trooper is tailgaiting them! "But officer, I thought I saw a deer coming out of the woods, now why the hell did you run into the back of me? Perhaps you were following too close for conditions? not paying attention? Or is it just that your car is a piece of cr@p that has any chance of stopping as efficiently as my car?"!!!! "Let me get my lawyer on the phone, and while I'm doing that would you be so kind as to call me an ambulance?!!!" :D I know there is a time and place for driving fast, but c'mon if HALF of these stories are true, then there is some serious cr@p going on down there. I would be pissed if I had taken a vacation down to the dragon, or arranged a group drive to go drive those roads.

/rant :D

Steve

I survived the Dragon! 6 runs and no tickets. :D

i dunno, its weird that they know about it and still let people do it in the first place...
then again, think of your own city you live in, wherever they know that people speed all the time they have cops waiting, so this is just another spot.

Did you notice overwhelming police presence when you visited?

Hi,

I first ran the Dragon almost 10 yrs. ago in my Esprit and it was great fun. The Troopers were actually very encouraging and never wrote a citation. At the time, it wasn't well known and mainly run by dedicated and experienced drivers. It didn't cause a lot of ruckus and promoted much needed tourism.

What's the saying:"All good things..." Every yahoo with a drivers license, a set of Mag Wheels, and an itch to prove something found the place and have caused several bad incidents causing the State to expend all sorts of money to maintain order and safety (like those idiot Mntn. Climbers with more money than experience and brains who get stuck on a mountain resulting in a Rescue costing the Taxpayer hundreds of thousands of dollars). Every club from the Healeys, Porsches, Ferraris, Harleys, Minis and Miatas began jamming the roads making it unsafe due to the increase in traffic. Not only that, but the before and after parties created more trouble as Alcohol and Egos merged.

I guess it's been abused to the point that it's no longer seen as a Godsend by the State or the Locals. It's become time to reel it back in. I don't blame them one bit. It's just too bad that it's being ruined for those who would truly appreciate and support it properly. I see the same thing beginning to happen in some of the great driving routes in rural WI, especially in Buffalo County.

Truth is, there are very few such special venues left and too many people wanting their turn using them. The Sport of Driving is dying a very slow, albeit steady death. Get it while you can....

Happy Motoring!... Jim

No, I did not.

3 runs, one of which was as fast as I could go, no police, was 3 or 4 years ago.

I agree with the comments about WI. Every time I find a twisty road that has no speed limit signs (means it's 55), within a year it's posted at 45 or less. One of my favorites went from 55 to 25!!

Nah mate, over there they would put traffic cameras on every corner and sit back and count the money.

Hi,

That's exactly where this is all headed. Spend a Grand or two on a Stop Sign Camera and avoid Salaries, Healthcare, Pensions, and the like. It will become too irresistable for many counties and minucipalities, especially after the Mfgrs market the H*ll out of them. And, it won't take very long to reach saturation either.

Face it, most people only drive to get from Point A to Point B. They could care less, in fact would probably support such moves - who's gonna argue against Public Safety?

It's a Windfall for the Politicos, either giving them more revenues to play with or forestalling Tax Increases - the bane of all politicians.

Like I said - Get it while you can...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Worse yet, they are taking due process out of it by not charging the driver, but rather the registered owner of the car, just like a parking ticket. You can't plead not gulity.

Soon a GPS in your car will deduct fines from your checking account everytime you break any traffic law.

A speeding ticket may just be part of next year's planned budget for the trip. ;)

Go to the track. No tix there.

:D

I agree, and do so.

However, tracks "fine" you everytime you go there. (entry fees)

True! Alas, there is no free lunch (although the Pols seem to think so!).

:D