CA Car Crushing Petition
I wrote a petition today after thinking about the recent actions taken by CA police to curb illegal street racing, and researching a little bit about CA law. I wanted to get my thoughts out there and see if people felt the way I feel, and I know that online petitions are a good way of doing that. Maybe not a great way of getting the ball rolling, but a good way to gauge support at least. If support is decent enough, I'll probably write a letter, on behalf of the petition's undersigned, to somebody who can speak on our behalf. <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-carcrush21jun21,0,6329450.story?coll=la-home-center" target="_blank">Here</a> is the LA Times version of the story. Please read the article, then the petition, and then sign (or don't sign). And please, redistribute this petition to your friends and to other communities!
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I started this petition today. It might not be what you think: this is not a petition to stop the crushing of "illegal street racing cars" in CA. I researched that myself.. it requires a court order, and uses a CA Vehicle Code prohibiting the use of unregistered or stolen components that were identified with serial or VIN numbers by the original manufacturer. ESPECIALLY if the component has the VIN removed, or the VIN matches that of a stolen car. This is to say, swapping in STOLEN ENGINES. So you don't have to worry about your 100% legit Evo, and if you have done an engine swap, you can still register it legally to be safe. It's obviously worth it.
My petition is, quite simply, for the crushing of cars owned by drunk drivers. The whole car crushing thing is a scare tactic the police are using against "illegal street racers". As soon as I heard about this, I started wondering if any of the guys up there at the top of the food chain (our representatives in the government, the movers and shakers) have ever considered applying this kind of scare tactic to drunk drivers. I started studying and researching the rates of alcohol-related traffic deaths, the laws behind the whole car crushing deal, and decided to just write up a petition.
And here it is.
<a href="http://www.petitiononline.com/carcrush/petition.html" target="_blank">http://www.petitiononline.com/carcrush/petition.html</a>
Take it for what it's worth and please sign it if you agree with it. I'm copying this and sending it to everyone I know and putting it up on every community that I'm a member of. If you find that you support my petition, please send it out to your friends and post it on other message boards, and forward it at work. I feel really strongly about this.
Thank you for your time and your help.
John
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I started this petition today. It might not be what you think: this is not a petition to stop the crushing of "illegal street racing cars" in CA. I researched that myself.. it requires a court order, and uses a CA Vehicle Code prohibiting the use of unregistered or stolen components that were identified with serial or VIN numbers by the original manufacturer. ESPECIALLY if the component has the VIN removed, or the VIN matches that of a stolen car. This is to say, swapping in STOLEN ENGINES. So you don't have to worry about your 100% legit Evo, and if you have done an engine swap, you can still register it legally to be safe. It's obviously worth it.
My petition is, quite simply, for the crushing of cars owned by drunk drivers. The whole car crushing thing is a scare tactic the police are using against "illegal street racers". As soon as I heard about this, I started wondering if any of the guys up there at the top of the food chain (our representatives in the government, the movers and shakers) have ever considered applying this kind of scare tactic to drunk drivers. I started studying and researching the rates of alcohol-related traffic deaths, the laws behind the whole car crushing deal, and decided to just write up a petition.
And here it is.
<a href="http://www.petitiononline.com/carcrush/petition.html" target="_blank">http://www.petitiononline.com/carcrush/petition.html</a>
Take it for what it's worth and please sign it if you agree with it. I'm copying this and sending it to everyone I know and putting it up on every community that I'm a member of. If you find that you support my petition, please send it out to your friends and post it on other message boards, and forward it at work. I feel really strongly about this.
Thank you for your time and your help.
John
Comments
I want to mod my car and I am doing so, but there are enough grip and drift events to keep my racing off of the streets.
As long as this doesn't get my car crushed because I have some mods and going 80 on the freeway (with everybody else), or supposedly not making a complete stop or not signalling with no other cars around me at 3am or just because I have mods in general, i'll be happy. lol
/signed btw
I dunno, crushing the cars of drunk drivers seems like such a waste, since we can presume that the cars of drunk drivers are usually 100% legit. Why not confiscate them and auction them off instead? The resulting funds could then be used for some publically beneficial initiative, like, say, campaigns against drunk driving. We could call it "idiot tax."
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My thoguht as well.
Crushing a car that is sill perfectly serviceable is rather silly. Instead, confiscate and sell it at an auction.
TBH, I think they should do the same with illegaly modded cars as well.
If you can identify the parts as stolen, then return them to the owner. If you can't identify them, but they are still legal parts, just auction them off. If they are illegal parts, well, strip them out and sell the car with only the legal parts.
grumble.
Crushing them is just a wast of money.
My thoguht as well.
Crushing a car that is sill perfectly serviceable is rather silly. Instead, confiscate and sell it at an auction.
TBH, I think they should do the same with illegaly modded cars as well.
If you can identify the parts as stolen, then return them to the owner. If you can't identify them, but they are still legal parts, just auction them off. If they are illegal parts, well, strip them out and sell the car with only the legal parts.
grumble.
Crushing them is just a wast of money.
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Well, do you think it's fair that they crush my car because I have an exhaust or some headers even though I drive safely and I do keep my stuff on the track and also because it's a hobby of mine?
