For those that speed in CA, lose your car for 30 days

[ub2slw]

Starting Jan 1, it's a mandatory impoundment of 30 days if you are arrested for exhibition of speed.
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/sen/sb_1451-1500/sb_1489_bill_20020821_enrolled.html

 

[ChopsJazz]

AFAIK, this law was written to stop organized late-night street racing known as "side shows". It is not directed at typical highway or canyon speeders like us!

 

[NetViper]

you mean Jan 1, 2007 .. and it says " A motor vehicle so seized may be
impounded for not more than 30 days."

 

[Number9]

Whatever the original intent, the text of the draft leg clearly casts a wide net, which encompasses most forms of "spirited driving" activities. BTW, the "changes are effective until January 1, 2007," but are intended to take effect immediately as an
urgency statute.

[This message has been edited by Number9 (edited 11 September 2002).]

 

[ub2slw]

You are correct, but it also states that Exhibition of speed on a highway, as described in subdivision
(c) of Section 23109.

So, if you've pissed off the officer or he's in a bad mood anything over 25mph the posted speed limit (or 90mph) could be construed as Exhibition of speed.

Originally posted by ChopsJazz:
AFAIK, this law was written to stop organized late-night street racing known as "side shows". It is not directed at typical highway or canyon speeders like us!

 

[NSXTC]

Yes, please protect us from ourselves! This half-baked legislative band-aid approach is what got this state in the "power crisis" that its citizens will be paying for years from now. The state’s legislators really either do not have the will or the intellectual capacity to get to the root of the problem.

For instance, you really must read the last paragraph of this new state-wide street racing bill to see how their logic is flawed, if not overly reactionary:

"The facts constituting the necessity are: Within the last two years, three deaths have occurred in one county alone as a result of persons engaged in reckless driving. Therefore, to ensure public safety, it is necessary for this act to take effect immediately."

 

[8000RPM]

What?!

Can't speed anymore?

There goes the reason for my existence...

 

[nsxtasy]

To summarize the thought process behind this legislation:

"This will have an effect on anyone who was formerly willing to street race even though they might get jailed, face a huge fine, and/or die in an accident, but will now stop because his car might be taken away from him for a few weeks."

Yeah, right...

That's like changing the penalty for first-degree murder, from death, to death plus a $5000 fine.

 

[8000RPM]

BTW, here is an interesting story.

Last year while driving through downtown SJ, I accelerated briskly off the line from a stoplight. I then quickly let off once I reached the speed limit, so I never exceeded the legal limit.

There was also no peeling-off or anything of that nature. I merely got up to the speed limit quicker than those around me.

Next thing I knew, an angry female cop came flying from a sidestreet and pulled up right next to me at the next light.

"You better slow down with that car!"
"But I wasn't speeding, officer?"
"You and that car of yours sure looked like you were speeding..."
"But I never exceeded the speed limit...ma'am?"
"You better shut up now or I will write you up for Unnecessary Exhibition of Speed!"

I obliged. She then gave me a mean stare, and let me go without a ticket.

 

[kenjiMR]

Another reason to leave the state... I've been charged with exhibition of last year when I didn't do anything. The whole ordeal is documented on this forum. I hate lying blind retarded cops.

 

[ilya]

The People's Republic of California strikes again!

 

[myf16]

Can it be exhibition of speed when there is nobody else in sight?

 

[ScienceofSpeed]

Originally posted by nsxtasy:
That's like changing the penalty for first-degree murder, from death, to death plus a $5000 fine.

LOL, good analogy.

-- Chris

 

[Number9]

Originally posted by myf16:
Can it be exhibition of speed when there is nobody else in sight?

If a tree falls in the forest but there's no one there to hear it... Ah forget it, the short answer is a definitive yes. Speed contest will probably require a second vehicle, but exhibition of speed can just be as little as chirping the tires, solo.

 

[myf16]

It's depressing that judges and law enforcement officials can twist the meaning of the law to mean something so distant from what it says. You chirp the tires from a stop at 4 AM on a deserted country road, and you have committed exhibition of speed without either exhibition or speed, as defined by Webster's. A person's supposed to know the law, but how can you know how the law is actually interpreted if that's not written down anywhere? Sheesh.

NSX content: My NSX's TCS computer effectively protects me from any citation for exhibition of speed.

