Ask A Trooper Anything

Crow, please know that my comment about "whining and sniveling" was NOT directed at you, or anyone else who has a legitimate complaint. It was directed to the few folks who came on here with blanket hatred of law enforcement people.

People who choose to come onto an anonymous forum to post hate filled messages about cops, (or any other group actually,) are most likely the same people who believe that kissing a cops hiney is how to get out of a ticket. They come on to you glad-handing and appearing to be very friendly. Sort of remind me of the puppy dog that is so nervous it is pissing all over the place as it wags it's tail in greeting to you.

Shows true intelligence.

Shows an obvious ignorance of the basic and on-going training that is required of all officers, in MOST jurisdictions. Not to mention the psychological testing that is done on a pre-hire basis in most areas.

Oh my, somebody got busted here, and now wants to cry about it.

Another intelligent post. Just how often have you actually taken the time to ASK a civil question. My guess is, that if you have ever tried to get information, instead of asking for it, you have tried to tell them how YOU THINK it should be.

 

i refuse to "yes sir" "no sir" a cop, he is a public servant, not a superior. if they would simply do their jobs, in accordance with the law instead of trying to interpret the law (I believe that is a judge's job) we might get along better
and to answer some of the snide comments, I have not had a speeding ticket since 1997 and that was in a personal vehicle (and I was guilty as sin and paid the ticket without protest) norr have I had any other tickets other than overweights and the company I worked for paid all of those
I do not fancy myself a super trucker and consider this to be just a job, not a lifestyle
the truck I drive is governed at 67 so I am not a high speed truck driver, and I run strictly legal on the comic books
my dislike of leo's is based on my experiances from what I have seen them do

show me a leo that can call me sir and not make it sound like an insult, or that can enforce the law as it is written without me having to pull out a copy of the fmcsa rule book to prove to him that I am in compliance with the law and maybe I will change my tune, I am after all a reasonable man
but when the vast majority of leo's that I have dealt with in the last 14 years have approached me with an attitude that borders on hostility, how would you expect me to react?
I could give you a variety of stories to back up my claims but it would be a waste of my time and yours, and you might have guessed that the majority of problems I have had were in illinios, not just with leo's but pretty much everyone in that state, including truckdrivers

I have not dealt with any leo in several years but if they approach me in a proffessional manner I will deal with them the same way, you will only get as good as you give, but I will not back down if I am right and you will have to prove to me otherwise, I am not going to take your word for it just because you have the badge and gun

which reminds me, why do DOT cops carry guns if their primary job is enforce saftey rules? I can understand having one locked up in the vehicle if needed but if you are stopping me for speeding, why do you release the saftey catch on your holster as you approach my truck, is this wishful thinking on your part or is your life constantly being threatened by truckdrivers?
the same goes for oklahoma corporation commission officers, these guys are not dept of public saftey, they are tax collectors, so why do they carry guns?

 

WOW! No one ever said I was superior to them. Last time I checked I was doing my job. My guess is you weren't doing yours, as you have obviously had your rear end handed to you by someone. Last time I checked I did have to intrepret the law, not all of them but some. Regardless if it's a DUI, a drug arrest, trespassing or speeding ticket I INTREPRET THE LAW! The judge is the ruling party in the process. The JUDGE decides if you are guilty or not guilty. I take it you haven't heard the latter too often? Again, I will repeat it NOT GUILTY. No on to your other rants. Big Don hit the nail on the head in my opinion!

Well I know you haven't met me yet partner. I treat the ones I meet with respect until they prove that they are a complete and utter jack_ _ _. I don't know who you have been stopped by and what experience or expertise they have. But I love your type, the type that knows all, and no one can tell them anything. Not saying that is you, but the ones I have dealt with over the years that pull the regulation book out and say "Not huh, look here." are the best truck stop lawyers I have ever met. P.S. I would love to stop you and play "Brainteaser" with the FMCSA Rules and Regs.

Well you have already wasted enough time. You could be reading more rules and regulations so you are brushed up on them for your defense. Sounds like Illinios rip you a new one.

Hey, believe it or not, we are all not DOT cops. Yes I am assigned to a commercial vehicle unit, but I still stop cars, I still respond to houses like yours, I still handle burglaries, robberies, assaults and anything else.

