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I am naturally suspicious of people that hang air fresheners from their rear view mirrors, but this just ain't right...
'Michigan resident Richard Houghton was driving through Wisconsin, where he was pulled over by a police officer. The reason? He apparently had an air freshener hanging from his rear view mirror, and a GPS unit on his dash, which according to the police officer, were obstructing his view of the road and were thus illegal under state law.'
¶5 We hold that an officer's reasonable suspicion that a
motorist is violating or has violated a traffic law is
sufficient for the officer to initiate a stop of the offending
vehicle. We also adopt the Supreme Court's holding in Heien
that an officer's objectively reasonable mistake of law may form
the basis for a finding of reasonable suspicion.
¶6 In this case, we hold that Wis. Stat. § 346.88 does
not create an absolute prohibition on any object being present
in the front windshield of a vehicle. However, Officer Price's
interpretation that the statute did create such a prohibition
was objectively reasonable. Accordingly, Officer Price had
reasonable suspicion to stop Houghton's vehicle, and it was not
error for the circuit court to deny Houghton's motion to
suppress. For these reasons, we reverse the court of appeals.
I am naturally suspicious of people that hang air fresheners from their rear view mirrors, but this just ain't right...
'Michigan resident Richard Houghton was driving through Wisconsin, where he was pulled over by a police officer. The reason? He apparently had an air freshener hanging from his rear view mirror, and a GPS unit on his dash, which according to the police officer, were obstructing his view of the road and were thus illegal under state law.'
I have a small rosary hanging from mine, and it doesn't obstruct my view of the road one bit. As a matter of fact, I've always been able to see right through the "cluttered" windshield of the driver in front of me.
I have a small rosary hanging from mine, and it doesn't obstruct my view of the road one bit. As a matter of fact, I can see right through the "cluttered" windshield of the driver in front of me.
Give me a break.
Thats because a rosary is narrow enough to not block the vision in both eyes-IE closing one eye or the other lets you see around it. Thats not as true for many of the air freshners.
Not sure if it should be illegal, crap hanging off the rear view mirror is a great way to identify who is going to be a dumbass behind the wheel. People who are actually serious about driving don't hang obstructions or distractions in their field of view.
Not sure if it should be illegal, crap hanging off the rear view mirror is a great way to identify who is going to be a dumbass behind the wheel. People who are actually serious about driving don't hang obstructions or distractions in their field of view.
Actual studies show there is no correlation. (Although I feel like you, the facts are otherwise)
Also its only illegal in certain states.
The original article is more about the fact that someone got pulled over because the cop thought it was illegal in their state (ie innocent error), but subsequently found pot in the vehicle as well. The driver was found guilty of the pot, and innocent of the original cause for being pulled over.
The daily sheeple is whining about the car having impound fees. Which if he was ONLY ticketed for the obstruction of view might be a valid complaint, however I think the whole pot thing might have had more to do with it.
Does no one have an issue with the court saying that being pulled over for only having once license plate when you're from a state that only issues one is legal?
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As a matter of fact, I've always been able to see right through the "cluttered" windshield of the driver in front of me.