The 10 Biggest Injustices Against Motorists In October
It has been a rough month for drivers across the country. Abuses of power continue to run rampant while the public remains surprisingly apathetic. We’ve put together a list of the ten biggest injustices against motorists this month in hopes of encouraging citizens to speak out.
The list was compiled from items on our site and from www.thenewspaper.com. TheNewspaper.com is an excellent source of news on motorists issues and we encourage anyone who is interested in the politics of driving to subscribe to their news feed.
10) City Rakes In $1,136 In Traffic Ticket Fines Per Resident
The city of Pendergrass, Georgia pulled in $558,020 in traffic fines despite only having 491 residents.
9) Police Wrongly Seize Car From An Innocent Woman
Police in Alexandria, Louisiana seized the car belonging to a motorist who had committed no crime. A pair of police officers ran the license plate on Ruby Wallace’s 1995 Honda Accord and found the department of motor vehicles (DMV) had listed it as canceled. Wallace was without her car for days until the DMV admitted their database was wrong. As fees mounted, neither the Alexandria Police nor the DMV would take responsibility for the mistake or pay the towing company the $430 it demanded before it would return her Honda.
8 ) Texas Toll Authorities Double-Bill 50,000 Drivers & Have No Plans To Stop In The Future
Since January, one out of every 600 vehicles was double-billed on Texas toll roads. Instead of fixing the problem, the authorities were satisfied with only reducing the frequency of the error to one out of every 2000 drivers.
7) Maryland Pushes for $2000 Speed Camera Ticket, Virginia Follows
Officials in both Maryland and Virginia are planning to introduce legislation allowing cameras in so-called highway work zones that would issue automated tickets worth $500 in Virginia and $2000 in Maryland. Lawmakers are following the lead of Illinois which last year introduced $1000 freeway speed camera tickets that have generated significant revenue.
6) Texas DOT Considers Lowering Speed Limit To Boost Toll Revenue
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has agreed to consider lowering the maximum speed limit on a stretch of interstate highway that competes with a planned toll road. TxDOT’s agreement with the company collecting the tolls also ensures no improvements can be made to nearby roads unless the agency issues payment to the company with taxpayer funds.
5) Georgia Speed Trap Caught Using Ticket Quotas
A local television station has uncovered evidence that a notorious Georgia speed trap has been using traffic ticket quotas. WGCL-TV reports that DeKalb County Police officers are told during roll call that they must issue 65 citations a month and make 25 arrests.
4) Traffic Court Judges Caught Fixing Tickets
New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram announced the filing of corruption charges against nearly half of the Jersey City’s municipal court judges for “fixing” tickets for their friends and family.
3) Wisconsin Appeals Court Decision Grants Police License to Stop Innocent Motorists
The Wisconsin Court of Appeals recently ruled that police do not require a reason to stop a car registered in the name of someone with a suspended license. The court ruled that as long as a police officer makes no attempt to determine whether a spouse or other family member might be behind the wheel, he is free to pull over whoever happens to be driving.
2) West Virginia Looks to Boost Revenue with Court Costs
The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals moved to boost revenue from traffic tickets by warning lower courts that they must collect the maximum possible amount in court costs from each defendant. As a result of the clarification, any motorist charged with, for example, both speeding and failure to signal must pay the $160.50 assessment for court costs twice — for a total of $321 — even though the motorist appeared only once in court.
1) Motorists Forced To Let Officers Draw Blood Samples At DUI Stops
An increasing number of police departments are allowing their officers draw blood samples from motorists under suspicion of a DUI/DWI. The officers have limited medical training and it’s the officer’s choice between a breathalyzer or a blood test.
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Like this would happen! this is just another attempt by the NMA to anger you into supporting them. There are jurisdictions that allow for a blood sample to be used but the officers don’t draw it they take you to the nearest hospital and have it drawn. If there were a jurisdiction that did allow for officers to draw blood from suspected DUI/DWI suspects I am certain that there would be a stipulation that the officer must also be a trained Paramedic otherwise the department would be liable for damages if the officer was not a trained Paramedic. I believe this to be ouright untrue and I challenge any NMA member to supply me with documentation showing that Untrained officers are drawing blood.
