As a police officer, would you give a ticket to a 15-year-old driving in an empty parking lot with his/her parents, without a permit?
As a college police officer I get this a lot. Our parking lots are just about perfect for the budding young driver to perfect his or her skills.Obviously they need to have a learner’s permit, but I usually hang back and watch them. Eventually I pull up next to them to compliment them on their driving, and then give them some advice.“Eventually during your young driving career you're going to have someone dressed just like me standing at your left shoulder. Trust me, it's GOING TO HAPPEN! Don't panic, and don't start crying. All that does is make the officer delay your departure until you've gotten yourself together enough to continue driving. Be courteous, be polite, and for goodness sake, don't argue! No officer is going to try the case on the side of the road! Just have your license and proof of insurance ready. The chances are you'll just get a warning anyway.“Never forget that you're pushing a 2,000 pound ballistic missile down the road, so always keep your head in your driving. Don't worry about the big math test you've got in the morning. Don't worry about the fight you had with your boy (girl) friend. Don't be thinking about how grossly unfair your parents were because they wouldn't let you go to the big party ‘everyone is attending’.“You have but one job. Keeping your mind completely on your driving so that you'll arrive alive!”Then I give them some pointers. “A lot of folks keep the lights in their dashboard all the way up. But it isn't necessary. Bring your dash lights down to where you can comfortably see your instruments, and you won't have all that light in your eyes. You'll be amazed at how much easier it is to see outside your car when your night vision isn't affected. And if you see that the traffic light down the road is turning red, then slow down. There's no reason to speed right up to a place where you're going to have to stop anyway. And you might even be able to time the light so it is green for you.”Then I wish them well, and let them continue their lesson. Hopefully I've encouraged them to remember that not all cops are, well … assholes!’cause I work very hard not to be one!!The answer that I never got around to giving, though, is no. I'm not going to ticket a kid who is practice driving with his parent and has no permit. But I'm certainly going to tell him/her to relinquish control of the vehicle to a licensed driver, and to go get the silly permit post haste.
Can a police officer issue a traffic ticket on private property, such as a shopping mall?
I was issued a parking citation for parking in a handicapped spot in a huge mall parking lot of which ALL entrances are posted PRIVATE PROPERTY. The placard had fallen onto the dash board but the officer, couldn't or wouldn't look to see if one was present, only stating that it 'had to be hanging from the rear view mirror in plain site'. I not only stated that mine was until it fell but also told her that she was WRONG as my state also issues a larger placard that you CANNOT hang but must place on the dashboard, exactly where my hanging type had fallen! Even though I produced the required placard for the officer who was still in the next row of that same lot, she wouldn't rescind the ticket. I contested it in court, bringing my placard, photographs and my WITNESS to all of this with me. I plead my case to which the officer was asked to respond. She denied everything, stating that I never showed up while she was in that lot! My witness then spoke up, telling the judge that she had a photo of the hanging, damaged mirror on the officer' cruiser, taken that very day with me in the photo! The judge was now becoming angry at the officer's lies. He added "as that lot is posted 'PRIVATE PROPERTY' why were you there attempting to enforce public motor vehicle laws that DON'T apply to private property? (I didn't know but suspected that might help so I photographed the signs, ALL of them at every entrance.) The officer stated that they did in fact apply (a bold move on her part as she has been a proven liar up to this point). The judge stated that MOVING violations were applicable, not CIVIL infractions as parking is. My ticket was dismissed. I asked the judge to request the officer remain until I had a chance to leave as I didn't want to 'commit any infractions' in the court house parking lot while attempting to leave same. The judge asked the officer if she felt I was going to commit any and followed up with 'you have a very credible witness, if anything transpires, bring it to me NOW. I left, quietly and as rapidly and I could, spotting her in her cruiser across the lot. As luck would have it, I was parked so as to be able to enter the road in my direction of travel but she needed to circle the lot or violate the signage and travel down the wrong way to follow me. She chose neither but sat there, most likely licking her wounds knowing full well that lying to a judge was NOT a good way to promote her occupational future.
How do i gain the confidence when driving a car on my own on the road?
Practice. Feel the fear and do it anyway and with time the fear will go away. If you're not afraid, you are foolish. Cars can kill people and it is best to never forget that and drive as if you realize that fact. Be careful and cautious always, even when you finally have enough practice to get confident. NEVER GET TOO CONFIDENT. I don't agree that you should get into accidents on purpose!! Accidents will happen eventually and everyone has experienced a fender bender or two without every trying to do that. Be careful out there but remember that no matter how careful you are, you will still have dents eventually. Cars are dangerous and they are huge responsibilities!
My mother-in-law gets upset when I put the baby in passenger seat of my truck just for a short ride to the store. Who is right?
In the US it is the law that children under certain weights and heights be placed in a car seat in the back seat if there is one available. You say baby, so I start thinking less than 1. That will mean a rear facing car seat. Now you specify a truck. Sometimes they don't have a backseat. If you have an extended can or regular cab truck you may have no choice but to place the baby in the front passenger seat.Regardless, the baby needs to be in a rear facing car seat, then that gets properly strapped into the front passenger seat.You don't say whether you are using a car seat or not. Back when I was a kid, car seats didn't exist really. Nobody used them and the ones that were around were metal tubing and were probably more dangerous than not using one!People would hold the baby or just place them in the car on a seat or swaddled and laying in the floorboard.We've learned a lot over the years as humans and as a society driving various vehicles. A lot of people lost their lives, a lot of babies lost their lives. Car seats are now very reliable, comfortable, and safe. Seat belts are proven to increase your risk of surviving and will definitely keep your baby restrained.If you are placing your baby, unrestrained (not in a rear facing car seat), in the passenger of your truck, please think twice. Take advantage of what we have learned since 50 years ago. One, you are breaking the law by not using the car seat. Two, you are breaking the law by by not putting them in the backseat if you have a backseat. Three, you are taking a risk with the life of your baby. Even a relatively small fender bender could be life altering or fatal for your child. For that matter, even having to stomp on the brakes to avoid a collision could result in serious injury or death to an unrestrained baby.It's not a matter of right or wrong, its a matter of law. Please start properly restraining your baby while tracelling in any vehicle.
