# California to crack down on modified cars



## fergyflyer (Apr 18, 2005)

Just read where the federal government gave California 5 million to hunt for modified cars. Cars on the street with the emissions equipment completely removed are being impounded. If it appears that your car has been modified you will be issued a fix-it ticket and need to present to the DMV carb numbers for all aftermarket items on your car. The cost of the fix-it ticket is $35 instead of the standard $10, and if the DMV is unsure they will require you car to be smogged within 48 hours or taken off the road. They are doing this to crack down on illegal street racing. They are particularly tageting cars with window tint, wings, racing stickers, modified exhausts, and lowered cars. They have been doing this in San Diego so far and generated a lot of money, so they are expanding to statewide. The most common ticket is for an exhaust that is louder than stock. 
This is not a good sign, they usually start this crap in California and move it to the east coast. 
I wonder if they are looking at all the modified pick-ups too?


----------



## HTRDLNCN (Jul 1, 2005)

nothing good ever came out of california..


----------



## b_a_betterperson (Feb 16, 2005)

fergyflyer said:


> Just read where the federal government gave California 5 million to hunt for modified cars.


What's odd is that there are so many cars out here that are clearly out of tune that could be easily ticketed first. In San Francisco, there are 1000's of beaters that are blowing huge clouds of oil and raw fuel into the air -- and nobody goes after them.

What's kind of unfair about the situation is that San Francisco County, because it's right on the ocean with its breezes, passes Federal smog tests -- while the counties East of it -- where the filth goes -- gets funds held back on freeway construction, etc. because the air quality is so poor. That's totally ridiculous -- and Washington's responsible for that.


----------



## b_a_betterperson (Feb 16, 2005)

HTRDLNCN said:


> nothing good ever came out of california..


----------



## Xcommuter (Jun 30, 2005)

As the Federal Government now has to fiqure out how to pay for the cost of the tax cuts and the war on terror , the states will not be getting the Fed funding they are counting on to maintain their obligations. So taxation thru ticketing of automobiles is too tempting a possible solution - Florida also started this by changing many statues last month. It may take some time Nationwide but traffic enforcement is becoming a source of revenue which will not be fair and will not be based on Safety as will be declared... Enjoy your mods while you can...


----------



## b_a_betterperson (Feb 16, 2005)

Xcommuter said:


> So taxation thru ticketing of automobiles is too tempting a possible solution


Our town just put its first red light cameras in about 6 weeks ago. In the first month of operation, it got 2,200 people -- for tickets at $300 a piece.

Don't mind red light runners getting nailed -- it's the overgrown meter maids sitting in the bushes with radar guns for no good reason that fry me.


----------



## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

What exactally is smogging a car? I assume it's a test to check to make sure the emissions are up to code? Being I am on the East Coast I haven't heard this term.

I've been around the Amish too long I guess. :willy:


----------



## RiceEater (Jun 21, 2005)

GTO judge said:


> What exactally is smogging a car? I assume it's a test to check to make sure the emissions are up to code? Being I am on the East Coast I haven't heard this term.
> 
> I've been around the Amish too long I guess. :willy:


Basically they hook up a handy little machine to the exhaust and see what kind of emissions it's giving off.


----------



## Xman (Oct 31, 2004)

b_a_betterperson said:


> Our town just put its first red light cameras in about 6 weeks ago. In the first month of operation, it got 2,200 people -- for tickets at $300 a piece.


A city in the DFW area installed these and then slowly reduced the time the light showed yellow. They were catching people left and right until somebody figured it out and took them to court. The city lost and had to take them down.


----------



## fergyflyer (Apr 18, 2005)

Xman said:


> A city in the DFW area installed these and then slowly reduced the time the light showed yellow. They were catching people left and right until somebody figured it out and took them to court. The city lost and had to take them down.


Studies have shown that at the lights that have cameras there are fewer accidents from people running lights. The problem is for every one t-bone less there are 3.4 more rear end accidents. Another problem with the cameras is that if you stop a little late, your tires just break the white line, you just got a ticket. If you inch up at the light and break the line, you just got a ticket. 

The companies that make these things install them for free and then get a cut of the tickets. That's wrong too. What's next, are companies going to hire highwaymen to catch speeders on the interstate, for the government, for a cut of the take?


----------



## RiceEater (Jun 21, 2005)

Xman said:


> A city in the DFW area installed these and then slowly reduced the time the light showed yellow. They were catching people left and right until somebody figured it out and took them to court. The city lost and had to take them down.


Oh that is screwed up right there. Every traffic light must be set to show the correct amount of yellow light time... which is proportional to the speed limit... thus giving you enough to stop or enough time to pass through... whatever the cirumstance.

So with them turning the time on the yellow lights down... they could get themselves into some serious **** aka major lawsuit against them that they WILL lose.


----------



## RiceEater (Jun 21, 2005)

fergyflyer said:


> Studies have shown that at the lights that have cameras there are fewer accidents from people running lights. The problem is for every one t-bone less there are 3.4 more rear end accidents. Another problem with the cameras is that if you stop a little late, your tires just break the white line, you just got a ticket. If you inch up at the light and break the line, you just got a ticket.
> 
> The companies that make these things install them for free and then get a cut of the tickets. That's wrong too. What's next, are companies going to hire highwaymen to catch speeders on the interstate, for the government, for a cut of the take?


