I am not a lawyer!

[Worker-Intellectual]

Here's an oldie from about a year ago that I was suddenly reminded of.

SC: Stupid old guy
Me: Supercashier
Italics: my thoughts

SC in line has a clear plastic cover for a license plate. One of the other customers in line informs him that that is not street legal in Manitoba. So I figured the SC would just leave it at my till and I would have to put it back on my shelf and there would be a minimum of fuss. I was sadly mistaken. Also note that my car is probably worth less than the clear plastic thing, which is one of the reasons why I don't have one.

SC: "Are these legal?"
Me: "I know that it's not legal to have anything that obstructs the license plate for the red light cameras. I don't know if that does or not." I take a closer look, it says on it something to the effect of "It is the responsibility of the customer to check if this product is street legal."
SC: "Are they legal or not?"
Me: "I don't know." What, do you think I'm a lawyer or something? If I was a lawyer, I wouldn't take your s*** for minimum wage.
SC: "Well, if they're not legal to have, they shouldn't be legal to sell," Things that block red light cameras are not STREET legal. You can have them, you just can't drive on the street with them. It's not like crack, you retard.
Me: "It says here that it is the customer's responsibility to check if it is legal or not." Read the f***ing packaging!
SC: "Well, who would know then?" YOU! DO YOUR OWN HOMEWORK!
Me: "I don't know."
SC: "I want to talk to your manager."

I don't know how it ended, but I had to put the damn thing back. I'm just lucky I happened to know something that was way outside my job description.

[Becks]

Sounds like deep window tinting and neon lights for people's cars. Illegal on the street, but the people who sell such things don't care, they get the money either way.

[Mr. Rude]

Were/are you working in Winnipeg Ihate? I grew up in the westend

[Worker-Intellectual]

Were/are you working in Winnipeg Ihate? I grew up in the westend

I'm no longer working as of Sunday, but yeah. I live in the South end, by Lag and Fermor

[South Texan]

SC in line has a clear plastic cover for a license plate. One of the other customers in line informs him that that is not street legal in Manitoba.

I can tell you for a fact that it is illegal to cover up any part of the license plate in Texas, so those plastic covers (clear or tinted) cause the plate to be displayed illegally. This also applies to any and all license plate frames that obscure any part of the plate itself including the space shuttle figure, the motto, the stars or anything else. Although the covers and the frames themselves are not illegal (that is why they can be sold) they cause the license plate to be displayed illegally once they are placed over the plate. Improper display of the license plate is a crime in this state.

Police now are using obscured plates as the probable cause to pull over a vehicle to check out the driver for a possible DWI. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (the state's Supreme Court for criminal cases) has upheld such stops as being legitimate.

[Sofar]

Police now are using obscured plates as the probable cause to pull over a vehicle to check out the driver for a possible DWI. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (the state's Supreme Court for criminal cases) has upheld such stops as being legitimate.

Annoying, though. I got pulled over once, and the nice policeman told me that my rear liscense plate was missing. I've got an old 1962 Volvo Amazon, and the thing about that car is the gas cap is hidden behind the liscense plate. To get at it you just pull the plate down, which is on a hinge. It turned out I'd forgotten to close the door last time I visited the filling station, so the plate was face down against the top side of the rear bumper. He gave me a "Fix-It-Ticket," which didn't really make any sense, because there was nothing to fix. The car's supposed to do that.

[Boozy]

I'm no longer working as of Sunday, but yeah. I live in the South end, by Lag and Fermor

My husband grew up in south end Winnipeg! We still go out twice a year to visit the family (we live in Ontario now).
The nicest people in the world live in Winnipeg (retail staff wherever I go are always fantastic), but for whatever reason the residents turn into absolute demons on the road. There is a definite need for red light cameras in that city.

[trunks2k]

There is a definite need for red light cameras in that city.

I've heard of studies claiming that places with red light cameras so no decrease in accidents around traffic lights and at worse, saw an increase of accidents. Supposedly it's because people worry about the traffic camera getting them, so they do what they can to avoid going through a red light, which includes making a very unsafe stop. For example, the light turns yellow, driver slams on the breaks, person behind driver is not expecting the driver to suddenly come to a stop and rearends the person.

