I'm back in the USA from a tour of Italy, one of many in decades. Lot's of driving, on my own and with my Italian hosts. They have lots of speed traps in Italy, much more than the US, and my hosts taught me all about them. But this time a major difference dawned on me. The Italians advertise their speed traps well in advance. Multiple warning signs, and the camera boxes are painted bright orange and blue. They actually want you to drive slow through their little towns. They don't want to give tickets and grab the cash.
The USA speed traps are well hidden. Sure, with practice you can learn to spot them. But they really want to catch you and grab some cash. There is a little one-horse town near me that's famous for its single trap because it generates 70% of the town's budget. And the town is rich. It's just off the Interstate (AutoStrada). So in less than 100 meters you go from 75 mph to 25 mph. They have a new city hall, a new police station, and a new band shell in their one city park. The mayor owns the bank, and the town council are all relatives.
