[Noob]

Sen. Jim King, R-Jacksonville, said he had a set on one of his vehicles, which he described as "all pimped out." They are no more than "an expression of truckliness," he said, although he'd acceded to his wife's request to take them off.

"I find it shocking we'd tell people with metallic testicles on their bumpers that this is a violation," said Sen. Steve Geller, D-Hallandale. "There's got to be better things for us to spend time debating."

A study at the University of California at Riverside showed that hybrids operating at slower speeds must be 40 percent closer to be heard by a blind individual. There aren't any standards set in place, but we would love to see a bill requiring hybrid owners to honk when approaching an intersection. We'll be damned, Al Gore. There is a downside to hybrids! [AP] (Image)

Originally introduced by State Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, who developed an irrational fear of bikers after he witnessed some pulling wheelies and driving dangerously during a ride-along with Miami police, HB 137 has become known as the Anti-Biker Bill due to its discriminatory nature.

Defending motorcyclists during hearings at the state legislature, a representative of ABATE, a motorcycle lobby group, argued that the motorcycle specific penalties far outweighed those for motorists who violate a rider's right of way, killing or injuring them.

While the bill was modified to include all vehicles before being passed into law, the anti-motorcycle language remains, specifically that referring to the revocation of a motorcycle endorsement, leading to some confusion. It's not known if car drivers will face the same license suspension as bike riders.

Jalopnik does not endorse dangerous driving, but its our belief that the best way to make roads safer is through education, not draconian enforcement. After all, isn't anyone with only a week or less of Driver's Ed and very little idea of how to control their vehicle in an emergency driving dangerously? [Via Hell For Leather]

Update: It looks like we spoke too soon folks. While this bill has passed committee in the Florida House of Representatives, it hasn't yet been voted into law. Let's hope it isn't.

Florida Bill HB 137, pre all-vehicles amendment:

F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled

An act relating to offenses committed while operating a
motorcycle; creating s. 316.1926, F.S.; providing
additional penalties for certain offenses committed by a
person operating or in actual physical control of a motorcycle; requiring that the person be taken into
custody; providing for seizure and forfeiture of the
motorcycle; providing for revocation of the person's
privilege to operate a motorcycle; providing an effective
date.
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
Section 1. Section 316.1926, Florida Statutes, is created
to read:

316.1926 Motorcycle offenses.—

(1) When a law enforcement officer charges a person with
reckless driving in violation of s. 316.192 or exceeding the speed limit by 30 miles per hour or more in violation of s. 316.183(2), s. 316.187, or s. 316.189 while operating or in actual physical control of a motorcycle, the officer shall arrest the person, take him or her into custody, and seize the motorcycle, which shall be subject to forfeiture under the Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act.
(2) Upon conviction, in addition to any other penalty provided by law, the court shall revoke the person's
authorization and privilege to operate a motorcycle for a period of 10 years and order the person to surrender his or herdriver's license.
(a) If the person holds a Class A, Class B, or Class C
driver's license, the department shall issue a replacement
license, valid for the remainder of the person's unexpired
license period, without the endorsement to operate a motorcycle.
(b) If the person holds a Class E driver's license that is not restricted to motorcycle operation only, the department shall issue a replacement license, valid for the remainder of the person's unexpired license period, without the authorization to operate a motorcycle.
(3) Revocation of the privilege to operate a motorcycle under this section shall not prohibit or restrict the issuance or renewal of a driver's license for purposes other than the operation of a motorcycle.
Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 2008.

For reasons numerous and complicated, there are laws the federal government does not pass but rather encourages state governments to pass. One of those is the open-container law, which states there must be no possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages by any passengers, anywhere in a motor vehicle on a public highway or right-of-way. It's a matter of carrot-and-stick governance. The stick is generally a decrease in federal highway building funds (the funds are generally redirected to safety programs).

