Text 15357, 316 rader
Skriven 2005-11-01 17:24:00 av Michiel van der Vlist (2:280/5555)
  Kommentar till text 15299 av Roy Witt (1:1/22)
Ärende: looters in NO
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 >>> people in California and probably as many cars registered. The
 >>> Highway Patrol isn't allowed to use radar/laser on passenger vehicles,

 MvdV>> Odd. Why would they forgo on such an efficinet means of catching
 MvdV>> speeders?

 > That has been one of the things that puzzles me too.

Than be prepared that one of these days they will change the rules with the
excuse of fighting terrorism.

 > However, I find it easier to drive down those roads, knowing
 > that I'm not going to be caught by some modern gadget that
 > I can't refute on the spot, it's integrety.

There is indeed no arguing with these robot cops that we have here. Actually,
most of the time you never see them. You won;t know you speeded until you find
the ticket in the mail.

 >>> so they have to rely on pacing to catch a speeder. In all of
 >>> my years driving on California roads, I learned that the only
 >>> way they can pace you is if you don't see them.

 MvdV>> How can you not see them?

 > When you're driving on a 5 lane freeway, especially with
 > California's 30 some million cars and trucks on the road,
 > it's awfully hard to spot them in the crowd.

Ah, they are in unmarked cars....

 >>> I learned to drive in the right hand lanes and to watch for
 >>> them while maintaining a faster pace than those in the
 >>> left hand lanes.

 MvdV>> Ah, that alone would get you a ticket here. Overtaking on the right
 MvdV>> is not allowed except when going at walking speed in a traffic yam.

 > That'd be a good idea if there weren't those who stubbornly
 > drive in the 'passing' lane slower than traffic is allowed to go.

That is a no-no here as well. *All* lanes except the outer right are for
passing only. So you are supposed to drive in the right lane and only leave it
for overtaking. You may go the the next lane on the left if there is someone
already there. But after overtaking one has to go to the right again as soon as
traffic allows.

Plus that one should use the direction indicator when changing lanes.

 > Not allowing any passing to the right on a 5 lane freeway
 > would be rediculous.

In A "keep your lane system", yes. In Europe we use the "keep the right lane"
(or left in the UK and Ireland) system.

 > the courts. Still, the cameras they had in San Diego were shut
 > down for a time, because there was a conflict of interest involved,
 > as the cameras were owned and operated by a private company, who
 > shared in the fines collected from the violators.

That's asking for problems.

 > Now I hear that they have those cameras on some interstate
 > freeways here in Texas. Of course, the thing to do there is
 > to find out where they are

Over here they have fixed and mobile cameras. Of the fixed ones, only 20% are
loaded with film at any one time. Of course you can't see which ones.

 > and mount your rear plate on a hinge that you can manipulate
 > from the drivers seat.

You don't want to be caught with a gadget like that over here...

Radar detectors are outlawed here. The police employ radar detector detectors.

As an alternative there is warning system that uses a constantly upgraded data
base and a GPS receiver. It beeps when you approach the location of a known
speed trap. Better just slow down. If it is a manned trap, they will send a cop
on a motor cycle after you if they see no plate. No way you can outrun a motor
cycle. Not on our crowded roads.

 > My Silveado pickup doesn't have a front plate on it either. While on my
 > way back from California, last Friday, I was tooling along about 85mph on
 > interstate 10, heading east from El Paso. The speed limit is 75mph, by
 > day, 65mph by night. As I got into the rolling hills of west Texas,
 > sometimes my speed reached 95mph going down hill, then 75mph as I reached
 > the crests. I passed a little red Honda Civic with a young manat the
 > wheel. He fell in behind me and began to pace me at those  speeds I
 > mentioned.

Tricky. Over here that could result in a suspicion of an illegal street race...

 > Then for some reason, he decided to ride in the left lane of
 > this two lane road. Against the law in Texas, as that lane is
 > reserved for passing only.

Why didn't he just step on it to get past you?