But anyways, ya crushing cars might be a bit too far. I mean, there are poor families who can use the vehicle instead and/or can repair other cars.
on the serious side, and to play the devil's advocate, two wrongs don't make a right. just because it may be overly punitive to destroy the cars of illegal street racers doesn't mean overly punitive measures should be taken to fight drunk drivers as well. Their licenses are already taken away, and they can be jailed if caught driving again without a license.
and sure, drunk drivers may kill 50 times more people than street racers total... but there's probably hundreds of thousands or maybe even millions of drunk drivers in California, and probably like 100 street racers. That means like 3% of street racers kill someone every month, while like .015% of drunk drivers kill someone every month. If they didn't crack down on illegal street racing, more people would do it, and the rate of deaths would rise.
I'm just providing points of discussion. I do agree that crushing the cars of street racers is pretty harsh.
Illegal modifications should never be a cause for a crush. You can build your own exhaust easily, and make it conform to state VC... but in CA, if you don't have the thousands of dollars neccessary to get the design approved for street use, it is technically an illegal part. Even if it exactly matches another design in all aspects aside from manufacturer.
Good way to save cash is not shelling out for a $300 intake, and just make one yourself out of Home Depot PVC piping. Just as good, for a tenth the price. Yet still an 'illegal' modification for the same reason as the exhaust. Bureaucrat greed.
I'd agree with confiscating and auctioning off drunk drivers' cars. Make them think more than a few times about getting behind the wheel.
Auctioning off the vehicles would be sensible, crushing it is a giant waste. Maybe even impounding the vehicle.
...two wrongs don't make a right...
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QFT.
This just seems like a bad idea. If you find a bad law try to get it changed, don't try to twist it for your own purposes.
It's admirable that you want to help curtail drunk driving. But if you're really worried about it, crazy harsh laws are not going to solve the problem.
Get to know your neighbors so when they get behind the wheel they might think about the fact the neighborhood they're driving home to has their friends' kids running around. Laws are not a good substitute for moral responsibility.
The cars were crushed for stolen parts, not for street racing. The press spun it hard to try and raise the story's appeal to WASP adults and fogies, and at the same time scare white-bread kids away. After all 'street racer cars crushed' makes a better headline than 'cars crushed containing stolen parts'.
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<b>I'd agree with confiscating and auctioning off drunk drivers' cars. Make them think more than a few times about getting behind the wheel.</b>
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^^^^
Oh, see what maddox says about online petitions, it's pretty much true...
This tactic works on street racers simply because at the time of racing it is a conscious decision they make. At the time of driving drunk, your choice is already made for you by alcohol.
If you want to petition drunk driving, rally for something like mandatory alcohol/drug sensors for car ignition systems, corporate responsibility, better consumer education, or better yet, mandatory castration and prohibition on procreation for all retards stupid enough to drive drunk.
Crushing a car that is sill perfectly serviceable is rather silly. Instead, confiscate and sell it at an auction.
TBH, I think they should do the same with illegaly modded cars as well.
If you can identify the parts as stolen, then return them to the owner. If you can't identify them, but they are still legal parts, just auction them off. If they are illegal parts, well, strip them out and sell the car with only the legal parts.
grumble.
Crushing them is just a wast of money.
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I agree. Sell the parts and supplement the tax revenue.
Crushing cars as a scare tactic?... how about the one that already exists: crushing yourself? Don't forget, drunk driving already has its *own* natural deterrent and that's you dying in an auto collision. Scaring drunkards with "crushed cars" is not going to work simply for the fact that they are drunk when they do this; if they don't respond to the fear of death and imprisonment, they're not going to respond to the fear of a crushed car (which is *already* inherent in the "death" part).
This tactic works on street racers simply because at the time of racing it is a conscious decision they make. At the time of driving drunk, your choice is already made for you by alcohol.
If you want to petition drunk driving, rally for something like mandatory alcohol/drug sensors for car ignition systems, corporate responsibility, better consumer education, or better yet, mandatory castration and prohibition on procreation for all retards stupid enough to drive drunk.
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The man makes a good point. Crushing drunk's cars isn't going to help anyone. Taking their license away and auctioning their car off would be a much better solution. If they don't have a car, they can't drive it without a license, judgment impaired or no.
--Scythe--
I know the law was implemented, and used, but I don't remember if it was repealed or not <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
I dunno, crushing the cars of drunk drivers seems like such a waste, since we can presume that the cars of drunk drivers are usually 100% legit. Why not confiscate them and auction them off instead? The resulting funds could then be used for some publically beneficial initiative, like, say, campaigns against drunk driving. We could call it "idiot tax."
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Sounds good in theory, a bit like speed cameras. However as good as measures are intended the usage of the resulting funds or implementation of such measures will always be abused.
Seiously though, it's much more cost effective to sell.
Yes, driving drunk is a very bad thing, but large-scall confiscation or destruction of property is an affront to property rights. The government can't just take your stuff away, unless it's stolen, or you're in debt and are going bankrupt. or eminent domain, in which you're at least compensated. Maybe if they forced you to sell your car, that would almost be fair. they already force you to get a breath tester installed in your car for particularly bad offenders...