That's great, cause people are also starting to sue their city for this too. Basically it's rediculous that you get a ticket for just crossing the white line. The cities that are starting to enforce this stuff really need to take the money sticks out of their asses.


----------



## fergyflyer (Apr 18, 2005)

Xcommuter said:


> As the Federal Government now has to fiqure out how to pay for the cost of the tax cuts and the war on terror , the states will not be getting the Fed funding they are counting on to maintain their obligations. So taxation thru ticketing of automobiles is too tempting a possible solution - Florida also started this by changing many statues last month. It may take some time Nationwide but traffic enforcement is becoming a source of revenue which will not be fair and will not be based on Safety as will be declared... Enjoy your mods while you can...


The federal government is the one funding this program. They seeded the program with 5 million and the state of California went WOW we made a lot of money from this. Even though they have a 9% state income tax they have are in the red. When Davis tried to raise taxes he got kicked out. 

Also you do not have to pay for tax cuts. The government needs to learn how to live within it's means. In addittion every time the government has cut taxes there has been more money flow into the treasury due to increased economic activity. It happened when Kennedy did it in the early 60's, that's what gave Reagan, and he was a Democrat at that time, the idea. When Clinton raised taxes the economy which was climbing out of a recession stalled. So they gave back some of the tax increase, the economy took back off. If you let people keep their money they spend or invest it which causes more people to work and spend more money and the economy to grow. Then there is more people to tax and more tax revenue. Off the subject, but the point was brought up.


----------



## Xcommuter (Jun 30, 2005)

fergyflyer said:


> What's next, are companies going to hire highwaymen to catch speeders on the interstate, for the government, for a cut of the take?


Almost , The FHP currently is/was using a Retired FHP officer in a unmarked Patrol Car to write tickets on 301. He is not on payroll , just does it as a Hobby or because he feels Speeding is an extremist activity...

The Tax cuts I mentioned earlier are not personal tax cuts but Corporation Tax cuts...


----------



## fergyflyer (Apr 18, 2005)

RiceEater said:


> Oh that is screwed up right there. Every traffic light must be set to show the correct amount of yellow light time... which is proportional to the speed limit... thus giving you enough to stop or enough time to pass through... whatever the cirumstance.
> 
> So with them turning the time on the yellow lights down... they could get themselves into some serious **** aka major lawsuit against them that they WILL lose.


 They have never set a standard time for yellow to speed, which to me would be common sense. Each place that sets traffic lights, sets the time. The companies that install the equipment have a maximum the light can be yellow, but each jurisdiction can set the time to whatever they deem to be safe. Now if the revenue at a light is not enough and they crank the light to next to nothing, or way below what common sense tells you is reasonable, you have a case.


----------



## b_a_betterperson (Feb 16, 2005)

fergyflyer said:


> The government needs to learn how to live within it's means.


No kidding. The state I'm in (California) thinks it's some kind of Federal government -- and just blows money on the craziest stuff you can imagine. And our legislature uses initiatives all the time -- which are tax increases in disguise. We spend $50 billion on schools out here -- and they all stink. But instead of maintaining funding and figuring out where the waste is -- the teacher's unions buy TV ads whining for more money -- and the suckers out here keep voting for it. Blah.

The worst part is that all the gas tax money that is supposed to supposed to fix our bombed out roads always gets siphoned off to pay for new government office buildings and all kinds of other BS. I don't mind red light cameras to prevent accidents -- but having cops serve as revenue collectors stinks -- not necessarily because of the ticket itself -- because your insurance goes to the moon.

BTW, there's a rumor going around that some states, including this one, are thinking of issuing a transponder to go along with your license plate. This transponder will monitor how much you drive -- so you will be billed a fee (tax) to drive on the roads you already paid for. :willy:


----------



## fergyflyer (Apr 18, 2005)

BTW, there's a rumor going around that some states, including this one, are thinking of issuing a transponder to go along with your license plate. This transponder will monitor how much you drive -- so you will be billed a fee (tax) to drive on the roads you already paid for. :willy:[/QUOTE]

I've heard this same rumor. Talk about big brother. They could get the same information from vehicle registration information, what they really are after is to monitor the population. We really need less government!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

Deez iz Arnold ehear....

Dose lawz are wreeten by Girlie Men.

Ven eye am dun building muscles on you local politicians.............

I'LL BE BACK

Sully? Dah yew remember me tellin yew, I vaz gunna kill yew last?......

I LIED

I neveah touch doze voman in der privates... 

Conan sayz zo..... shlow dawn unst de intersections, unst schtop razzin er you'll hab to be ......TERMINATED.


----------



## sboylan (Nov 14, 2004)

About 6 months ago I read an article in the local newspaper about a gentleman from Fort Wayne, IN who had been busted by the intersection camera running the red light. The city had sent him a picture of the incident and a citation - this joker proceeded by writing a check and taking a picture of it only to send the picture and not the actual check itself. That takes balls...


----------

