I don't think many accidents are actually caused by speeding.

Inattention causes almost all accidents. Speed makes the accident more severe but speeding tickets don't really make us much safer.

We enforce speeding because it's easy. The laser does it almost automatically. Speeders actually pay their fines, we don't have to feed them in jail and they don't beat up the cop who arrests them. What's not to like about being a speed cop?

If just a few of the speed cops actually patrolled neighborhoods, instead of Snelling Avenue, we'd reduce serious crime.

IMHO

Absolutely correct. Modern highways (even in rural Minnesota) and modern cars (even Kias) allow all but the most clumsy to take the "twisties" at TWICE the recommended speed. A driver with sufficient skill not to stomp the gas or the brakes on sand can handle the curves. Whats to say about 3 lane, concrete, interstate straightaways. Like guns, the car can outperform the driver at any speed.

Again, speed make the consequences of carelessness worse but the carelessness "causes" the incident.

Get a V1 and enjoy the road again.

With firearms in thought, also a very true statement.

If speed were the cause of accidents, Germany would have thousands per day. The low travelling speed on the Autobahn is about 75 to 85 MPH and mid range speed is 100MPH+. The fast movers (the ones that aren't there when you check your mirror before pulling out to pass, but are once you get to the left lane) are doing from 140 to 200MPH.
That said when there is an accident, it is normally a fatality; and in the winter weather (such as it is) there tends to be large numbers of cars involved in an accident: typically 10 to 20 vehicles.

The point of traffic enforcment is to keep people on or near the roads safe. If there are a large number of officers just sitting around writing tickets in small town, mn, where there is not a lot of closeness between people and cars I think there are better things that money could be used for. Like buying books for the kids. On the other hand keeping people in the city from getting run over is a good idea.

I am going to say something that sort of amazes me. The U of M police appear to have a good strategy for this. They sit at one of the several difficult intersections around the U campus and ticket jay walkers and cars that push through the light when they shouldn't (i.e. there are people too close). Traffic flows better and you don't get drivers doing crazy shit around people to get try to make the light.

Oh and I started driving much better once I got my permit and started thinking about life.

Everytime I see a trooper parked in the median of a highway, I think, "Roadside Tax Collector"

On the other hand, since they need a certain number o f officers and need to have some sort of staffing level, when the officer is not otherwise occupied, paying attention to the small crimes is a good way to make sure they don't grow. That included a general disdain for the law and "harmless" crimes like speeding and etc...

Update to this story, state of Utah settles for $40,000 in civil suit, after county prosecutor did not charge patrolman, and the Utah State Patrol found no wrongdoing on officer's part.

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_8529728

Now, the flip side of this is that traffic enforcement nets a HUGE number of non-traffic arrests. When someone is pulled over for bad driving (not just speeding), or equipment violations, there is a considerable likelihood that there is something else going on as well. The cops can't just put up roadblocks and check everyone for DUI, for example. But they can go downtown starting about 1AM or so, and pull over everyone they see with a license plate light out, expired tabs, or too-dark window tinting. This actually nabs many drunk drivers and a not-insignificant number of weapons in the hands of felons, drug possession, stolen cars, etc. And the nice thing about it is that it more than pays for itself, both in ticketing and other fines, and impound fees.

IIRC, MPD Traffic makes about 50 actual arrests per week, more per officer than any other division.

Yup. It's one of the -- IMHO, and all that -- legitimate reasons for it. (The legitimate arrests, that is; not the DWB stops that turn into booking a guy in for a nonexistent crime, say.)