Pulled over for seatbelt violation

[Mustangfan2003]

But the funny thing is I had my seatbelt on the whole time.  My car has black interior and I wore a suit today.  It was a campus cop that got me out of all cops.  I just got a warning.  I said I ha.  d my belt on the whole time.  He mumbled something I said whatever and drove off.  Gee the ads say these guys are trained for this.

[TurboDan]

But the funny thing is I had my seatbelt on the whole time.  My car has black interior and I wore a suit today.  It was a campus cop that got me out of all cops.  I just got a warning.  I said I ha.  d my belt on the whole time.  He mumbled something I said whatever and drove off.  Gee the ads say these guys are trained for this.

He was probably using it as (presumed) PC to see if your were driving drunk.

[Mustangfan2003]

I don't see why it matters to a campus cop.  Stick to going after jaywalkers and drunk freshmen and leave the traffic violations to the real police.

[MaxPower]

He was probably using it as (presumed) PC to see if your were driving drunk.

Or maybe because the cop didn't see his seatbelt on?

[Mustangfan2003]

Or maybe because the cop didn't see his seatbelt on?

Black suit on with a black seat belt.  Guess he had too much pride to admit he was mistaken. 

[cawimmer430]

Isn't your dad a cop? Tell him "one of his buddies" was harassing you! 

[TurboDan]

Or maybe because the cop didn't see his seatbelt on?

Depends on the hour/day of the week. If it's a Wednesday at 1 p.m., you have a point. If it's Saturday at 2:30 a.m., you know it's PC for some fishin'.

[bing_oh]

Depends on the hour/day of the week. If it's a Wednesday at 1 p.m., you have a point. If it's Saturday at 2:30 a.m., you know it's PC for some fishin'.

You act like there aren't DUI's out there at 1 pm on a Wednesday...

[hotrodalex]

You act like there aren't DUI's out there at 1 pm on a Wednesday...

Well in the middle Ohio there's plenty of reason to drink in the morning, so yeah.

[dazzleman]

You act like there aren't DUI's out there at 1 pm on a Wednesday...

That's when old people get drunk.

[bing_oh]

That's when old people get drunk.

And night shifters. And alcoholics.

[dazzleman]

And night shifters. And alcoholics.

Yes.

I don't know what Dan has such a hard-on for drunk driving enforcement.  That's one of the few areas where I don't agree with him.  I agree with him that the focus of drunk driving enforcement is often wrong, but I do think we should do a better job of getting dangerous drunks off the road with much stricter sanctions.  We take the usual American approach of watering down the crime (by repeatedly lowering BAC levels rather than concentrating on higher BAC habitual drunk drivers) and then having penalties that aren't strong enough to be effective against serious drunks until they kill somebody.  And sometimes, not even then.

[MaxPower]

Depends on the hour/day of the week. If it's a Wednesday at 1 p.m., you have a point. If it's Saturday at 2:30 a.m., you know it's PC for some fishin'.

or maybe because there's a national click it or ticket campaign going right now and lots of cops are on details looking for seatbelt violations

[dazzleman]

or maybe because there's a national click it or ticket campaign going right now and lots of cops are on details looking for seatbelt violations

I think Click it or Ticket is going on here right now....

[TurboDan]

Yes.

I don't know what Dan has such a hard-on for drunk driving enforcement.  That's one of the few areas where I don't agree with him.  I agree with him that the focus of drunk driving enforcement is often wrong, but I do think we should do a better job of getting dangerous drunks off the road with much stricter sanctions.  We take the usual American approach of watering down the crime (by repeatedly lowering BAC levels rather than concentrating on higher BAC habitual drunk drivers) and then having penalties that aren't strong enough to be effective against serious drunks until they kill somebody.  And sometimes, not even then.

This was basically my point in all of these DWI threads.

As for enforcement, well, I'm coming from an NJ perspective where DWI is a discretionary arrest. So if you're a member of the "friends and family club" in your town, or have a nice shiny PBA/FOP shield on you, you're immune from arrest. I'd probably be less vocal if the playing field was more level. Some guy who's .081 on his way back from dinner will be cuffed, brought to the station and lose his license for months (and probably his job) while another guy who's .13 gets a lift back to his house. 

[TurboDan]

I think Click it or Ticket is going on here right now....

Here too.

[dazzleman]

This was basically my point in all of these DWI threads.

As for enforcement, well, I'm coming from an NJ perspective where DWI is a discretionary arrest. So if you're a member of the "friends and family club" in your town, or have a nice shiny PBA/FOP shield on you, you're immune from arrest. I'd probably be less vocal if the playing field was more level. Some guy who's .081 on his way back from dinner will be cuffed, brought to the station and lose his license for months (and probably his job) while another guy who's .13 gets a lift back to his house. 

New Jersey is so behind the times.  The whole "ride home" thing was common before the 1970s when drunk driving wasn't taken that seriously.  There was a story in my town about a priest who was the police chaplain and who had a serious drinking problem (as well as a problem with molesting boys, as was discovered later) who was repeatedly given rides home rather than arrested when the police caught him driving drunk.  Even so, he was arrested enough times that he had to go to jail.

I have to say though, the corruption is still not an excuse for driving above the legal limit by an "unconnected" person.  There will always be some level of this sort of corruption, and the best way not to get caught up in it is to obey the law.

[TurboDan]

New Jersey is so behind the times.  The whole "ride home" thing was common before the 1970s when drunk driving wasn't taken that seriously.  There was a story in my town about a priest who was the police chaplain and who had a serious drinking problem (as well as a problem with molesting boys, as was discovered later) who was repeatedly given rides home rather than arrested when the police caught him driving drunk.  Even so, he was arrested enough times that he had to go to jail.

I have to say though, the corruption is still not an excuse for driving above the legal limit by an "unconnected" person.  There will always be some level of this sort of corruption, and the best way not to get caught up in it is to obey the law.

That's true. In practice, I'm insanely paranoid about DWI. I can't even tell you how much I spend a year on cabs lol.

[Rupert]

Good.

[Soup DeVille]

And night shifters. And alcoholics.

I used to work an 11-8am shift: More than a few people on that shift went directly to the bar when it opened at 8 (because that's when the shift got out!) and stayed there until noon or later.

[Rupert]

Just change the 8AM to 8PM, and it doesn't look so crazy, ya know?

[dazzleman]

Just change the 8AM to 8PM, and it doesn't look so crazy, ya know?

I always start drinking at 8am.  It gets me through the day.

[J86]

cant be drunk all day if you dont start in the morning!

[Mustangfan2003]

Depends on the hour/day of the week. If it's a Wednesday at 1 p.m., you have a point. If it's Saturday at 2:30 a.m., you know it's PC for some fishin'.

It was on a Wednesday around 6pm. 

[TurboDan]

It was on a Wednesday around 6pm. 

That works. People get sloshed at happy hour after work...

[Morris Minor]

I think Click it or Ticket is going on here right now....

Click it or Ticket campaigns are worthless IMO.

[J86]

but its got a snappy name!

[dazzleman]

Click it or Ticket campaigns are worthless IMO.

I guess it's a gimmick.  I'd rather see them go after people texting while driving or talking on cellphones.  The danger from not wearing a seatbelt is passive.

[sparkplug]

Mustangfan, we want to know how this ends..

[bing_oh]

I guess it's a gimmick.  I'd rather see them go after people texting while driving or talking on cellphones.  The danger from not wearing a seatbelt is passive.

Any publicity campaign is a gimmick. It's just an attempt to get people to wear their seatbelts...not a bad thing, considering they actually do save lives in crashes.