Each Wednesday, we’ll publish quick summaries of the articles from the last week on TheNewspaper.com. We’re doing this because these articles are often strongly connected to the issues that National Motorists Association members are interested in.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Kansas Supreme Court: No Search Over Spilled Beer
Police cannot search a vehicle merely because it smells like spilled alcohol, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled. The justices last month reviewed the December 19, 2008 traffic stop of Robert G. Stevenson, a man who had been pulled over allegedly because he signaled 30 feet before he made a turn at the intersection instead of the legally required 100-foot distance.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Labor Department Investigates Redflex Over Trade Violation
Is Redflex Traffic Systems outsourcing US engineering jobs for cheaper Australian labor? That is the question the US Department of Labor is now investigating, adding to the numerous inquiries into the Melbourne, Australia-based firm’s business practices. The second largest provider of photo enforcement services in the United States was recently caught violating labor laws in California. It is the subject of a massive federal bribery investigation and charges of racial bias. Redflex was even fined by the Federal Communications Commission in 2008 for illegally importing uncertified radar units.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Missouri: Crowd Control Loudspeakers To Be Deployed On Freeways
The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) announced last week that it would improve safety in highway work zones by startling drivers with an ear-piercing noise. At an event in the Kansas City district headquarters, the agency showed off a Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), which is capable of producing an ear-piercing shriek or siren at 153 decibels, which is beyond the threshold of pain and into the territory that causes permanent hearing damage for the driver and any passengers or nearby vehicles.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Australia, France, Italy Speed Cameras Smashed And Burned
Vigilantes in Bordeaux-Cap-Ferret, France destroyed a speed camera yesterday morning. Sud Ouest reports that tires placed on the D106 automated ticketing machine were set on fire, rendering it incapable of issuing tickets.
Friday, April 11, 2014
Maryland General Assembly Gives Up On Speed Camera Reform
With high-profile problems plaguing Maryland’s speed cameras over the past few months, critics of the program assumed lawmakers would have no choice but to adopt reforms this year. Over 70,000 innocent motorists were found to have received speeding tickets in Baltimore after an audit of the tickets revealed those accused were not actually speeding. Instead of tightening standards, the General Assembly on Monday gave final approval to legislation that codifies the existing practices of speed camera companies and localities. The Maryland Drivers Alliance is calling the effort a reform in name only.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Iowa Appeals Court Endorses Remote Pacing For Speeding Tickets
Police officers in Iowa can now issue speeding tickets to motorists driving on a different street more than a block away. The state Court of Appeals last month upheld the conviction of Michael Lee Querry based solely on the testimony of an officer who performed remote pacing.
