Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2011 13:26:25 -0500
Reply-To: "Dominic Provini Jr." <dprovinijr@HA-PA.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "Dominic Provini Jr." <dprovinijr@HA-PA.COM>
Subject: Re: VW Van Profiling
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
I remember getting pulled over just for having a grateful dead
sticker(s) on my 73 westy, and a few passengers with wild staring
eyes..lol
Dom
85 westy
Pennsylvania
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
Of Jonathan Poole
Sent: Friday, January 07, 2011 1:03 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: VW Van Profiling
I'm surprised that you can even drive around at all Brady!
I asked the policeman today if I should put my drivers license number on
the
back of my van so that in the future they could start running my
information
sooner so that the process could go more quickly (maybe I was being a
bit of
a smartass).. Maybe we could get permanent approval to drive un-impeded
after being pulled over a certain number of times. A bit like the
special,
pre-screened status some people want to get so that they can pass
through
airport security more quickly.
Also, I probably shouldn't conform (Brady is an inspiration in that
regard)
but after getting pulled over a few times and thinking about the
implications on how our society works I decided (over time) that the
path of
least resistance while navigating the highways and life would be to
maintain
a clean cut look. It's dull and not creative but I don't care too much
about my appearance either way so it isn't a big deal for the most part.
If
my van could be cloaked to look like a toyota camry or similar I'd go
for
that too.
Jonathan
On Fri, Jan 7, 2011 at 12:47 PM, Michael Sullivan
<sandwichhead@gmail.com>wrote:
> I understand the frustration, believe me....but don't change yourself
to
> conform(unless you are doing it for other reasons). You can be driven
> around in a Bentley and be Bernie Madoff(collar and short hair) or
> Montel(busted in airport with paraphernalia-no hair) or yourself and
demand
> equal treatment(with whatever costume you happen to like). Just be
safe and
> smart and have insurnace and tell them to kiss your rear.
> Stand Up! Rasta!
> BTW-Keeping the van in good shape is just good bidness. :-)
> Glad you got through w/o a ticket. I got a ticket for $12.00 for my
front
> plate falling off and had to go to court 3 times(still had to pay).
Even
> the Sherriff was on my side. Go figure.
> Michael in San Antonio
> 91GL Weekender AT 2.1L 'Gringo'
>
>
>
> On Fri, Jan 7, 2011 at 11:16 AM, Jonathan Poole
<jfpoolio@gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> Warning: Long email/rant following....
>>
>> It's happened again, the experience that starts as no surprise and
then
>> becomes frustrating as I wait to get my drivers license back. By the
time
>> the cop is back to my van to apologize for the inconvenience I'm a
mixture
>> of understanding, pissed, and frustrated. Today the cop confessed
the the
>> vehicle that I drive is a big part of why he tail-gated me for a few
miles
>> and then pulled me over. "It had a lot to do with it" was his answer
when
>> I
>> asked if my vehicle was why I got special attention from him today.
>>
>> A few ways that I've modified my behavior at least partially because
of
>> this
>> re-currance:
>> - Wearing a collared shirt, which I have done exclusively for years
now.
>> - Keeping my hair short, which I started doing after picking up 3
seat
>> belt
>> violations in a short period, I know I should always wear my seatbelt
but
>> the second and third were in situations where I still would likely
neglect
>> to do so (parking lot hopping essentially))
>> -Keeping my van in great condition (recently waxed, was washed
yesterday,
>> shiny/clean/straight etc.)
>> -Keeping all registration/insurance current, my record clean, getting
no
>> tickets (except for the seatbelt violations) etc.
>>
>> None of these appear to have made the difference. I did notice an
>> improvement in how things go after getting rid of long hair and
moving to
>> collared shirts only. They may still pull me over but I haven't
gotten a
>> ticket of any type since making these changes.
>>
>> I've been driving VW vans almost exclusively since the early/mid 90's
and
>> none of this started until 5 or 6 years ago with my Vanagon Westies.
In
>> my
>> younger years, while driving smoking/rattling/leaking bays and splits
>> there
>> may have been a few laws broken, or at least bent, and I didn't worry
>> about
>> the appearance of my van or myself yet I don't recall being pulled
over
>> and
>> know that I didn't get any tickets. There were a few road-block
close
>> calls
>> but they all worked out fine (miraculously). One funny one included
my van
>> overheating and dying in a cloud of smoke while I was in a
late-night,
>> party
>> targeting, road-block. My van wouldn't restart and we had been
cleared to
>> go so everyone stumbled out of the van to push us off the road. I
wasn't
>> intoxicated but when my friends stumbled out of the back of the Westy
to
>> push one of them fell over and had to be helped back into the van.
It was
>> an odd scene, pushing my smoking van off the highway amid the
flashing
>> lights and then sobering up as the van cooled and we watched lots of
our
>> friends go through the road-block with some being ticketed etc.
>>
>> Does anyone else get extra attention from the police? I'm doubting
that
>> I'm
>> the only one but it could be the part of the country that I spend
most of
>> my
>> time in? Most or all of these incidents where I've been pulled over
for
>> little/nothing have occurred in North Carolina or Tennessee as I
recall.
>> I
>> rarely see VW vans on the road in this area so maybe it is a factor
of my
>> standing out more coupled with a vigilant police force? I'm actually
glad
>> to know (with confidence) that they are out there keeping an eye on
things
>> (VW vans at least, ha ha). My biggest complaint is how long it takes
for
>> them to run my background check (or whatever they do back there while
I
>> wait). Maybe technology will improve and this will become a faster
>> process
>> in the future. For the record North Carolina and Tennessee are good
>> states
>> and good places to spend time. The cops are usually friendly as they
>> interrupt my travels and I don't ever worry about needing to pay
bribes or
>> other things that may happen in other parts of the world.
>>
>> O.K.,, thanks for the list therapy. I started typing this a few
minutes
>> after being pulled over and am no longer pissed or frustrated. I'm
glad
>> it
>> was a Friday and I could share this with the list and move on (until
it
>> happens again).
>>
>> Jonathan Poole
>> '83 AC Westy
>>
>
>
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