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In New Jersey a great example of this are the mobile DMV units... extremely small towns with no major highways invite the DMV unit in once a month to setup chec

In New Jersey a great example of this are the mobile DMV units... extremely small towns with no major highways invite the DMV unit in once a month to setup checkpoints to check car inspection stickers on local roads.. which then leads to full blown police stops and tickets for other violations. It's a huge monetary boon for the municipal budget for a town that other wise doesn't have an opportunity to pull cars over. It's all about the money and definitely not about public safety or emissions.

woodruffw 2y ago
Given that a NJ driver from a small town with an suspended license killed three people this past week with his car[1], I think there might be a decent public safety argument to be made here. [1]: https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/05/us/colears-hook-park-nyc-truck-collision/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/05/us/colears-hook-park-nyc-truc...
- calpal 2y ago
  Depends. Like, I could see the argument made that these things get set up less in wealthier, white neighborhoods. Maybe I'm wrong, I'd love to be wrong! I just hate when we make it even more expensive to be poor.
  - woodruffw 2y ago
    > Like, I could see the argument made that these things get set up less in wealthier, white neighborhoods. I agree; there is absolutely selective and biased placement in many municipalities. That's another good reason to put red-light cameras on every light, and to turn traffic violations into a sliding scale based on income, car value, and other factors (like the car's weight, as a good proxy for the damage it can do to pedestrians or other drivers).
- mikeweiss 2y ago
  Umm. What. 1. Mobile DMV units checks to see if your car inspection sticker is expired. It has nothing to do with DUI or DUI prevention. 2. Monmouth Junction is actually not a town but a census designated place in South Brunswick Township, a rather large municipality by NJ standards. 3. What on earth would a DMV inspection do to prevent someone who's license is already suspended from driving? Clearly they don't care and are going to keep driving anyway.
  - woodruffw 2y ago
    I might have misunderstood: I thought these were checkpoints, meaning that you'd have to drive through them and (presumably) present your license. No license while driving should mean having your car impounded on the spot, at the minimum; if NJ doesn't do that, it's a policy failure. There was another article suggesting that this driver was also driving without a mounted plate, which I assume would similarly have been caught. But I take your point for other cases, if they aren't checking licenses.
evanelias 2y ago
On the other hand, New Jersey doesn't have red light cameras anymore; the entire state got rid of them a decade ago. Regarding the emissions checkpoints, I wonder if they still pull over EVs and give them tickets for other violations. Since NJ only does emissions inspections, EVs don't require inspections at all, so maybe it's harder to justify the stop in the first place?

woodruffw 2y ago

Given that a NJ driver from a small town with an suspended license killed three people this past week with his car[1], I think there might be a decent public safety argument to be made here. [1]: https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/05/us/colears-hook-park-nyc-truck-collision/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/05/us/colears-hook-park-nyc-truc...

calpal 2y ago
Depends. Like, I could see the argument made that these things get set up less in wealthier, white neighborhoods. Maybe I'm wrong, I'd love to be wrong! I just hate when we make it even more expensive to be poor.
- woodruffw 2y ago
  > Like, I could see the argument made that these things get set up less in wealthier, white neighborhoods. I agree; there is absolutely selective and biased placement in many municipalities. That's another good reason to put red-light cameras on every light, and to turn traffic violations into a sliding scale based on income, car value, and other factors (like the car's weight, as a good proxy for the damage it can do to pedestrians or other drivers).
mikeweiss 2y ago
Umm. What. 1. Mobile DMV units checks to see if your car inspection sticker is expired. It has nothing to do with DUI or DUI prevention. 2. Monmouth Junction is actually not a town but a census designated place in South Brunswick Township, a rather large municipality by NJ standards. 3. What on earth would a DMV inspection do to prevent someone who's license is already suspended from driving? Clearly they don't care and are going to keep driving anyway.
- woodruffw 2y ago
  I might have misunderstood: I thought these were checkpoints, meaning that you'd have to drive through them and (presumably) present your license. No license while driving should mean having your car impounded on the spot, at the minimum; if NJ doesn't do that, it's a policy failure. There was another article suggesting that this driver was also driving without a mounted plate, which I assume would similarly have been caught. But I take your point for other cases, if they aren't checking licenses.

evanelias 2y ago

On the other hand, New Jersey doesn't have red light cameras anymore; the entire state got rid of them a decade ago. Regarding the emissions checkpoints, I wonder if they still pull over EVs and give them tickets for other violations. Since NJ only does emissions inspections, EVs don't require inspections at all, so maybe it's harder to justify the stop in the first place?