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, August 07, 2013
ATS Settles PlatePass Rental Car Ticketing Lawsuit
American Traffic Solutions (ATS) and the rental firm Hertz have decided to pay $11 million to settle a class action lawsuit filed by motorists who had hidden fees deducted from their credit card accounts after they used a toll road. Plaintiffs in the suit complained that under ATS’ PlatePass program, for example, $10.75 was automatically billed from their credit card to cover a 75 cent toll. The plaintiffs say they had no idea they had signed up for this “service” when they rented the car.
Tuesday, August 06, 2013
Indiana Appeals Court: No Motorist Search Over Expired Tag
A motorist’s bag cannot be searched because his car has an expired tag, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled last week. A divided three-judge panel overturned the conviction of Adam Miller, who was pulled over on January 9, 2011 for having an expired sticker on his license plate.
Monday, August 05, 2013
New York: Federal Court Upholds Random License Search
Motorists suspected of no wrongdoing can be pulled over and their license searched in a database regardless of whether they are suspected of having done anything wrong, a federal court ruled on Thursday. The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit found no problem with the way the New York City Police Department (NYPD) handled a roadblock that impeded traffic for two hours in the Bronx on October 5, 2010 just before midnight.
Sunday, August 04, 2013
Italy: Speed Cameras Pushed, Painted
Vigilantes in Venice, Italy knocked over a speed camera on Monday. The bright orange “Velo OK” brand photo radar unit on the Via Scaltenigo had its concrete base ripped out of the ground. According to Venezia Today, days before the attack the camera’s lenses had been spraypainted gold.
Friday, August 02, 2013
Arizona, Texas: Opposition Mounts To Toll Roads
Road tolling is becoming a less popular option in many areas in the country. In Arizona, efforts are underway to put an initiative on the statewide ballot that would ban the tolling of existing roads while in Texas lawmakers realize voters would never approve a transportation package that included authorization for tolling.
Thursday, August 01, 2013
DC, Maryland: Speed Camera Firms Move To Hide Evidence
The firms operating red-light cameras and speed cameras in the District of Columbia and Maryland are working to suppress evidence that could be used to prove the innocence of a photo enforcement ticket recipient. In Washington, the Arizona-based vendor American Traffic Solutions has repositioned cameras and cropped photos so that it is impossible to determine whether another object or vehicle happens to be within the radar unit’s field of view.
