Fetterman (D., Pa.) has received two speeding tickets in his home state — the more recent one of which was in March for exceeding the speed limit in Westmoreland County by 34 mph. Before this year, he was ticketed in April 2016 for going at least 24 mph above the speed limit in Warren County, according to state public records.

The senator’s aides have said Fetterman has texted and FaceTimed while driving, ”prompting concerns among his staff and fears about riding with him,” the Post reported, citing three people with knowledge of staff discussions who spoke about internal conversations on the condition of anonymity.

  • PedestrianError :vbus: :nblvt:
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    794 months ago

    @DrunkEngineer 34 & “at least” 24 mph over the limit are some pretty serious speeding tickets, and the frequent reports of distracted driving are a serious problem too. Senators who support Vision Zero programs or care about traffic safety at all need to speak up about this and hold him and other negligently driving colleagues accountable. Especially after his stroke & related health problems, he should be extra careful, not distracted & 34 mph over the limit!

    • PedestrianError :vbus: :nblvt:
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      254 months ago

      @DrunkEngineer It’s a terrible example to the public and a potential conflict of interest. How is someone who’s used to getting away with driving like that (& having wide roads that allow him to) supposed to cast unbiased votes on transportation bills?

      • Final Remix
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        34 months ago

        Given his public post-brain-damage behavior, I don’t think his plan is to do anything in an unbiased manner.

  • Gormadt
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    724 months ago

    34 over‽

    Where I’m at that’s reckless driving as well and a suspended license even if you pay your fine.

    FFS that dude needs to learn to drive properly

  • @Jakdracula
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    384 months ago

    This guy is such a disappointment.

      • @FollyDolly
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        264 months ago

        He is the Senator from PA. He was super liberal up until he had a stroke and then became super conservative. Complete 180. Seems to have knocked out his sense of humor too. Now it seems he’s taking risks he would not have taken pre stroke by driving recklessly.

        • @SkyezOpen
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          4 months ago

          He was super liberal progressive up until he had a stroke and then became super conservative

          Also something oddly hilarious about brain damage making him conservative.

          • @optissima
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            74 months ago

            Just another point on the graph tbh, along with all those senior citizens…

        • @TheSambassador
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          54 months ago

          Is he actually “super conservative”? Or are you just talking about the interview where he said he wasn’t progressive?

          • PedestrianError :vbus: :nblvt:
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            204 months ago

            @TheSambassador @FollyDolly He was never super liberal or conservative. He’s a centrist with strong views on individual issues. Those familiar with his work in PA knew him as willing to stand up and fight in a way that’s refreshing coming from a Democrat on certain issues (marijuana, LGBTQ+ rights) but deeply problematic on others (police, fracking). His overall politics have probably shifted a bit to the right since the stroke, but the change is more in people’s awareness of him.

            • @vxx
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              4 months ago

              He comes off as a Neoliberal. Everything for the big companies and institutions, but without the racism and discrimination against individuals that comes with conservatism.

              They also want a bit of regulation opposed to the regular liberals. (I mean the definition of liberal, not what American politics has made of that word)

        • @[email protected]
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          24 months ago

          Is there any mechanism for his area to trigger a vote of no confidence in him and get him replaced?

    • @stepan
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      14 months ago

      deleted by creator

  • @[email protected]
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    354 months ago

    The speeding tickets are for 34 mph and 24 mph above the limit, this is roughly 54.7 kph and 38.6 kph or 15.2 m/s and 10.7 m/s above the limit in standardised units.

    Are the offenses of a single US-American lawmaker really [email protected]-worthy?

    • @[email protected]
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      144 months ago

      I mean, he really shouldn’t be driving considering he had a debilitating stroke. That’s fine for senatorial duties where you have aides and AIPAC telling you how to vote. Driving is a whole other thing.

      • @[email protected]
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        53 months ago

        That’s fine for senatorial duties where you have aides and AIPAC telling you how to vote.

        welllll…

      • @[email protected]
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        24 months ago

        Wow, we have his doctor here. Lots of people who have had a stroke, even those with partial paralysis, are perfectly capable of driving.

        • @[email protected]
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          164 months ago

          Lots of people who have had a stroke and should absolutely not be driving are still driving.

          Because in America telling old people they can’t drive is basically telling them to sit at home die sad and lonely. Or worse, move out of their status symbol suburban homes to which they have tied their entire self worth.

          • @ChickenLadyLovesLife
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            94 months ago

            status symbol suburban homes

            There’s a builder erecting McMansions and McTownhomes near me named NV Homes. I was curious to know what “NV” stood for until I got it: “envy”. It’s just pathetic how many people derive their sense of self worth from going into debt to buy one of these cardboard shit buckets.

    • @[email protected]
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      -54 months ago

      speeding does use the individuals yearly earnings thats how bill gates speeding ticket was greater than ~10k USD

  • @Substance_P
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    324 months ago

    That’s around 55 kmph for anyone wondering about the conversion. Ouch!, I didn’t even push those limits in my reckless youth.

    • @[email protected]
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      -214 months ago

      Those are rookie numbers. You need to verify your cars speed limiter actually works.

      Yes mine works. Down to within 0.1mph (GPS verified).

        • @[email protected]
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          34 months ago

          The stopwatch and math kind.

          If you know the distance between 2 points and can time yourself moving between them, you can verify your speed as finely as your data allows.

          My buddy is also a car nerd and redid his whole instrument cluster and added a digital counter to his speedometer that was actually an old bedside radio panel thing so he had TWO decimals for his speed. Idk if it actually showed the speed with any more accuracy or just translated the needle position somehow but it looked very 80s Sci fi for sure.

        • @[email protected]
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          4 months ago

          The computer does.

          The computer doesn’t have GPS, but my phone (same device logging the data) does though.

  • @ohlaph
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    164 months ago

    Anything 20+ where I live is considered reckless driving.

  • @[email protected]
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    134 months ago

    I’m always confused when I hear stories like this about important, powerful people. It feels like driving isn’t “worth their time” and when they have to travel by car, they should be escorted so they can continue to do their work.

  • @Fedizen
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    53 months ago

    how long before we find out he had a brain worm?

  • @Raiderkev
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    -34 months ago

    Everyone in here acting like they’ve never gotten a speeding ticket or been in an accident.

    • @draughtcyclist
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      123 months ago

      I haven’t received a ticket for 20 over, that’s extremely reckless.

  • @mr_rusty_shackleford
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    -744 months ago

    Oh no, Speeding! He’s unfit for the senate. Better have him resign. Can’t have bad drivers in Congress.

    • WalrusDragonOnABike [they/them]
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      44 months ago

      How do you know he’s a bad driver? He might be a really good driver who just drives recklessly anyways because of a lack of concern about the wellbeing of others and chooses to ignore basic safety despite driving abilities.

      • @[email protected]
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        3 months ago

        I think you have conflated good and skilled.

        A skilled driver can speed excessively without being out of control. A good driver won’t speed excessively because it isn’t safe.

    • Lemminary
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      -234 months ago

      You need to make your sarcasm incredibly blatant on Lemmy. If you think it’s pretty obvious, you gotta make it twice as obvious.

      • @alekwithak
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        424 months ago

        No I think everyone gets the sarcasm.

        • Lemminary
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          14 months ago

          Not in my experience, I just got a deadass reply in my inbox before this one to an incredibly obvious joke. Good to hear this is seemingly the exception.

        • ma11en
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          -254 months ago

          I think at least 21 people didn’t!

          • @[email protected]
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            304 months ago

            No I’m pretty sure they did. Sarcastically dismissing this extremely fucked up behavior as politically motivated sniping is really fucking stupid.