I know there's a thread somewhere about policing issues, but I don't feel like digging it up and going necro so I'll start a fresh one. Some cities and one state (Virginia) are trying to slow down police shootings by reducing or eliminating bullshit traffic stops such as tailights, darkened windows, air fresheners hanging from mirrors. You know the stuff that cumulatively goes under the "driving whilst black" heading? What strikes me as somewhat odd is that I've never met a cop that says they like doing traffic stops. However, in at least one case the police union is raising hell about new policies that restrict their G-d given right to harass people and at least one chief is telling his officers to ignore the new regulations. Which is why DeSantis fired the twice-elected Hillsborough State Attorney in Florida. I wonder if DeSantis would have fired this guy? LINK
There should be SOME way to let people know when, for instance, they have a taillight out -- it is a safety hazard, and it's not something you can notice yourself -- but it seems like overkill to have the notification delivered by a guy with a gun and taser strapped to his hip.
Where I live, the super-dark tinted windows are usually driven by some wannabe white kid with a Benz. Tinted windows should be illegal anyway.
I’m not a big fan of the surveillance state that we live in, but traffic cameras seem to examine traffic violations without biases. The Memphis Police had body cameras and still felt they would get away with beating Tyre Nichols because you can’t see much, but the street cameras caught everything. It’s not ideal, but what else can we do?
Don't know if they still do, or haven't noticed with my current vehicle. But I do remember some of the cars I've had, that the dome light wouldn't come on if a tail/brake light was out. My current vehicle will have a blinker go faster if a tail light or turn signal is out.
Yep. Cameras are the way to go. No confrontations. MUCH less potential for bias. And unlike cops their presence is proven to actually get folks to drive safe speeds. Which is why people hate them.
I drive the speed limit. But, if the Florida experience with stop light cameras, there's a real temptation to treat cameras as found money generators. Tampa contracted out their stop light/turn cameras out to a private company with the city taking a cut. Some nosy journalist followed a tip that the traffic lights were set with shorter yellow light cycles. That put an end to some of those cameras. Back in the 70s, Florida required yearly safety inspections for things like (wait for it) burned out tail lights and head lights. I think it was 1980 that Bob Graham was elected and made getting rid of the inspections a priority. He got his way and cars with one headlight became known as "Graham mobiles". Apparently, Graham was convinced that the inspections were an inconvenience and a subsidized racket for the gas stations that did the inspections. Maybe they were, but "safety enforcement" was another job for the police while at the same time becoming another convenient way to hassle minorities, hippies and other undesirables.
Where I lived in NY had safety inspections. The lights were not so bad. However, you always had to get new tires because their safety standards were made so you would not pass after about 10-15k miles. They also forced you to get breaks at about 30k. Then there were the tire rods that always seemed to need to be replaced. the 10 dollar inspection normally turned into a 500 dollar visit to the repair shop, and they were not doing emissions where I was. Of course, you drop 50 on the mechanic and you got your sticker, but that was in the days before everything was computer monitored. All the shit they would tell you to change was not close to it's half life when it was deemed "unsafe." Oh, and if you had to work a forty hour week that was an extra day out of your life along with the huge bill. That was 20+years ago. Today you would be talking about a grand for every inspection after your second year if they did not do emissions with the inspection, and you had the low end commuter car. Do the light ticket thing and keep the fine and service charge under fifty dollar with a receipt from a gas station confirming you fixed the problem. You will make money, you won't price people out of driving, and people will ask for the light check when they do their oil change so they do not get a ticket. BTW most places that do oil changes upsell safety problems like break wear and tires anyway.
I had a couple of 1980s-era Hondas that had the perfect solution for that. On the dash, there was a representation of the car, with indicator lights for every light on the car (headlights, dome, tail, turn signal, etc.), when you started the car, or pushed a button, it would show you which lights were working and which ones were burned out. Honestly, it's as easy to have your car tell you that a light is burned out as it is to tell you that you're going to need to change your oil in so many miles.
I want a car that turns on it's low beams when you turn on the wipers. It is supposed to be a law here in FL, and it is a good idea, so why aren't they linked?
