Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!caip!lll-crg!lll-lcc!well!mo From: mo@well.UUCP (Maurice Weitman) Newsgroups: net.auto,net.cycle Subject: Re: slow cars in left lane Message-ID: <1547@well.UUCP> Date: Fri, 1-Aug-86 15:04:55 EDT Article-I.D.: well.1547 Posted: Fri Aug 1 15:04:55 1986 Date-Received: Sat, 2-Aug-86 09:50:38 EDT References: <345@valid.UUCP> <246@njitcccc.UUCP> <14522@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> Reply-To: mo@well.UUCP (Maurice Weitman) Organization: Whole Earth Lectronic Link, Sausalito CA Lines: 31 Xref: watmath net.auto:12062 net.cycle:1891 In article <2896@sdcrdcf.UUCP> mpinkett@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Mike Pinkett) writes: > >In my opinion, having 5 or more policeman standing in one stationary >spot will not be as effective as having them out on the road. Do you >think that possibly less damage would have been done if a moving >policeman could have spotted the driver before then? They could certainly >cover a lot more ground, and would be out for other useful things like >helping people whose car has stopped before they get mugged, etc. >-- I might be missing something obvious, but it seems to me that the checkpoint, as abhorent as they may be in other respects, has a much better chance of catching a drunk driver than moving patrol cars, in that many more cars will pass the checkpoint than a patrol car will pass in the same interval. As a civil-libertarian, and one whose life was touched by a drunk driver, I'm conflicted about this, and don't have a clear answer on this, but I do generally support the idea of visible vigilance against drunk drivers. I also think that the checkpoints can be done with respect and a minimum of inconvenience to the innocent. -- Quote: "The police aren't here to create disorder, they're here to preserve disorder." Mayor Richard P. Daly, Chicago, 1968 Disclaimer: Any errors in spelling, tact or fact are transmission errors. Maurice Weitman 9600 ..!{dual,hplabs,lll-crg,ptsfa,glacier}!well!mo | 57600 (415)549-0280 voice (415)549-0388 modem-2400 this^is not 300 mcimail mweitman a pipe 110 P. O. Box 10019 Berkeley, CA 94709