Back on my soapbox...

[duane1969]

I gotta bring this up because it irks the crap out of me. I absolutely HATE DUI checkpoints. They are such a monumental waste of taxpayer dollars. They rarely catch actual DUI drivers and predominantly are used as ways to issue tickets for expired tags, no insurance or broken taillights. The kicker here is that there appears to be no national database providing info regarding the efficiency of these roadblocks. So in essence, taxpayer dollars are being dumped into a program that there appears to be no checks and balances system in place for.

Why my rant? I was once again stopped for a DUI checkpoint on New Years Eve, at 8:00PM no less. As I pulled up in my wife's car I remembered her telling me that her tags had expired and I needed to get them renewed. Of course I knew a ticket for driving on expired tags was coming. I handed the cop my license, registration and insurance card as required and true to form, he looked my stuff over, handed it back and told me to have a nice night. That's right, this cop who is supposed to notice whether or not I am driving while under the influence didn't even notice that right there in black and white that my tags were expired.

Am I happy I didn't get a ticket? Yes, even though it would have been a simple warning, but the point is that his job is to be aware and notice discrepancies. If he didn't even notice my tags were expired then he clearly wasn't going to notice if I was under the influence.

FYI, this is the second time my vehicle was not compliant with state law and they missed it at a DUI checkpoint. Last time I went thru my inspection sticker was expired and had been for 2 months.

[habsheaven]

So you are claiming that DUI checkpoints are a ruse to catch drivers for "other infractions" and then go on to state that they have overlooked "other infractions" on two separate occasions regarding you.

Here's a thought. Maybe they truly are looking for impairment and for that reason they are paying more attention to you and your demeanor than they are paying attention to the paperwork you hand them?

That seems a whole lot more logical than, "If he didn't even notice my tags were expired then he clearly wasn't going to notice if I was under the influence."

[duane1969]

Problem with your angle is that they regularly post reports from DUI checkpoints in the local newspaper and the majority of what they do is issue citations for expired tags, no insurance, etc. This is simply a situation where the cops are paying so little attention that they miss the non-moving violations and since they missed something so obvious they could hardly have noticed if my eyes were red, my speech was slurred or if there were open containers in the vehicle. I don't think they are a ruse, I think they are intended to catch DUI drivers but conveniently provide an excuse to build a nice bankroll to fund the department by writing citations for non-DUI offenses.

[gsj68]

theres a couple things i could touch on here

by questioning a police action you must be a video game playing,basement siting liberal
or
have the police in w.v. just forgot about that probable cause thing?
but what got me was
inspection sticker? had to look that up,vehicle safety inspection sticker every 12 months? what kind of evil is this?scared to ask the cost

[habsheaven]

theres a couple things i could touch on here

by questioning a police action you must be a video game playing,basement siting liberal
or
have the police in w.v. just forgot about that probable cause thing?
but what got me was
inspection sticker? had to look that up,vehicle safety inspection sticker every 12 months? what kind of evil is this?scared to ask the cost

I didn't even catch that part about the safety inspection sticker. I was under the impression that the US didn't have any such regulations. I guess Duane can clarify that. Up here, we have this silly notion that if you are going to be driving a vehicle on public streets, it has to be inspected annually to ensure it is safe for you and anyone else on the roadway.

[duane1969]

theres a couple things i could touch on here

by questioning a police action you must be a video game playing,basement siting liberal
or
have the police in w.v. just forgot about that probable cause thing?
but what got me was
inspection sticker? had to look that up,vehicle safety inspection sticker every 12 months? what kind of evil is this?scared to ask the cost

Probably cause is out the window for DUI checkpoints here. My windows are all tinted, but if they are not the cops shine their flashlights in the car while they wait for you to dig out your registration and insurance card and look for anything that shouldn't be and then use "in plain sight" probable cause to search your vehicle. Of course my Bronco sits so high off the ground that anyone under 6 foot can't see in anyway, but that doesn't stop them from trying.

Inspection stickers only cost like $12 but they can cost much more if your vehicle fails. if it fails they then slap a fail sticker on it and you can only drive it straight to a garage or home to fix why it failed.

[gsj68]

I didn't even catch that part about the safety inspection sticker. I was under the impression that the US didn't have any such regulations. I guess Duane can clarify that. Up here, we have this silly notion that if you are going to be driving a vehicle on public streets, it has to be inspected annually to ensure it is safe for you and anyone else on the roadway.

n.w. oregon here and between hippies,farmers and car guys like myself you can see all types of weirdness going down the road

[*censored*]

Those regulations are ridiculous. How about some personal responsibility for upkeep instead of needing government permission and oversight? I've never had a car fail inspection, but yet I'm still required to do it year after year. Why? Because someone out there doesn't take care of their car? That's great.

Granted, the Texas inspection is largely "Does your car have four wheels, two lights, and an engine? Here's a sticker."

Actually I was supposed to fail one year. The cap to my windshield washer fluid was missing. Yes, that somehow causes failure. The inspector missed it and when I mentioned it offhand he just said "Yeahhhh, just don't tell anyone and get it taken care of soon, technically that's supposed to fail you."

[texansrangerfan73]

So does it really cost the taxpayers more that usually? I mean we are paying the cops already & the checkpoints are just another part of their duty correct? Maybe I'm wrong in this but just seems to me they are paid the same rather checkpoints are being used or not. Maybe a little overtime is involved but I can't complain if they snag 5 drunk drivers, 3 drug smugglers, (happens here) or 40 illegals (also happens here) in the CPs. I applaud their efforts either way.

[Zimbow]

Soapbox? You didn't build that!