ETA: Here's a study on red light cameras that show while side impact crashes are reduced, rear-end crashes are increased about the same amount. In terms of definite injuries in these crashes, there isn't much of a difference. http://www.tfhrc.gov/safety/pubs/05049/

[protege]

For example, the light turns yellow, driver slams on the breaks, person behind driver is not expecting the driver to suddenly come to a stop and rearends the person.

I've heard that too. However, I was always told not to follow someone that closely for that very reason. It's not the fault of the driver, the camera, but the idiot who was too close. As if that wasn't enough, if the light's been green a bit, I tend to slow down a little. That way, if the light does change, I don't have to slam on the brakes.

BTW, there are a few red-light cameras here in Pittsburgh. They're on some of the more dangerous intersections, such as those with a blind left turn. Too many people were going through the red light...only to get hit by cars on the main road. Imagine just leaving a green light...and having a dumbass suddenly appear in front of you facing the wrong way

[Boozy]

I've heard of studies claiming that places with red light cameras so no decrease in accidents around traffic lights and at worse, saw an increase of accidents.

Yeah, I can see that. Makes sense when you think about it. I've been in many "near-misses" where the cause is an OVERLY cautious or paranoid driver.
Now my husband says they're installing some of those red light cams in my city. I think I'd better head down to my local Crappy Tire, purchase one of those license plate covers, berate the cashier for not having encyclopedic knowledge of all laws everywhere, and then blow through all the stale yellows I want on the way home.

[Lehk]

cameras have also been found to be incorrectly times so thewill trigger in the last moments of a yellow light, or to have a shorter yellow time than the intersection is supposed to have (sometimes even below the state minimum time)

the companies run the cameras and get a cut of all the fines from the cameras. gee that doesn't create a conflict of interest or anything.

[KuzcoLlama]

For example, the light turns yellow, driver slams on the breaks, person behind driver is not expecting the driver to suddenly come to a stop and rearends the person.

They must have not done studies in my city. Here, yellow means "step on the gas." Well, red does too. :: shrug:: I just move out of their way.
And I have to agree with Protege. I can't see how that would be the light's fault. The "hidden" factor that I'm sure they left out of their studies was how closely the person behind was following. If you're far enough away, then you can stop for even a person slamming on their brakes.

[trunks2k]

I've heard that too. However, I was always told not to follow someone that closely for that very reason. It's not the fault of the driver, the camera, but the idiot who was too close. As if that wasn't enough, if the light's been green a bit, I tend to slow down a little. That way, if the light does change, I don't have to slam on the brakes.

Of course it's not the fault of the camera, but you have to look at things pragmatically. You're not going to stop people from following too close. It's going to happen no matter what. If somebody stops short on a busy highway, there is a very high chance that somebody is too close behind him, resulting in accident, so you try to reduce the reasons a driver would have to stop short. So if your goal is to prevent accidents, why install something that may result in more accidents? The only thing these cameras seem to do is increase revenue through tickets. Which could be a valid reason for installing them, but they shouldn't be saying that it makes intersections safer when that doesn't really seem to be the case.

[wagegoth]

Yeah, I can see that. Makes sense when you think about it. I've been in many "near-misses" where the cause is an OVERLY cautious or paranoid driver.

The last two accidents I was involved in were caused by elderly drivers. I didn't hit them, but, in avoiding one driver who swerved over then slammed on her brakes because she missed her offramp, I hit someone else, and the other one was caused by a driver who froze up and stopped when her lane ended due to construction, and I was rear-ended by a guy who wasn't paying attention.

The worst accident my dad was ever in was due to an elderly driver who simply failed to notice that cars were stopped for construction (despite all the signs and giant equipment) and hit the vehicle behind my dad at about 45 mph, slamming that vehicle into my dad's car. There were absolutely no signs that the driver even attempted to stop.

While I think red light cameras can be good, it will always be the driver who is the issue. And, in most cars, it's safer to be hit from behind than from the side.

[Crosshair]

Where I live, yellow lights are very long and for good reason. When it gets slick in the winter it can be hard to stop. From a safety standpoint it is good because it gives people who are a ways away time to brake safely and people who can't safely stop have plenty of time to clear the intersection.