what the hell is this about

[texplor93]

ok so i went out to a couple bars the other night with a couple buddies, well we got pretty drunk and someone had to drive, i dont drink and drive so i wasnt about to, so my friend says he will but he wanted to drive my explorer. well guess what we got pulled over by highway patrol needless to say my friend got a DUI and had to spend the night in jail. he said he pulled us over because i didnt have mudflaps because my tires stick out about an inch and a half, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT ALL ABOUT? so now i feel really bad for my friend
because i know how expensive and he can lose his liscence for awhile, is that a law in california to have mudflaps? what can i do to get him out of this, i know what he did was stupid and i know i'll probably get chewed out by you guys but i feel kind of responsible, so let me know what i can do

 

[Mikes95XLT]

Well I know that mudflaps are sometimes reqired on 18-wheeler trucks because they can get a good sized rock stuck between their tired and throw it through your windshield, so it's kind of a safety issue, but I've never heard of it being required for small trucks like ours. I'd look it up...

 

[Robb]

You feel bad cause your friend got busted drinking and driving? He got behind the wheel, he was drunk, he deserves what he got. Think of it this way, maybe ya'll got busted before ya'll killed any innocent people on the road.

Robb

EDIT: Wonder how long it will take for Red to jump in here and tell you that you should have just run from the police.

 

[Mikes95XLT]

Sorry man but I have to agree. You could've killed someone and then you would have to deal with that the rest of your life. I lost a friend to a drunk driver, and if I had been the cop I would have jailed all of you. You were smart not driving, but someone else driving drunk is just as bad. You should have never let it happen in the first place.

I found this for you though, feel free to check through it....

Dead Link Removed

Also, you can go back and look through ALL the Cali code by this link.... just don't enter a search word and put ALL in the 'Documents' option and it'll give you all the codes for what you check....

Dead Link Removed

Hope this helps....

 

[Maniak]

mud flaps may or may not be required.. each state is different..

In Arizona if you vehicle is classified as a light truck (jeeps, pickups etc) you must use mud flaps if you lift the truck at all...

You don't need them for Explrorers (first gens at least) becuase they are classified as station wagons (go figure)..

~Mark

 

[diablo5969]

I got bad news for ya texplor. I've been going through that website that Mike put up (I know I'm a loser, but I did it anyway), and I found the law that applies in this situation.

California Vehicle Code, Division 12, Chapter 5, Article 5, Section 27600

No person shall operate any motor vehicle having three or more wheels, any trailer, or semitrailer unless equipped with fenders, covers, or devices, including flaps or splash aprons, or unless the body of the vehicle or attachments thereto afford adequate protection to effectively minimize the spray or splash of water or mud to the rear of the vehicle and all such equipment or such body or attachments thereto shall be at least as wide as the tire tread.

Or, in English, you must have either fenders or mudflaps that extend out further than the width of your tires.

 

[Robb]

hehe............Chase (aka Matlock)

Robb

 

[diablo5969]

Originally posted by morrisey0
Chase (aka Matlock)

Shhh! Don't blow my cover

 

[Broccoli1]

Help him pay for the lawyer- he is gonna need it.He can't get out of it and this is when he is really going to need the lawyer that specializes in DUI cases. They know how to talk to the judge and get your friend the best deal. Unfortunately he is going to lose his license for a year and his Ins. will shoot throught the roof.
Now you seem to be proud of the fact that YOU don't drink and drive but you need to take the next step in being a Man- don't let YOUR friends drink and drive.
Done preaching, no one was hurt ok let's move on.
Get the lawyer.

Ed

 

[rgiles]

The police gave you the reason for pulling over as mudflaps, but you can bet that the real reason is they suspected that someone was drinking and driving. I bet you were out after midnight when the likelyhood of the cops scoring on a drunk driver increase dramatically. Since they needed a reason that's what they give you. Don't bother with a lawyer they can only get you the minimum anyway. Depending on blood alcohol level, he is likely to get minimum for first offense.

And letting your friend drive is the same as you driving. You had the keys and you let him drive so you are just as responsible as him. Call a cab next time, it's much cheaper and nobody gets hurt or goes to jail.

 

[rustytr]

Kalifornia laws crack me up. Anyway...

 

[zensius]

I live in Kalifornia and I can tell you that the cops only used the mudflaps thing as a reason to pull them over. I've said this before on many of the sport threads, but that is why I don't run clear tails, don't have darker than legal tint, I have a front license plate, etc., etc. Don't give them a reason to pull you over.

 

[mattadams]

I'd say 99% sure they were using it as an excuse to pull him over, which means that he was probably driving less then perfect to make him get spotted anyways. I'm never a fan of drinking and driving and think that there is no excuse for those that do, lost a lot of good friends cause they figured they'd have a few drinks then head home, or because someone else thought that and happened to hit them... legally theres nothing you can do if the cop pulled you over for a dumb reason and then he was busted for DUI, the fact of the matter is that the stupid laws have to be followed too. In the future, don't let a drunk person drive your explorer, and instead of "having to drive home" why not catch a cab, or wait a few hours to sober up. It's not rocket science.