1) Motorists Forced To Let Officers Draw Blood Samples At DUI Stops
An increasing number of police departments are allowing their officers draw blood samples from motorists under suspicion of a DUI/DWI. The officers have limited medical training and it’s the officer’s choice between a breathalyzer or a blood test.
Why can’t the NMA lose the anti-authoritarian approach and stop with the misrepresentaions, lies and propaganda. Clearly the Police acted correctly and the error was in the DMV. The police should not be responsible for the tow charge they acted properly and with just cause. This womans next course of action should be to sue the DMV in small claims court if it was indeed a DMV error and not just a story this woman made up to point the finger at the police. It is this type of misinformation that the NMA is more than happy to publish that keeps me from becoming a member. If they will lie to you about this they will lie to you about the more important issues related to driving.
9) Police Wrongly Seize Car From An Innocent Woman
Police in Alexandria, Louisiana seized the car belonging to a motorist who had committed no crime. A pair of police officers ran the license plate on Ruby Wallace’s 1995 Honda Accord and found the department of motor vehicles (DMV) had listed it as canceled. Wallace was without her car for days until the DMV admitted their database was wrong. As fees mounted, neither the Alexandria Police nor the DMV would take responsibility for the mistake or pay the towing company the $430 it demanded before it would return her Honda.
THROUGHOUT OUR OUR SO CALLED FREE COUNTRY, TRAFFIC AUTHORITIES OFTEN MISUSE YOUR DISCRETIONARY AUTHORITIES AND SUBJECT THE INNOCENT AND OTRHERWISE LAW ABIDING MOTORISTS TO INTIMIDATION AND HARRASEMENT. MANY OFFICER WILL MAKE YO FEEL LIKE YOUR ARE A BIG TIME CRIMINAL FOR MERE VIOLATION OF TINT, EXPIRED TAG OR SEAT BELT ORDERING THEM TO SIT STILL WHERE PEOPLE ARE AFRAID TO SCRATCH AN ITCH FEARING THA OFFICER WILL USE THAN AN EXCUSE TO SHOOT THEM AND THERE WILL BE NO WAY TO PROVE THEIR INNOCENCE. I HAVE WITNESSED IN AL WHERE A POLICE OFFICER TRIED TO SEARCH THE CAR FOR MERE VIOLATION OF EXPIRED TAG AND LATER TINT. HE REFUSED TO LET THE MOTORIST GO BACK TO THE BACK SEAT AND SHOW HIM HIS INSURANCE EVEN AFTER HE SHOWED HIM HIS IDENTITY AND BUSINESS LICENSE. THE TONE WAS INTIMIDATING AND NOT CORRECTING A MISTAKE OR VIOLATION. I THINK PEOPLE SHOULD FEEL THAT OFFICER IS THERE TO PROTECT THEM AND NOT TO GET THEM. THE FEELING OF AN OFFICER TO PROTECT THEM IS OFTEN MISSING. THIS NEEDS TO BE REVERSED. EVERY OFFICER’S CONDUCT SHOULD BE VERIFIED BY CITY ATTORNIES AS THEY SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO FILM EVERY INCIDENCE WHETHER THEY INTEROGATE SOMEONE OR STOP A MOTORIST TO ENSURE CITIZENS’ SAFETY AND TO PROTECT THEIR CIVIL LIBERTIES/SELF RESPECT. THE PROBLEM IS THAT IF YOU COMPLAIN TO HIGHER OFFICERS THEN QUITE OFTEN THEY WILL PROTECT THEIR FEELOW OFFICER. PUBLIC NEVER RECEIVES ANY BENEFIT OF DOUBT AND AN OFFICER IS ALWAYS ACCEPTED AS TELLING THE TRUTH. THERE IS NO REMEDY FOR THAT BUT THERE SHOULD BE. oN CRIME SCENE, YOU WILL OFTEN NOTICE THAT MOST POLICE OFFICER SIMPLY REGISTER THE COMPLAINT AND VERY SELDOM EVEN GO THE THE PLACE. THEY NEVER FAIL TO HIDE AND CATCH MOTGORISTS BUT IT TAKES THEM A LONG TIME TO RESPOND TO OTHER COMPLAINTS WHICH CONCERN PUBLIC SAFETY AND LOSS OF PROPERTIES.