Can someone report you for hitting their car if they only have your license plate number?
Can someone report another party with just a license plate number? Yes. And they can find out who you are with your plate number as their only information.With a license plate as that only means of identification, there are two venues in which to “report” an accident.Police Report:A report to the policy would generally be received by the local authorities if the accident was a hit-and-run with significant damageBased on the details of the question, I doubt that the other operator would waste their time or police resources with a report.Insurance Company Claim/Report:The other party could “report” the accident to their insurance company, but would do so under their Collision coverage which is always subject to a deductible.Because of the deductible, unless the damage is significant, there is little incentive for the other party to report this to their insurance company.Since the other party is only identified by a license plate, it is likely that the insurance company would also require that a report be made to the local authorities.Based on the question details, it decreases the chance of a claim report.In a genuine hit-and-run situation a license plate is valuable information and given the help of law enforcement, will lead to the identification of the vehicle’s registrant and owner. A police report obviously assists an insurance company in pursuit of claim settlement.Additional Info… Do-it-yourself License Plate Information Search:Docusearch .com claims to provide their customers with information on a vehicle registrant and owner from a license plate number for a one time fee. For more information you can check out Docusearch here.Can someone report you for hitting their car if they only have your license plate number? Yes. Is it likely given the details of this question? No.However, if the accident involved significant damage and/or a hit-and-run, the holder of a license plate number would have all the information they need to make either a police or insurance claim report.
Does anyone having some tips for a woman driving alone long distance ? Suggest GPS ?
I drove myself from Toronto to North Carolina (approx. 14 hours). I did the opposite, I drove in the daylight, so I would know where I was going. I made sure, I started out early in the morning from home (while it was still dark) but when I needed to stop for gas/or a rest stop, it was then light out. I made sure, i kept my doors locked. Had my maps on the front seat. When I got out at a rest stop, i made sure there were plenty of people/cars around. I kept a good pace on the road, so I drove it in one day. Print out the maps you have looked at, and take a cell phone & have a charger in your car for the car outlet. Keep extra things in your car, water, sweater, granola bars, so if you are somewhere you don't want to pull off to, you don't need to. Good luck. Oh I also strongly recommend taking your car for an oil filter change before your trip, so everything is checked out, fluids, air in tires etc. Have fun. I felt a HUGE wave of confidence after I had driven it on my own!
As a member of law enforcement, what is the most seemingly insignificant assignment/call you have received that turned out to be very serious?
Call reported as child taking chips and leaving store. I arrived to find same child sitting behind counter eating chips and drinking milk. The chips were Not the issue. A 2 year and 3 year boy walked in the store in diapers, bare footed in July. In Texas! Feet burned, noses running looking pitiful! One of the kids looked like a photo I had seen in Police Academy. It clicked in my head. A divorced Mom, a dispatcher in nearby County. I put the boys in the car, and asked him to show me where they walked from. When I got the patrol car parked, I left the boys in the AC. I knocked on the door…police style with my flashlight. I heard, “Oh! Sh##! Boys where are you?” As it turned out, the babysitter was a no show. Mom had just worked 16 hours, picked her kids up from her Mom. Took them home, fed them and put a movie on for them. She locked the doors and started watching the movie too. Exhausted, she dozed off. The 3 year old unlocked the door. I installed nite latches for her out of kid reach. The boys walked almost 1/2 a mile along a 4 lane road. Mom did not abandon them. They sneaked out. It still scared the crap out of me….for what Could have happened.
How can I drive safely when I'm drunk and alone?
This question is asking for tips on how to drive safely in an inherently unsafe situation. It's pointless to just say "Don't do it!" since the assumption of the question is that it's already done. Here are some things to keep in mind, to try to limit the harm you might do to yourself and to others:Double check that your lights are on. It's crazy how easy it is to forget this. It's dangerous. It also makes it blatantly obvious that something is up with you or your car.Slow down at intersections as much as you can. Your reflexes are at a disadvantage, so you want to help your ability to react in every other way. If a car comes zooming in through the intersection, or someone runs into the street, you want to be able to stop or swerve, and since you can't do it quickly, it's best to leave yourself a lot of time to do it.Try to drive at the speed limit. Drive too slow or too fast and you'll look suspicious.If you can, drink water, and pour some over yourself. It'll help take the buzz off.Slap yourself a few times, every few minutes, hard. When the effect wears off, pinch the inside of your palm, hard.Listen to music you like, but don't love. You don't want to get too into the music, but you also don't want to fall asleep or get bored and drift off. Don't play around with the radio dials.If it's a long ride, make sure to take breaks. Stop the car and sit down somewhere. Run sprints. Drink a lot of water. It's amazing how much this can help. Ideally, take a short nap.Other than this, there isn't too much you can do. It's dangerous and it's stupid to begin with.