USA vehicle modification rules - (BRZ)

[why?]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

I have spent multiple weeks in California. I live in Florida and have driven fairly extensively throughout the state. Houston has them all beat for assholes.

Here's a typical Saturday afternoon drive in Houston. This was an argument over merging.

When local news called the police after this went viral to see if there had been any arrests, they had no idea because nobody had reported it.

I just don't get why anyone would ever get out of their vehicle. Just totally insane.

[Grady]

Originally Posted by why?

I just don't get why anyone would ever get out of their vehicle. Just totally insane.

I know, and in Texas you car is considered your eminent domain. You would have to be stupid to walk up to a car during a road rage incident.

[bababooey]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

I have spent multiple weeks in California. I live in Florida and have driven fairly extensively throughout the state. Houston has them all beat for assholes.

Here's a typical Saturday afternoon drive in Houston. This was an argument over merging.

When local news called the police after this went viral to see if there had been any arrests, they had no idea because nobody had reported it.

dahaha, ive seen a group of dudes jumping a dude 4v1 on the side of i45 outside of the woodlands. similar thing on i10 in baytown but it was a 1v1.


fun times, we got bored talking about the gray area of modification & rolled into dummies fightin

[Tristor]

Yeah, I don't even understand how that stuff goes down in Houston. I blame it on the heat and humidity making everyone mean, the fumes from the refineries making everyone stupid, and the fact it's almost not "real Texas" making people think there won't be any consequences for starting a road rage incident on someone. Here in SA, that's a good way to get shot. Castle doctrine covers your vehicle, and this is military city USA, almost everyone is packing and trained. Consequently we see very very little road rage actually happen in SA, just a lot of people who don't know what a yield sign is or how to use a 4-way stop, or texting and driving.

[pcguru2000]

Originally Posted by Tristor

Castle doctrine covers your vehicle, and this is military city USA, almost everyone is packing and trained. Consequently we see very very little road rage actually happen in SA, just a lot of people who don't know what a yield sign is or how to use a 4-way stop, or texting and driving.

OMG, can we borrow the castle doctrine from you guys? It would be entertaining to see a biker donkeykong a side mirror and that driver that just got assaulted shooting them in the back for it! All of this recorded on my dashcam for youtube!

That might actually cure lane splitting and other shenanigans. Do you guys have the same issues with the bikers?

Originally Posted by why?

I just don't get why anyone would ever get out of their vehicle. Just totally insane.

On the biker forums, they are proud to confront the "cagers". They brag that they are covered in head to toe with body armor and short of someone pulling a gun on them, they can pretty much beat your @ss with impunity and put it on youtube!

[yurikaze]

Originally Posted by pcguru2000

In Cali if you show your turn signal more than 1 second before you change lanes, people will block you. It's sad.

I believe part of this is due to all the oblivious people who roll along with their signal on, not changing lanes. If a SoCal driver didn’t actually see you put on your signal, they assume you either don’t know it’s on, or you’re not assertive enough to take a lane and will hold them up.

[Tristor]

Originally Posted by pcguru2000

OMG, can we borrow the castle doctrine from you guys? It would be entertaining to see a biker donkeykong a side mirror and that driver that just got assaulted shooting them in the back for it! All of this recorded on my dashcam for youtube!

That might actually cure lane splitting and other shenanigans. Do you guys have the same issues with the bikers?

That's not really how Castle Doctrine works. As a matter of legal principle it defines your "castle" which is an area of property that defines a line over which if an invader crosses you have a legal right to defend yourself and that property. It's based on the idea that in certain scenarios an invasion or violation of your property implies a direct threat to your own life. You can only ever take a violent action in defense of life or limb in the state of Texas, Castle Doctrine expands that to situations where someone invades your home or vehicle. Kicking your car as they pass by doesn't count, and you can never shoot someone in the back legally.


For the record I get you were joking, I just wanted to clarify since the thread started with Europeans asking about legal matters in the US. My company has many employees in Europe and before they visit our offices here in Texas they already think we live in the Wild West and it's blood in the streets. I've had to put a lot of effort in to help convert people by taking them to the range and showing them that it's actually fun to shoot guns and that the cities here are basically equally as safe as European cities (which I can say with some authority since I lived part of my life in Europe and traveled it extensively).

On the biker forums, they are proud to confront the "cagers". They brag that they are covered in head to toe with body armor and short of someone pulling a gun on them, they can pretty much beat your @ss with impunity and put it on youtube!

Yeah, it's a very different story here. Most people on motorcycles are dudes who just got out of basic rolling around shirtless or in a t-shirt on squid bikes or fat old white men on Harleys. Anyone who thinks that they can just start a road rage fight with impunity here will definitely be in for a surprise. You never know what people will do. I saw a video from Dallas I think where some dude in full gear on a sport bike tried to throw down with some good ole boy in a truck, and the truck dude grabbed a wrench from his toolbox and hit the biker in the head hard enough to crack his helmet and put him down.


It's just dumb to road rage on every level, but yeah I would have zero qualms about ending someone's life if they attack me using their vehicle as a deadly weapon, or any equipment they happen to be wearing. I've seen bikers swing helmets for example in fist fights. That would not fly here...

