Free Republic

Excerpt: Yes, you can get a ticket for driving while wearing the new eyewear-like Google Glass wearable computer, which is now being tested nationwide for possible entry into the consumer market. Cecilia Abadie, 44, who lives in Temecula and works at a golf store in San Diego, got just such a ticket Tuesday night after being stopped for speeding by a California Highway Patrol officer. Quickly, Abadie posted a note on the Internet: "A cop just stopped me and gave me a ticket for wearing Google Glass while driving! ... Is Google Glass illegal while driving or is this cop...

A class action filed in Florida claims that it violates motorists’ free speech rights to ticket them for flashing their headlights, Florida Today reports. The suit was brought against the Florida Highway Patrol by a Florida resident, Eric Campbell, who claims he was ticketed within one minute of issuing a headlight warning to other drivers.

A friend just got a ticket for talking on his cell phone while in his parked car in a Starbucks parking lot. He got his coffee and, with the car parked, started the engine and made a call to his next appointment to say he was on his way. A cop pulled up, walked over and wrote him up for talking on his cell phone while “driving” (even though the car wasn’t on the road or moving). The cop said that the new law is interpreted the same way as drunk driving--if you are behind the wheel of a car,...

Association lists states most likely and least likely to use motorists as a source of revenue. The National Motorists Association (NMA) yesterday rated all fifty states based on their friendliness toward the motoring public. By analyzing laws and speed trap patterns, the group measured each state's dependence on the motoring public as a source of state and local revenue. "It is not exactly a well kept secret that many traffic laws, enforcement practices and traffic courts are more about generating revenue and political posturing than they are about traffic safety," NMA President Jim Baxter said in a statement. "During holidays,...

There is a stretch of North Glebe Road, in Arlington, Virginia, that epitomizes the American approach to road safety. It’s a sloping curve, beginning on a four-lane divided highway and running down to Chain Bridge, on the Potomac River. Most drivers, absent a speed limit, would probably take the curve at 30 or 35 mph in good weather. But it has a 25-mph speed limit, vigorously enforced. As you approach the curve, a sign with flashing lights suggests slowing further, to 15 mph. A little later, another sign makes the same suggestion. Great! the neighborhood’s more cautious residents might think....

Attention Virginians: The cost of bad driving is about to go up. Way up. Say you are driving 78 mph on the Capital Beltway and a state trooper tickets you for "reckless driving -- speeding 20 mph over." You will probably be fined $200 by the judge. But then you will receive a new, additional $1,050 fine from the Old Dominion, payable in three convenient installments. So convenient that you must pay the first one immediately, at the courthouse First-time drunk driver? A $300 fine from the judge and a $2,250 fee from the commonwealth. Driving without a license? Maybe...

As a freelance reviewer for the Houston Press, Mike Smith listens to a lot of music. Unfortunately for him, much of his listening is done while he's on hold for the Harris County Toll Road Authority's customer service phone line. Not only does the music selection get a thumbs-down (it's "sappy"), so does HCTRA. For two years, Smith has been getting notices that he owes the authority money for illegally driving through the EZ Pass lane. As proof, the authority includes automated camera photos of a 2002 Ford Mustang speeding past the toll booth. The only trouble is, Smith drives...

Texans are generally gung-ho for law and order. They support the death penalty for capital crimes and tough prison sentences meted out to drug users and multiple offenders. That enthusiasm doesn't seem to extend to automated traffic enforcement systems that can videotape cars zooming through red lights and then mail tickets to the vehicle owner later. It's the rare Houston motorist who hasn't narrowly escaped being struck by an impatient driver trying to beat a red light. Police officers joke that Houstonians believe a red light means only three more cars can go through the intersection. Places of business as...

Two weeks ago I wrote that my traffic pet peeve is slow drivers using the left lane of a freeway and refusing to move over to let others pass.This comment generated a flurry of e-mails and phone calls, with about a third of respondents agreeing that police should focus on ticketing these lane hogs who disrupt the normal flow of traffic, not speeders. The majority was critical, however, contending I was encouraging dangerous driving.David Woerner of Houston called me "arrogant" for asking slower motorists to clear my path."If I am in the left lane and going 5 or 10 mph...

Bill would exempt bicycle riders from stopping at stop signs (Salem-AP) - A bill that has passed the House would exempt bicycle riders from coming to a full stop at stop signs and flashing red lights. They would still have to ride at a safe speed and give the right of way to vehicles or pedestrians approaching an intersection. Cyclists had complained of the inconvenience of getting in and out of toe clips at the signs and lights. The bill goes to the Senate.

I have a friend (who is also a Freeper - kickstart) who recently got into a minor car accident in northern Delaware (he is from Massachussetts). He was travelling on I-95 north in a passenger van, following another car in the left lane at a safe distance, travelling at about 60 mph (under the speeding limit). The car in front decided to make a U-turn across the median. In doing so, the driver signalled her turn, locked up the brakes and skidded. My friend attempted to avoid contact, was unable to so, because of traffic, and clipped her right taillight....

Police in Georgia -- and throughout the U.S. -- are gearing up for a national crackdown on unsafe drivers this Memorial Day weekend. Patrols will be on the lookout for drunk drivers, speeders, children not riding in safety seats and passengers not wearing seatbelts. The campaign is in full swing throughout this week, with the weekend marking the unofficial start of the holiday season. Police officers will be patrolling in cars, on horseback and on foot. Georgia Law enforcement will also be taking part in the Click It or Ticket program that targets both non- and part-time users of seat...