The police acted correctly. If when they ran her plate number it came back cancled they had to impound the car and not let it drive away from the scene where she was pulled over. If the officer let her drive away and she crashed and killed someone the officer and the police department would be liable for wrongful death. The officer had no choice but to impound the car. It would not surprise me if we looked deeper to find that the woman incorrectly filled out a form or forgot to send in the renewal form.
find a copy of our local police dept ticket quota here
http://www.myspace.com/mayberryondope
and here
http://prentissvoice.com/
Three cheers for John B., yes someone who can think!
I don’t drink anymore and I haven’t in over twenty years, but, I’d raise my root beer to that John B.! Yes we need some more intelligence in just who we hire to protect us.
I heard recently (about a month ago) by either CNN or MSNBC that a small town in either AL or Georgia they had mostly convicted felons on their police force! How is that! They must be very proud of themselves for allowing that to happen! I think we have nothing but an uphill battle before us all since we now have a bunch of idiots who cannot so much as understand the oath he/she takes before he/she pergurs’ himself/herself on the stand in a courtroom.
Just a couple months ago I had a Judge who has taken an oath to uphold ALL the laws of this nation, laughing at the Federal regulatory laws set forth in the MUTCD in Court!! Now that’s brains huh?
Ha ha ha! This is in response to people like; mbrandall. Who feel like he does now after years and years he feels he wants to “..start to regain control of this horrid situation.” Did he pay any attention in elementary school and jr high and high school when they showed him that our founding fathers of this great country told us to “remain constantly vigilant”. Obviously not he has been so complacent all his life that he himself has allowed this to happen and now he wants to “..regain control…” My answer to him is GOOD LUCK!
These sort of things I find are getting to be more and more typical of all police policies and procedures throughout the country!
I live in South Windsor, CT and have just the other day told my local and recently reelected state representative who sits on the state judiciary council that I found the state regulations for the posting of traffic control signs in direct violation with the federal MUTCD guidelines and then I showed him some research that I have done on the matter which included where both state statuory sections and state regulations that stated clearly “..shall conform to the specifications of the manual on uniform traffic control devices as approved and revised by the State Traffic Commision.”
I went to the STC and found that there is no state revised MUTCD. They use the federal MUTCD’s 2000 edition not even the latest edition which is a 2003 edition!
Then I went and measured most of the speed limit signs here in this town and found every one, even the one in front of the police station to be illegally posted. But the court after three tries and two convictions won’t allow me to enter into evidence the MUTCD!
I sit in court ’till they clear the court every time my case is to be heard and then patiently try my case as best a layman can do only to be convicted anyway. All of the cases before me get likewise convicted without the slightest regard supposed standard of “.. beyond reasonable doubt”. These words, like the US and State Constitutions are being violated by judges and prosecutors across the land. We have allowed beureaucrats to rule long enough, even your first amendment right is now under fire from all of our politicians!
Thomas Jefferson in a letter to James Madison wrote that we need another revolution every 50 or so years to keep these tyrants under control. Now we can’t even own a gun for tin can target practice and self protection without appearing to look like a radical extremist. How much of this are we to allow?
In the days of Thomas Jefferson a judge was elected and answerable to the people, but now you can’t even get a jury trial heard in a criminal court of law! We just recently took on half of the total debt of the entire history of the United States in a mere three months time, thusly plunging our childrens children into debt that even their children will be paying. When is enough going to be enough?
My only recourse is now at the ballot but even that as shown in this last election was meaningless, they both are socialists picked for us by the media! Meanwhile constitutionalist fundamental groups like the NRA and the NMA are to be silenced 60 days (2 months) before we go to the ballot! Let’s just keep acting like the people in the beginning of the Tom Hanks movie, “Joe vs the Volcano”!