Reasons why states don't pass open container laws range from philosophical complaints (the state can do what it wants), to athletic support (pro-tailgating), to a fear imposing them will impact the money gained from the sale of alcohol. Currently, 39 states meet the full federal requirements (now including Indiana, Montana and Colorado). Further, cops can bust you for having an open container without any probable cause. There are small variations in this law that turn on language parsing (e.g., what qualifies as a moving vehicle and what counts as the passenger area of a motor vehicle). Washington state actually has stricter laws, providing penalties for trying to disguise an open container of alcohol.

Some states give counties and municipalities the ability to determine penalties for possession of alcohol in motor vehicles. The bottom line is, consult an attorney and get someone to hide your keys before attempting to drive with an alcoholic beverage.

For the 11 other states the are significant variations in what is considered legal and illegal:

Alaska
Generally speaking, the laws in Alaska are not at great variation with the federally mandated requirements. The one major exception is that you can have an open container on a "Motor-Driven Cycle," which basically means a motor scooter with less than 50 cc of engine displacement.

Arkansas
Technically, there is no federally complaint law regulating open containers specifically in vehicles according to the National Institute of Health's Alcohol Policy Information System. That being said, it's illegal in Arkansas to drink in a public place, which includes highways or any vehicles commonly used for transportation. [U of A]

Connecticut
Illegal for someone to drink while operation of a car on a public road, in a parking area for 10 cars or more, on a private road with an established speed limit or on any school property. Your passengers can get as blitzed as they like, assuming they are of legal age. Of course, the law doesn't make driving with drunks any less distracting or annoying.[CT.gov]

Delaware
Limited. No state-wide Open Containers law.

Louisiana
Though Louisiana does have a ban on open containers, there is an exception for frozen alcoholic beverages with lids on them. While you can't drink it, or put a straw in it, you can order a 60-ounce Hurricane or Strawberry Daiquiri from a drive-through.

Mississippi
Limited. No state-wide Open Containers law.

Missouri
Limited. No state-wide Open Containers law

Tennessee
While the law prohibits the possession of a beverage or consumption by the driver of a motor-vehicle, the law states that a passenger can have possession of a beverage.

Virginia
While there is no state-wide Open Containers law, the law does prohibit the consumption of a beverage by a person driving a car and says that it is presumed that the driver has consumed a beverage if there is an open container and some other indicator that the driver may be drunk (slurred speech, appearance, odor, et cetera).

West Virginia
Limited. No state-wide Open Containers law

Wyoming
As you probably have guessed, oenophilia runs rampant in Wyoming. While the law does state that you can't have an open container while driving (your passenger may), you can have resealed wine with you and that does not count as wine.

[NIH Alcohol Policy Information System]

In any case, Senior Judge Alan Schwartz has called bullshit on that stoopid law, more or less guaranteeing an influx of muffler-challenged, primered-out Prizminos, which are certain to annihilate the once-cherished ambience of Coral Gables. [Miami Herald]

In honor of the the Solomonic wisdom of Judge Schwartz and the redemption of Coral Gables, we would like to present the song we sincerely hope will one day become the Official State Song of Florida:

Speaking, as we were, of good ol' ThnderBlt, we noticed that one of his classmates from his rather chichi and exclusive high school made the news recently when she got all hepped up on a booze/Aleve cocktail and stole an ambulance on the Stanford campus. Two paramedics had a drunken student on a stretcher when law student (and Yale grad) Julia Powell hopped into their ambulance and drove off, ditching the emergency vehicle 1,000 feet away. How'd they catch her? She left her cell phone in the footwell. Note to aspiring lawyers: if you absolutely have to steal an ambulance, make sure you take your belongings with you when you exit the vehicle. She's just lucky Dr. Nikolas Van Helsing didn't swipe the phone. That guy'd run up a Verizon bill she'd be paying off for years. – Davey G. Johnson

[UPDATE: The inimitable ThnderBlt has posted a considerate meditation on Powell here.]

