I just read this on the Houston forum, and confirmed it on the Texas State web site. No publicity, no disscussion, just one of those touchy feely politically correct laws. Conviction of racing now carries an automatic one year license supension. I know some of you don't like street racing, but these legislative Nazis are out of control. More people choke to death on Mcdonald's happy meals than die street racing.
Civil disobedience is vital to a healthy democracy.

 

To me Street Racing does need to be stopped - but its laws like these that give cops excuses to give you a ticket if they even see you chirp a tire at an intersection.

 

There is also a new law that says you must either change to another lane, or slow down 20MPH under the speed limit if an emergency vehicle is parked next to the lane you are in. Houston recently used this law to create a trap. They parked their police cars (spread out over a few miles) beside the fast lane, with their lights on, and ticketed anyone who passed them above the posted speed limit - 20.

I think I saw the Richardson cops doing the same thing last Saturday, but I'm not sure. There were 5 police cars spread out over a couple miles, parked next to the fast lane with their lights and radars on.

 

gotta pay for that 401k

 

That emergency vehicle law was passed, in part, due to a friend of mine that works at fire sta. 5. He was hit by a driver speeding through an accident scene. He had a broken everything, including skull. He just came back to work after a full year of rehab. I have had to jump out of the way several times to keep from getting hit by some moron flying by the fire truck at a scene. Once when I was working at the pump panel at a huge fire, with five firetrucks all with our lights on, parked in front of the building that was on fire, kind of hard to not see, I had to jump up on the truck to keep from getting hit by a guy doing about 45-50 mph. He couldn't have missed me more than a foot. But like anything else they can use, the cops take this law and abuse it. Just like they will do with the racing law.

 

It's a good idea. I try to pull over to the left lane even for people on the side of the road simply with their hazards on.

But lining up police cars like that and pulling people over for a law they've not bothered telling anybody about is simple mean-spirited money grubbing. At the least they could put up some billboards like they do for the seatbelt laws, or messages on the electronic billboards they have on some of the area freeways.

 

Then again, I suppose it's a great way to spread the news by word of mouth (reference this thread) yet still make some money off it. <shrug>

 

The worst of this will come when cops use this law to take the licenses away from a couple of guys they just catch peelin' out at a red light, and they will.

 

I reckon I agree with about all of you on the absurdity of street racing ... just as I also agree that this law against it will be abused. I'm also familiar with "winocowboy"s friends situation. Sadly, few of you really know how incredibly stupid people get at 2 am. A few years ago my helicopter was actually ran into by an individual who managed to drive around the blocking DPS vehicles and sped by the fire trucks and ambulance and my medical crew. Okay, granted I had landed in the middle of I-35 while we used the can-opener to get the victims out, but come on ... this was a running helicopter with lights on. And 'ya know what, these new laws will not make people like that any smarter. But if you think Texas is bad, check out "ralper"s 01-13-04 post on the Vintage forum. Take care everyone. JGP

 

Further information:

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/director_staf...n/pr081903b.htm