Joseph:
Moving violations are a money making scam in many municipalities. (This does not justify speeding, etc.) And they are just looking for the buck, and will plea-bargain with anyone who shows up and is willing to pay up.
Exactly. And when law enforcement shows their disdain for traffic laws (both in this way and by openly violating them themselves – speeding, running red lights and stop signs even when there is no emergency) it is hard for the average citizen to take them seriously. Law enforcement personnel “get away” with it because no one enforces the law on them; we, too, can find ways to “get away with it”. It’s not about safety, it’s about getting caught.
I’m not saying that is correct, just that this is the message that they send.