Bizarre joyride in Calif. ambulance draws 36 days [Jems via The Highly Official Weblog of Phillip A.V. McCarthy]

Related:
Pull Over! Here Comes the Cayennebulance! [Internal]

The Morley family has a released a statement of facts regarding the Macedonian trial of Nicholas Morley, which seems to jibe with what we've sussed ourselves about what went down the day before the 2007 Gumball 3000 came apart at the seams. According to the original accident investigator on the scene, as well as an investigator from nonprofit British organization TRL, Morley was traveling at or under 47 mph and would have had 1.6 seconds in which to stop from the point that Vladimir Cepuljoski pulled out in front of his Porsche. The full statement after the jump.

The initial accident investigation was carried out by a professional Macedonian investigator. His findings were reviewed and confirmed by Dr Richard Lambourn, an established expert in the field.
Dr Lambourn was an accident reconstruction specialist at the Metropolitan Police Forensic Science Laboratory for 23 years (1973-1996) and is currently a principal consultant at TRL, an independent, not-for-profit transport research firm and consultancy. It was the firm that reconstructed the car crash that caused the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

The cause of the crash was a second vehicle pulling out of a minor road without warning and into Nicholas's path. The cause of the crash has not been disputed by the prosecution.

According to the defence expert witnesses, Nicholas had 1.6 seconds to respond to the second car's sudden appearance, causing him to react reflexively and swerve violently to the left. The defence experts concluded that the accident would have been unavoidable at 30mph (50kph).

The court declined to hear the evidence of the defence expert witnesses, although the testimony of the prosecution expert witness was heard.

Macedonia is party to the European Convention on Human Rights, Article 6 of which provides a detailed right to a fair trial. Under the Macedonian Criminal Code, the defence has a right to submit evidence.

The prosecution's accident investigator is not a professional in this field. He admitted in court that he is currently unemployed. He further admitted in court that the police sketch of the crash site on which he based his findings is inaccurate.

Dr Lambourn concluded that the accident investigation report relied on by the prosecution is "fundamentally flawed in its physical and mathematical reasoning." He further concluded that it was "quite impossible" that Nicholas's car was travelling at the 100mph (161kph) alleged by the prosecution.

The family of the Mr and Mrs Cepunjoski, who were tragically killed in the crash, have called for the court to release Nicholas.

Following the accident, Nicholas and his passenger, Matthew McConville, attempted to disentangle the vehicles and offer what assistance they could. They only left the scene after the injured persons had left the scene in local vehicles. Nicholas and Matthew then travelled to the border to alert the police.

Nicholas Morley and Matthew McConville spoke to the investigating judge at Qafasan, on the Macedonia/Albania border.

Nicholas Morley did not try to flee the country. He was released on bail, with no conditions or restrictions attached. He was free to leave the country.

Nicholas Morley, 30, is not a millionaire; he does not work in property.

Morley Family Gumball Accident Statement of Facts [Team Polizei]

Related:
Nick Morley Convicted in Gumball Crash, Gets Suspended Sentence; Trial Of Gumball 3000 Driver Expected To Wrap Up Today; Gumball 3000 Driver Forgiven by Victims' Family; Gumball 3000 Death Trial to Begin Friday; Fast As a Shark: East of Eden: The Fall of the Gumball 3000; Morley Released On Bail, Tries To Flee Macedonia In Private Jet, Arrested Again; Gumballers Nick Morley And Matthew McConville Arrested After Hit-And-Run Fatality [Internal]

Court ruling gives police power to stop cars with partially obscured plates [Austin American-Statesman]

Related:
In Texas, They'll Seize Your Car, Then Drive it [internal]

Remember that bribery scandal over at DaimlerChrysler that hit late last year? Considering the wheels of justice aren't exactly AMG-V12 powered, the fallout from the ensuing U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation is just now becoming apparent. The Detroit News is reporting DCX has fired or suspended an undisclosed number of employees for making illegal payments to entities in Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa, possibly totaling $77 million. A company spokesperson says DCX has put safeguards in place to prevent such dealings, which one automotive analyst says happens "much less than people think." Sounds like a done deal to us. Now where's our envelope?