 > At first he hung on my tail, then he caught up and passed me,
 > only to return to my tail again. This went on for quite a while,
 > many miles down the road.

So why didn't you just step on it to get rid of him?

 > Out of the blue appeared a Texas state trooper coming from the
 > opposite direction. He slowed down and gave us a look as if to
 > intimidate us into stopping, I guess. The youngster in the Honda,
 > who was now next to me, panicked and slammed on his brakes,

Almost an admission of guilt...

Not very smart. The cop has to *measure* the speed to be able to write a ticket
isn't it? A mere "it looked to me like he was way over the speed limit won't
stand in court would it?

 > then fell in behind me and began to lose ground. I just stepped off
 > the gas to get down to the speed limit. The trooper then crossed the
 > median, and then paced us for a while and then decided to pull over
 > the little red Honda.

But... what could he do? Buy the time he got there, the guy wasn't speeding an
more, was he?

I once was in similar situation. Ages ago when I still had the Porsche. It was
in the middle of the night on a deserted highway. Speed limit 100 kph. I was
doing 170-180. All of a sudden I saw a police car on an intersection. And of
course they saw me too. But as they were not on my road yet, they could not
*measure* my speed.

I probably could have outrun them, but that would have been a stupid move as
there are always more police cars where that on came from and I can't outrun a
radio signal.

So I simply slowed down and by the time they caught up with me and could
measure my speed I was doing a 100 kph. They stopped me and asked for my
driver's license but that was all they could do. We both knew I was guilty of
speeding but as they did not *measure* it they had no case and they had to let
me go.

Well, that was twenty five years ago...

 > I thinkk in the troopers eyes, the Honda driver looked the
 > guiltiest, as he was in that passing lane and we were going
 > about 85mph about then. Had the kid not panicked, he could have
 > passed me as I backed off, and the trooper would have
 > probably stopped me.

Yes, at that moment you were the easier target...

 >>> That's true, but I can see an officer explaining to a judge
 >>> why he ticketed me for no front plate, when the front plate law
 >>> expired in less than two weeks.

 MvdV>> Over here there would be little to explain. Up until Nov 1st front
 MvdV>> plates are required. Period. It would be up tp you to explain why
 MvdV>> you think you have the right to ignore the law. Most likely the
 MvdV>> judge would triple your fine just for wasting his time over such a
 MvdV>> minor issue.

OTOH, it would be a very bored policeman who would stop you for something that
in two weeks would no longer be a violation.

 > Over here I would ask for an extension and plead not guilty.
 > If the officer happened to appear at the ensuing trial, it'd be
 > months down the road and the chances of the ticket being thrown
 > out would be greater than not.

Yes, there is always the chance it gets lost in the paper pile...

 >>> And all I need to do is show the court that the car now
 >>> has a front plate to get out of the ticket.

 MvdV>> That is even more silly. Mounting a plate after the occuerence of
 MvdV>> the violation annuls it?

 > Yeup. It's called a 'fix-it' ticket. This also happens for
 > instance, if your car has a burned out light bulb.

Ah, yes we have that too here. But that would only apply to something that you
can not prevent most of the time. Such as a broken bulb. If you can fix it in
the spot you are off the hook anyway.

For a missing plate, you can get away with a "fix-it" ticket if you can make
the cop believe it was there when you drove off and lost it very recently.

But that won't fly if there are no marks whatsoever to show that there ever was
a plate to begin with.

 > Show any officer that it's been fixed and they'll sign off the ticket.

Had that once with broken exhaust. Quick Fit didn't have it in stock And I
didn't want to go to the Porsche dealer as they rip you off. Quick Fit didn't
want to order it unless I made a deposit.

So when I was stopped next day for the broken exhaust, I showed them the
receipt for the deposit and I was allowed to move on. They could have asked me
to come back within ten days to show that it had indeed been fixed, but they
didn't. It was clear to them that I *was* going to fix it...