 

[Doug]

Kalifornia laws crack me up. Anyway...

I dunno how bad california is but in jersey we've got some real bad cops.. Ive been pulled over for having mud on my truck. But my personal favorite is when i was playing cb tag with a couple of friends and one of my friends got pulled over for going through a park after dark. the cop searched his truck and as luck would have it his truck wouldnt start so we had to drive up there and jump him. once he was running the cop blocked me in, ran my plates ran my license and questioned me. I asked him if he wanted to search my truck and he shutup. And this was all in my little town of 5k people. And then of course there is the whole racial profiling thing that had been all over the news..

 

[donkey boy]

texplorer93, you too as the owner of the vehicle would be in deep trouble in my native country Switzerland (not sure if some states in the US have similar rules) There, if you as the owner of the vehicle, borrow your vehicle to somebody, who you know is not allowed to drive or is not in condition to drive, you too commit a criminal act.

And you are wrong in saying, that "someone had to drive" You could have been:
- calling a friend, g/f, wife, brother, sister, grandma or whoever to pick you up.
- calling a thing called "cab"
- or, in the worst case, passed the night in the car.

I don't want to give sh*t to you; I think it's good you did not drive and I'm sure you and your buddies have your lesson learned, so no further actions of this board are necessary.

And, thank you Mr. Cop to take an other road hazard off the road before anything happened.

 

[rgiles]

Originally posted by Namitey
I dunno how bad california is but in jersey we've got some real bad cops.. Ive been pulled over for having mud on my truck. But my personal favorite is when i was playing cb tag with a couple of friends and one of my friends got pulled over for going through a park after dark. the cop searched his truck and as luck would have it his truck wouldnt start so we had to drive up there and jump him. once he was running the cop blocked me in, ran my plates ran my license and questioned me. I asked him if he wanted to search my truck and he shutup. And this was all in my little town of 5k people. And then of course there is the whole racial profiling thing that had been all over the news..

Cops use profiliing of all kinds and thankfully they do. For example two young men driving on the road 10 minutes after the bars close. This car fits the profile of a drinking and driving case but his driving isn't obviously bad. So he looks for any other reason to pull them over. He has to have a reason, and if he says he was swerving and he's sober, then it doesn't look as good on the police report.

I was busted for DUI in 1985 in CA and the reason they said they pulled me over was my speed was erratic (this is a common profile for drunk drivers. If I had a broken tail light or something more obvious they would have used that I'm sure. ). But guess what, I had the Cruise control on 55 specifically because I didn't want to give them a reason to pull me over (that was the speed limit back then). So he made up the charge because I fit the profile (two young men in the car after 2:00am). So I could complain that he lied and made up the reason, but he was doing his job to get drunk drivers off the road. I have learned a valuable lesson from that, and am thankful that I learned it young and without anyone getting hurt.

 

[Doug]

no, the where RACIALLY profiling. if you where black or hispanic they would people you over. there where reports of the same people getting pulled over 4 times a week on he garden state parkway.

 

[rgiles]

Originally posted by Namitey
no, the where RACIALLY profiling. if you where black or hispanic they would people you over. there where reports of the same people getting pulled over 4 times a week on he garden state parkway.

Yes, I've heard the news. Your example had nothing to do with race in my opinion. Racial profiling has a place also and no I'm not a racist. If a white person fits the profile, I think they should be looked at more carefully. I certainly want them to be a little more suspicious of a Middle Eastern person boarding a plane than the old white lady in the wheelchair. I've actually witnessed them pick such a lady out of a line presumably to be politically correct and not be accused of "Racial Profiling". Common sense should prevail, and Cops get a bad rap for doing their job. I don't mind being pulled over, it's the ticket I care about. If they pull me over and let me go because they were wrong, then so be it.

 

[Doug]

Originally posted by rgiles
Yes, I've heard the news. Your example had nothing to do with race in my opinion. Racial profiling has a place also and no I'm not a racist. If a white person fits the profile, I think they should be looked at more carefully. I certainly want them to be a little more suspicious of a Middle Eastern person boarding a plane than the old white lady in the wheelchair. I've actually witnessed them pick such a lady out of a line presumably to be politically correct and not be accused of "Racial Profiling". Common sense should prevail, and Cops get a bad rap for doing their job. I don't mind being pulled over, it's the ticket I care about. If they pull me over and let me go because they were wrong, then so be it.

Im not going to argue this with you. but the cops around here are bad. they dont things that they should not be doing.

 

[rgiles]

Originally posted by Namitey
Im not going to argue this with you. but the cops around here are bad. they dont things that they should not be doing.

No problem, you have the last word. Peace