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People standing in the middle of the street talking? Sure you were justified. However, it's doubtful people that dumb are going to get the message to move!
A couple years ago I was heading to the driving range with a friend of mine, who just happens to be a cop. We turn down a street, and it's wide enough for 3 cars. One car was parked on the side of the road, but then there were two cars right next to it, one going one way, and the other car coming the other way. They knew each other and decided to stop right there to chat about something, blocking the whole road (nevermind that there was a side street literally about 30 ft away that they could have been on without blocking the road.)
We came up to them and my friend waits a second for them to see him, and then presumably move. They don't. He taps the horn, they look back at us, then turn away and keep talking. My friend gets out of the car and goes up to them and asks what the problem is. They make some snide comment to him, and my friend apologizes. He then goes back to his trunk, gets his badge and a ticket book, and goes back up to them. He then says he's sorry he's only going to write them a ticket for obstructing traffic, he'd like to do a lot more, and if they don't move NOW he'll impound their cars as well.
A off duty cop cant write tickets or impound cars.
A sworn police officer is always empowered to act as a police officer, within the area of jurisdiction of his enforcement agency, whether or not scheduled to be on duty at that particular time and place. But very few officers will do so when off duty, unless there is a clear and impending public safety issue that requires immediate attention.
A sworn police officer is always empowered to act as a police officer, within the area of jurisdiction of his enforcement agency, whether or not scheduled to be on duty at that particular time and place. But very few officers will do so when off duty, unless there is a clear and impending public safety issue that requires immediate attention.
In every jurisdiction with which I am familiar, an off-duty officer can act to enforce laws.
Steel7 may be correct regarding some jurisdictions, but--without doubt--he is not correct about areas with which I am familiar.
Perhaps Steel7 could tell us about specific areas of the US where off-duty officers are forbidden to write traffic tickets.
I once owned a used car for about six years and at some point donated it. The day the car was supposed to be picked up by the beneficiary, I was checking to see if I had removed all personal items and just happened to press the horn and it didn't make any sound. I snooped around and confirmed that the horn was indeed not functioning. I then called the previous owner of the car and confirmed that the horn wasn't working even when I bought the car. (The seller said the horn has some trouble, but apparently it had worked the day I purchased the car.)
So, I had been driving a car for six years with a broken horn but never realized it, because I had never needed to honk the entire time I drove the car.
A sworn police officer is always empowered to act as a police officer, within the area of jurisdiction of his enforcement agency, whether or not scheduled to be on duty at that particular time and place. But very few officers will do so when off duty, unless there is a clear and impending public safety issue that requires immediate attention.
Bingo.
Just because my friend was off the clock doesn't mean he really gets to stop being a cop. Hell, he still wrote the occasional traffic ticket after he became a detective if he saw something pretty reckless or dangerous.
People in USA never use their car horns! Visit any Asian/African country to see how it's really meant to be used.
South America too... blasting your horn and flashing your brights as you run up on the ass of a slower car in front of you is basically the polite way to let them know you want to pass them.
I think it depends on what kind of street it was. Neighborhood low speed or artery road?
Contrary to what you may believe, streets are not for the sole purpose of driving an automobile at the speed limit. Before the auto, streets were gathering places, a place of interaction, as well as transportation. But now it seems the 2 ton automobile has completely taken over.
I don't support being an ass and standing in the middle of a busy street with traffic coming at you without a good reason, but laying on the horn is a bit much. Tapping it 200 feet away is the better approach. It's not a highway.
I still don't understand how you can go 8 years without using your horn?
Obviously, horn usage is dependent on where you live (good luck quantifying horn usage in NYC) but 8 years without a tap telling someone at a green light to go? Hard to believe
I say this, dont use your horn unless you're ready for the possible consequence of someone doing something to your car or to you. SOme people will snap at the slightest insult and having a horn honked on u will surely **** some people off
I still don't understand how you can go 8 years without using your horn?
Obviously, horn usage is dependent on where you live (good luck quantifying horn usage in NYC) but 8 years without a tap telling someone at a green light to go? Hard to believe
Believe it. Not all parts of the country are horn-honkers. I'm from the northeast but now live in Knoxville where there is an unspoken rule not to use your horn. If there is a car in front of you that does not move on green, most people prefer to just let it go. I've seen many people sit through the green light, only to have it turn back to red, and never touch that horn. Personally, my horn hasn't worked in many years. I'm not sure how long since I don't use it, but playing around one day, I realized it didn't work. And yes, I know that is a safety issue.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jacktravern
I say this, dont use your horn unless you're ready for the possible consequence of someone doing something to your car or to you. SOme people will snap at the slightest insult and having a horn honked on u will surely **** some people off
Very true. Years ago, up in the northeast, a very young lady laid on her horn in response to another driver. It was a rural road. He ran her off the road, walked up to the car and blew her face off.
****
And to the person that said that the OP prevented an accident, I disagree. All he did was tick them off.
As the OP reported:
Quote:
They continued to chat in the street as more cars passed.
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