 

If i could ask a d.o.t cop or any other cop a question it would be...whats up with the unconstitutional seatbelt ticket? Im not saying its a bad idea to wear it,im just saying putting a fine on not wearing it seems like an underhanded excuse to generate revenue.got one in salina,ks....failure to wear seat belt to manufacturer specs,i was wearing the lap strap,but i had the shoulder strap tucked behind me...needless to say,state of kansas got the other half of my pay check...the half the exwife left.also is it safe to say that during these tough economic times drivers may be more likely to recv tickets to help sustain the local economy?kind of seems that way,im just lucky to have a legal plan...helps keep the flys off

 

I can show you plenty of pictures if you like. I've reconstructed quite a few fatal collisions over the years. The way you were wearing it, if you had a collision, would have done any number of things to you, killed you, broke your back, or paralyzed you. There was a reason the manufacturers went away from the "Lap Belt" and went to the shoulder harness and lap belt. Just like there was a reson they went to the addition of airbags, front and side. Had one recently were a trucker wasn't wearing a belt, even though I had wrote him 4 citations in a two year period for it. He rolled the truck on the driver's side, was partially ejected out of the driver's window and the top of the door squeezed the you know what out of his head. Imagine a watermelon thrown on the road. The last time I stopped him, I remember his comment. "Trooper, I ain't never wearing this thing. So I guess we'll meet every few months when you see me and do this again." Well not on this side I guess.

 

With all due respect, DB, you still didn't answer his question.

He admitted to knowing and understanding the safety aspect of the law, but the question lied in the understanding of why it is a law. That may be out of your realm of expertise, but I'm curious what your thoughts are.

 

Why is it a law? I don't know the origins of this law. My guess, and it is only a guess, is that the legislators enacted a law to perserve human life. Seatbelts will save lives. I flipped my pickup when I was 19 and had it not been for the belt I would have been hurt badly. I walked away. I seen hundreds upon hundreds of wrecks they save you majority of the time. There have been instances where I have seen people die in a collision and they were wearing their belts. The thing to remember here is, there is no way possible they would have survived the wreck in the first place. For example when you have a tractor trailer hit a passenger car head-on at 55 mph plus odds are front seat passengers are dead, back seat passengers are probably at best in critical condition. Seatbelts will prevent you from being thrown from the vehicle in a collision, keep you in your seat in a rollover condition. Think about this, if seatbelts are so bad for you, why does NASCAR use them. Look at the wrecks they have, and majority of the time they walk away. Dale Sr's wreck, was like the one I explained earlier, there was no possible way to avoid death. All the stars were alligned and when you hit a hard object at that speed you can't control what forces are exhibited on a body. When there is a collsion there are three collisions. You have 1) the initial collision, vehicle vs. vehicle, vehicle vs, tree etc, 2) For a unbuckled driver, the unbuckled driver is still travelling at the speed he was prior to impact.. Let's say 65 mph. Driver is inside of car that was driving 65 mph, now vehicle has suddenly stopped and driver is thrown forward at 65 mph into the vehicles dash, steering column or windshield. 3) is the internal collision of the driver's organs slamming into the rib cage, brain slamming inside the cranium. That is what killed Dale Sr, his brain slammed into his skull so hard that it created a skull fracture. This is what happens when you hear a paramedic/EMT say they bleed out. You can have the aeorta rip and no matter what you do for the person, they are going to die, period. This is what happens when you see the jaws of cutting someone out of the wreckage. The driver is conscious and alert, talkative during this time. As soon as the pressure of the vehicle is off of them, they are dead within 10 minutes or so. They drowm on their own blood and you can't stop it.

 

Easy now.

I have been to accidents and found the occupants in seat belts and they are not alive. The accident did not warrant the death. Would they have survived without the belts, who knows.

I have been to accidents where they have been thrown out of the vehicle and the driving compartment completely crushed. Would they have lived if they were in the seatbelt? Again who knows.

I wear the seat belt. The reason is because one time I took it off to do something whiile on the highway and forgot to hook back up. Topped a hill and a farmer pulled out of the field. I was going 55 mph and nailed him. Hit the windshield.

Now it is my choice to wear it whether the law says to or not.

 

jeez,wasnt looking for a screenplay to a horror movie,like i said i wear it just wondering why you get fined for not?i cant say for sure but i believe it was started up in taxachuesettes,and when all these other states saw the $$ it brought in they wet thier pants and adopted it themselves gotta love them shrewd kennedys,in all fairness i totally agree with the no hand held cell phone thing,cuz by holding the cell phone your endangering other people....the seatbelt thing is more personal choice..thanks for reply

 

On this one I have to agree. When you have to daily sit there for 10 hours or so, it's a pain to be restricted in your ability to reposition yourself now and then, promoting circulation. In a governed truck, driven professionally, the chances of accidents are reduced to the rare surprise coming at you, so I feel it should be a choice. Nonetheless, I put mine on in fast moving city traffic, where chances increase.
Once an accident is occurring, how does my seatbelt do the other guy any good? It's like bike helmets; it's MY cabeza in the offing, not yours.