Not sure what to make of this proposed legislation, which appeared in today's paper.
[State Senator Abel] Maldonado's bill, SB 889, would direct the state Department of Motor Vehicles to set up a toll-free number and e-mail address to report solo drivers in high-occupancy-vehicle lanes, except for those in qualified hybrid vehicles. California motorists already are encouraged to report drunken drivers by calling 911 on their cellphones.
So motorists will have access to a toll-free number and an e-mail address to report violators in the carpool lane? What an innovative idea. But we'd better hurry up and pass this Senate bill, because Californians are going to be banned from making calls on cell phones behind the wheel as of July 2008.
And if you can't use your cell phone to promptly narc on a solo driver in the carpool lane, what can you do? Text-message the DMV from behind the wheel? No, that'll be illegal, too. Write down the license plate number with pen and paper? No, that's very dangerous.
I guess you could program the toll-free number into speed dial, and use all voice commands so you don't have to press buttons. Seems like a lot of commitment just to rat out my fellow commuters.
Erm ... let's see ... how about, jot the number on your own windshield with a lipstick? Yeah, I think that's do-able. Let's get that 'lipstick provision' added to the bill.
Recent Comments