Charges Trigger Firings at DCX [internal]

Related:
Justice Department Investigates Mercedes in Alleged Bribery Scandal [internal]

"Tricks" Booklet Misleads: Researcher [Pistonheads]

Related:
Brits Employ Bait Cars in West Yorkshire [internal]

Authorities in Edmonton, AB have obviously been hitting the back issues of ReadyMade and Surveillance Weekly pretty hard lately, as they've begun disguising speed cameras as ubiquitous power transformers and roadside utility boxes. (Side note, when entering the 10 off of Fairfax in LA last week, we saw a metering-light control box with a giant illustration of what looked like Aaron Cometbus wheat-pasted to the side of it, Shepard Fairey-style.) Apparently, they've lifted the idea from the canny Australians, who've taken to setting up the cameras in the guise of lowly garbage cans. Sneaky, sneaky, you zany fellow former British colonies!

Canadians start hiding cameras too [PistonHeads]

Related:
Piss On: UK Cityy Runs Pro-Speed-Camera Ads in Urinals [Internal]

Arm yourself against ticket-punching po-po by knowing exactly where to stop at an intersection with a stop sign. According to RoadSense, if there's a white line, stop just behind it. If there's no white line but a sidewalk, make like Shel Silverstein and halt where said sidewalk ends. And if you've got nothin' but a stop sign, baby, it's all about your best guess as to where the edge of the intersection is. If that's not enough clarification for you and/or you're in need of audiovisual aids, click the following link. You also might want to consider getting the hell off the road until a suitable donor brain is found.

Where to Stop at a Stop Sign [RoadSense]

Related:
Fear and Bad Spelling in Las Vegas [Internal]

Sorry, we've been watching way too many CSI reruns lately. The word "hoon" simply makes us smile, in a giddy way that recalls a junior-high crush. Or an antelope in red argyle socks. In any event, authorities in Warrnambool, Australia aren't quite as enamored with hoons as we are and have passed "anti-hoon" legislation, which to us sounds suspciously like Executive Order 9066 or not.

In any event, said hoons are gonna have the book thrown at 'em, allowing their vehicles to be impounded in instances of behavior indicating one might be a hoon, and especially targeting known hoons. William Petersen and Marg Helgenberger are not known to be involved, as the Las Vegas Crime Lab is ill-equipped to deal with the special forensic evidence that can mark one as a hoon. Seriously, it'll like blow up their mass spectrometer or something.

Police target hoons [Warrnambool Standard]

Related:
'Stuipid Hoons' Arrested After Reckless-Driving Vid Hits 'Net [Internal]

And speaking of activist judges, a Judge in Fairfax County, Virginia has been throwing out drunk-driving cases because he believes the current law is unconstitutional, the Washington Post is reporting today. Judge Ian M. O'Flaherty insists Virginia's DWI law unfairly deprives defendants of their constitutionally afforded presumption of innocence if breath tests indicate a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher. O'Flaherty said the burden of proof has been shifted from the prosecution to the defense. As you'd imagine, prosecutors are pissed, and not in the drunken-Englishman way.

Maverick N.Va. Judge Tosses Out DWI Cases That Presume Guilt [The Washington Post]

Related:
Welsh Officials Order Bad Driver's Cars Destroyed [internal]

One caveat, if you're planning on using that helmet cam to record yourself being a tool tooling around: the resulting video can be be both entertainment and evidence. Police in New Zealand arrested a bunch of "stupid hoons" who posted a three-minute video clip to the Web that included them making repeated attempts at a four-wheel drift in a Subaru — apparently converted to full rear-drive — before slamming the car into a tree. They're getting community service, though the car is already beyond help. [Thanks to Stephen for the tip.]