 

[Si]

If we can't speed, why do cars come with MPH much greater then 70 on their tac. One thing I don't like about this is that you don't have any say in this, if the cop feels or think that you are in exibition, he have every rights to impound your car.

 

[Hrant]

Originally posted by Si:
If we can't speed, why do cars come with MPH much greater then 70 on their tac. One thing I don't like about this is that you don't have any say in this, if the cop feels or think that you are in exibition, he have every rights to impound your car.

And NSXTC writes:

"The state’s legislators really either do not have the will or the intellectual capacity to get to the root of the problem."

Yes you do have something to say.

Next time when some do gooders with limited intellect come with limted term initiatives, better think twice for voting for such measures without seriously considering the consequences

I have worked with the Legistlature for years and in the 80s to early 90s you had really veteran (yes incumbent) legislators who had mastered their subject matter and you could seriously discuss and draft reasonable public policy within the parameters of politics. At least you had the intellect to work with.

Nowadays the power has shifted to lobbyists who have the expertise regarding such subject matters because the newbies do not have such expertise that comes over years of exposure. We have quite a few newbies and wannabes who seek office to fulfill an ego trip for a short term stint given the term limits; it's a stepping stone for future lucrative lobbying contracts (we now have more registered lobbyists than ever) or to higher office without doing much in the process except building campaign reserves.

And the new rules in the Assembly or Senate have made a mockery of the the legislative sausage. It used to be that you could not amend a bill the last minute until it went back to the policy committee for deliberations (the germaness issue). Nowadays, bills are amended the last minutes without a public hearing ........

enough for one day ...

 

[nsx4fun]

I also got an exhibition of speed years ago on a motorcycle because I accelerated quickly up to the speed limit on Watt Ave by McClellan AFB. The front tire stayed on the ground and the tires never chirped because I was already moving (I had a turn lane exiting the base), so it was a roll-on full throttle accelleration in first gear to the speed limit that got me the ticket. Basically, if a cop is motivated to give you a ticket, he can & will. There are many ambiguous laws written such that the cops can interpret them as they please to bust you.

Fritz

 

[MYNSX]

Originally posted by nsxtasy:
To summarize the thought process behind this legislation:

"This will have an effect on anyone who was formerly willing to street race even though they might get jailed, face a huge fine, and/or die in an accident, but will now stop because his car might be taken away from him for a few weeks."

Yeah, right...

That's like changing the penalty for first-degree murder, from death, to death plus a $5000 fine.

LOL,That was GREAT!!

 

[Zanardi 50]

Originally posted by ilya:
The People's Republic of California strikes again!

First the firearms, and now cars. People's Rep. of Kalifornia indeed!

[This message has been edited by Zanardi 50 (edited 13 September 2002).]

 

[TheSwishh]

Originally posted by Si:
If we can't speed, why do cars come with MPH much greater then 70 on their tac.

Shhhhhhh, dont give them any ideas...

Soon we will all be driving electric cars with a network feed direct to the CHP that will give us a ticket via mail for speeding.

 

[kgb_agent]

The front tire stayed on the ground and the tires never chirped because I was already moving (I had a turn lane exiting the base), so it was a roll-on full throttle accelleration in first gear to the speed limit that got me the ticket. Basically, if a cop is motivated to give you a ticket, he can & will. There are many ambiguous laws written such that the cops can interpret them as they please to bust you.

Fritz[/B]

Cops have all the weapons in the world to measure rate of speed (RADAR, LIDAR, VASCAR, etc.), but no way--and I mean NO WAY--to measure acceleration. Acceleration is actually MPH squared. They cannot measure this, nor do they understand the calculus behind all this.

Bottom line: go to court, fight it, and win.

 

[sami]

Originally posted by kgb_agent:
Acceleration is actually MPH squared.

Not exactly. Acceleration is distance divided by time squared. mile/h squared would be mile^2/h^2 when it should be mile/h^2. Most commonly acceleration is measured in meters and seconds as in m/s^2.

------------------
- Sami
1992 Nissan Skyline GT-R

 

[Number9]

Originally posted by kgb_agent:
Cops have all the weapons in the world to measure rate of speed (RADAR, LIDAR, VASCAR, etc.), but no way--and I mean NO WAY--to measure acceleration.

If they have a clock and continuous speed readout, then they can measure acceleration based on the rate of change of speed.

 

[Russ]

Seen in this week's Auto Week:

"Californians used to write songs about surfing. Now they write statutes."