[pcguru2000]

Originally Posted by Tristor

For the record I get you were joking, I just wanted to clarify since the thread started with Europeans asking about legal matters in the US. My company has many employees in Europe and before they visit our offices her in Texas they already think we live in the Wild West and it's blood in the streets.
It's just dumb to road rage on every level, but yeah I would have zero qualms about ending someone's life if they attack me using their vehicle as a deadly weapon, or any equipment they happen to be wearing. I've seen bikers swing helmets for example in fist fights. That would not fly here...

OMG, I was totally joking but forgot to mention I was joking. Thanks for mentioning! Sometimes I forget how the rest of the world views us.

[why?]

Originally Posted by pcguru2000

OMG, can we borrow the castle doctrine from you guys? It would be entertaining to see a biker donkeykong a side mirror and that driver that just got assaulted shooting them in the back for it! All of this recorded on my dashcam for youtube!

That might actually cure lane splitting and other shenanigans. Do you guys have the same issues with the bikers?


On the biker forums, they are proud to confront the "cagers". They brag that they are covered in head to toe with body armor and short of someone pulling a gun on them, they can pretty much beat your @ss with impunity and put it on youtube!

those bikers are dumb. I have a 3000 lb weapon and will joyfully run them down if they mean me harm. Repeatedly if that is what needs to happen to get the point across.

Originally Posted by Grady

I know, and in Texas you car is considered your eminent domain. You would have to be stupid to walk up to a car during a road rage incident.

totally. But if some idiot is out of the car just drive around them. Not that hard.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by why?

But if some idiot is out of the car just drive around them. Not that hard.

Unless you're stopped in traffic and have nowhere to go.

I have actually been assaulted in my car while stuck at a light behind other traffic with no escape route except into oncoming traffic. It's easy to fantasize about what you'd do in that situation. It's a lot different when fight or flight kicks in and you don't have the luxury of watching a video of it over and over analyzing what you'd do in that situation.

[Satanasso]

after several years of being lucky, i was f***ed the saturday before...



i got a fine (300€ , if you pay it after 5 days it becomes 430€..), and my vehicle registration document has been impounded...
now i have to go to Motor Bureau to book an appointment to extraordinary testing revision in which they should check the violations written in the fine text ( not road legal exhaust, not road legal wing, sunstrip too big )...

Now my pain is to understand if i have to put ALL components stock (all arms on rear , coilovers, wheels) or i can just fix the 3 ones they complained to me...

I was just unlucky to meet the wrong officer, that shouted on me how dangerous is to drive a car like this on normal road (just complaining that insurance will not cover me in case of accident, and this is not true for all cases), and other bad things that made me feel like a criminal (i was driving in the city center slowly but my exhaust was very loud)...

I was pulled over few times before that and every time they only told me to be quiet on roads and to behave... but they never complained about car modifications...

I don't think my car is dangerous on normal road and i would like to do something about that in Italy... i'm feeling tired on being so nervous every time i take my BRZ out...

[maslin]

Loud exhaust, giant sticker on the windshield, and a giant wing. Yeah, you got pulled over.

5% tint all around and you'll have all the bases covered.

[Lynxis]

I should talk a bit about how laws are written and enforced where I live. Basically, they are written very vaguely such that tickets for modifications are pretty much entirely up to the discretion of the officer.

Historically, it was more a matter of what you weren't allowed to do. You were typically left alone unless your car smelled catless or was particularly noisy or contacted the ground/other parts of itself, dark tints, non-DOT tires or had illegal coloured lights. I knew guys with fully gutted/caged track cars with harnesses and big aero packages that were pulled over for speeding and not a word was said about the rest of the car.

The only regular inspections are safety inspection which only happens when the vehicle changes owners, and emissions testing every 2 years after a vehicle is 7 years old or more although they are ending this as of April.

Now, they are starting up spot check stations on main arteries of major cities and highways every few months and pull in anyone they think looks unsafe or modified. There was a major blitz in my city last fall and they took plates from anyone they thought might be modified or unsafe which means your car must pass a safety inspection and provide proof of insurance before you can get new plates.

Last year, a member in my local car group had *just* bought his brand new, bone stock 2018 WRX STi and it was pulled in and had his plates taken, because the vehicle was too new, the MTO officer who inspected it said it looked modified.

At least they are just pulling license plates instead of charging with crimes I guess.

[new2subaru]

Originally Posted by Lynxis

I should talk a bit about how laws are written and enforced where I live. Basically, they are written very vaguely such that tickets for modifications are pretty much entirely up to the discretion of the officer.

Historically, it was more a matter of what you weren't allowed to do. You were typically left alone unless your car smelled catless or was particularly noisy or contacted the ground/other parts of itself, dark tints, non-DOT tires or had illegal coloured lights. I knew guys with fully gutted/caged track cars with harnesses and big aero packages that were pulled over for speeding and not a word was said about the rest of the car.

The only regular inspections are safety inspection which only happens when the vehicle changes owners, and emissions testing every 2 years after a vehicle is 7 years old or more although they are ending this as of April.

Now, they are starting up spot check stations on main arteries of major cities and highways every few months and pull in anyone they think looks unsafe or modified. There was a major blitz in my city last fall and they took plates from anyone they thought might be modified or unsafe which means your car must pass a safety inspection and provide proof of insurance before you can get new plates.

Last year, a member in my local car group had *just* bought his brand new, bone stock 2018 WRX STi and it was pulled in and had his plates taken, because the vehicle was too new, the MTO officer who inspected it said it looked modified.

At least they are just pulling license plates instead of charging with crimes I guess.

Mississauga?