Internet home movie helps nab hoons [Stuff (NZ)]

Related:
Welsh Officials Order Bad Driver s Cars Destroyed [internal]

A 51 year-old Wales man has been jailed for five months and a judge has ordered his vehicles destroyed after he was caught driving on a suspended license. Laurence Dunne had been involved in two apparently minor hit-and-run accidents over the last few months and had his motoring privileges revoked. However, five days after the order came down, police spotted him driving again, and this time the judge wasn't so lenient. If we run into Tom Jones when we're in Vegas, remind us not to piss him off. Apparently, the Welsh can get pretty vindictive when they're angry.

Banned driver's cars to be destroyed [ic North Wales]

Related:
Revenge Via Undie-Attack: Wisconsin Man Defaces Public Vehicles [Internal]

Tokyo police are cracking down on street racing by cracking down on racers' rest stops. It kind of makes sense: You can't keep racing all the time; after a while, even the most intrepid Hashiriya's head will turn to fish paste. And since police can't catch racers in the act, officials have slapped No Parking signs up around parking areas of the Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway, places where racers traditionally rest before and after racing. According to some estimates, the action has cut the number of racers out on a typical night by up to 90%.

`No parking' signs reduce high-speed races in Tokyo [Asahi]

Related:
Gone Drifting: Super Street Visits Japan s Team Slip Stream [internal]

It generally takes a crisis to get the American automobile industry to change. In the 1970s, the gas crunch forced its hand. In the 1980s, imports stole its bacon. So it retreated into what it knew best large vehicles with V8 power and longitudinal drivetrains. As in trucks and SUVs. Having been consistently resistent to CAFE requirements (while making some pretty amazing strides in fuel efficiency if you consider that, for example, the new Hemi gets more than twice the mileage of a 440 while making very similar power numbers and meeting LEV standards). Auto industry lobbyist Frederick L. Webber was so distraught by Katrina, however, that when cutting a contribution check to relief organizations, he realized he couldn't donate to political campaigns anymore.

Slate's Tim Noah takes Webber, the president of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, on, suggesting that he put his money where his mouth is and work with the government to reduce emissions and raise CAFE numbers, rather than paying lip service to abandoning what's basically his job to grease the palms of the men and women in Washington. Noah then makes a stab at Webber's lack of desire to do actively prevent global warming, "So, how about it, Mr. Webber? Do you really want to do something to prevent future Katrinas? Or, having been designated a Lobbyist Who Cares in the Washington Post, is your objective already achieved?" [Thanks to CTE for the tip.]

Auto Lobbyist Reformed? It's a long road to Damascus, pal [Slate]

Related:
The Roar of the Masses Could be Farts, Part 2: Cows or Cars Responsible for Pollution? [Internal]

Everybody's got an angle on Katrina, and rightfully so. It's the most tragic thing in the United States that we've witnessed in our nigh-on thirty years. Being from California, we'd seen fire and we'd seen rain, but we've never seen anything like this hurricane. (Please, make the rhyming stop! And the James Taylor references, too. Thanks.) One concern, now that things are calming down a bit in the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast region, is that vehicles damaged by the flood will be cosmetically repaired and re-sold to unsuspecting buyers, both in the Gulf and elsewhere in the US.

Because of the complex electronics in today's cars, most insurance companies simply write 'em off if the water rises above the dashboard, but enterprising crooks often retitle the cars elsewhere using forged paperwork. This time around, however paradoxically the flooding works in prospective buyers' favor is that as opposed to most of the flash flash flooding that comes along with hurricanes, the cars in New Orleans, especially, have been sitting in a fetid, toxic soup for days on end, rendering them useful only for parts and/or crushing.

Storm cars could take consumers for a ride [MSNBC]

Related:
Gas Prices Rise, President Decides to Open the Taps [Internal]