 >>> The states manufacture they're plates in their own prisons.
 >>> This gives the inmates something to do besides lift weights
 >>> and watch TV. Thus, I get something in return for my taxes
 >>> that support those prisoners.

 MvdV>> Over here that would be considered unfair competion for the regular
 MvdV>> plate manufacturres.

 > Over here any private company producing license plates would
 > be charged with forgery.

Ah, not just anyone can make plates. You need a permit for that. To get it you
must show that the product meets the specifications.

 MvdV>> We'v had registration stickers on the windshield too. That system
 MvdV>> was abandonned some twenty or 15 years ago. Same for the tag on the
 MvdV>> plate for the compulsory yearly vehicle inspection.

 > Everybody has a different way of doing these things.

Indeed. There is more that one way that leads to Rome...

 > California doesn't have a safety inspection, except on
 > commercial vehicles. They do, however, have a smog check
 > every other year. You can't get a new registration until
 > it passes that check. They issue you a certificate that must
 > accompany your registration renewal and of course, your proof of
 > liability insurance.

Here we have compulsory inspections for all vehicles over three year old,
except motor cycles and trailers under 3500 kg.

Doesn't matter if you drive it or not.

 MvdV>> It is all in the computer of the department of vehicle
 MvdV>> registration. Cops don't have to stop you to check te registration,
 MvdV>> all they do is enter the number on their keyboard of their on-board
 MvdV>> terminal and they get all the data in seconds. or if the squad car
 MvdV>> is not equipped wit at terminal ask the dispatcher at the police
 MvdV>> station to do it for them.

 > It's the same here in Texas. That sticker on the front
 > windshield isn't very visible to the rear, so they rely
 > on their laptop computer in the car to check out your car.

Makes sense. But then what if the plates are forged?

 MvdV>> Of course this systems, like the automatic speed trap depends on
 MvdV>> the plates being accurate. A false plate would defeat the system.
 MvdV>> So three years ago they introduced new plates that are a lot harder
 MvdV>> to forge than the old ones.

 > I notice that your plates are a mile wide, compared to ours.

The standard plate is 52 x 11 cm. There is also a less used semi square plate
that is 34 x 21 cm. For motor cycles there is a small semi square plate of 21 x
14 cm. The semi square plates have the date in two rows.

Most vehicles carry the standard plate.

Some imported American cars do not have enough room for the standard plates and
for those you can get an exemption to carry plates that are less wide. The
"American" plate is 31 x 11 cm.

 MvdV>> Here you see a picture of the new plates:

 MvdV>> http://www.emergencyvehicles.nl/images/kenteken1.jpg

 MvdV>> On the lower left of the yellow part, marked by the pointer "Unieke
 MvdV>> code" is a ten digit number. Every plate has a unique number which
 MvdV>> is registered to the owner.

 > I saw that, and several others. Two with NL, but I couldn't
 > translate the explanation.

The ones with NL in a circle are the marks of the plate manufacturer. There is
a five digit number below the NL that is the license number of the plate
manufacturer.

Not that those marker are not visible unless from very close up. No way you can
see them from another car.

 MvdV>> The marker above the right hyphen shows the number of the plate
 MvdV>> manufacturer. The marker on the right middle shows the year and
 MvdV>> week of issue.

 > Ahhh, the NL markers.

No, they are not "NL" markers.

The "NL" nationality indicator is on the bottom of the blue rectangle on the
left.

That one is clearly visible when you are driving behind a car or overtaking it.

(But not as good as the old white oval..)


Here is list of nationality codes:

http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/List_of_international_license_plate_codes

 MvdV>> Knowingly and willingly driving with forged plates carries a
 MvdV>> maximum fine of EUR 5000 or six month in prison.

 > Here, you lose the car. It's impounded and sold by the state.
 > At least, that's the case in California. They do a lot of things
 > differently here in Texas.

Impounding cars is not standard procedure here. Keep in mind that
"disappearing" here is not as easy as it is in the US.

Cheers, Michiel

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