Men and women drivers were watched and graded on seven different parking styles. Footage showed that women took more time to find a favorable parking space while men took the first convenient space found. Women also more often noticed drivers about to vacate their spaces to get a better spot.

Although women took much more time parking, 53% were more accurate at centering their car over 25% of men. Women were also observed driving at more appropriate speeds and more often found backing into their parking space than men.

Men also displayed a bizarre showing off behavior when they had a female in the car by choosing a smaller space to squeeze their car into.

Oddly more women were found to fail the parking portion of their driving exam and when polled believed that they were not as good as men at parking their cars.

Have you been charged with speeding, suspended license, reckless driving, drunk driving DUI / DWI, or other serious driving offense in Arlington, Virginia? Contact the Parrish Law Firm for a free evaluation of your traffic case. Click here for your free copy of our guide Faced with Reckless Driving and don’t know what to do? for helpful tips on how to handle your reckless driving charge.

Sources:

• WTOP – Women are better at parking than men, study finds
• Independent – Sorry, chaps, women are better parkers
• AOL Autos – Women Are Better Parkers, Study Shows
  While they may take longer to park, they’re more accurate than men

*v

Tailgates are being stolen not only in metropolitan areas but also in suburban neighborhoods and even at events such as a college football game where many trucks are available at one time.

Once of the craziest stories we came across while looking into this topic is that a man that had his tailgate stolen saw it posted on Craigslist and helped local police catch the thief.

There are some ways you can reduce your chance of your tailgate being swiped.

If the tailgate can be open, it can be taken. With this in mind, you should back up tightly against a wall or other object that will not allow your tailgate to open when you park.

There are a number of tailgate anti-theft devices on the market. A quick search for “tailgate lock” on Amazon.com yielded 641 results so you should be able to find one to work for you.

This may be going to an extreme but the last thing you can do to make it harder for thieves to unload it after they steal it is to have your vehicle’s VIN number engraved on it to make it traceable.

If you have been charged with speeding, reckless driving or drunk driving DUI / DWI in Stafford, Virginia, contact the Parrish Law Firm for a free evaluation of your traffic case. Click here for your free copy of our guide Faced with Reckless Driving and don’t know what to do? for helpful tips on how to handle your reckless driving charge.

Sources:

• AOL Autos – You’ll Never Guess What Thieves Are After Now
• CBS – A New Trend In Crime: Tailgate Thefts
• USA Today – Steal hubcaps? Now thieves rip off tailgates

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The ACLU is pushing this issue citing that the Michigan State Police may be violating Fourth Amendment protection against unlawful searches during traffic stops and just wants to confirm that the Michigan State Police are not using the data extraction device without the driver’s consent, reasonable cause or proper search warrants.

They don’t say anything about their past behavior. It’s a carefully crafted statement.
- Kary Moss, executive director of the ACLU of Michigan

Since 2008, the ACLU has been trying to get information to no avail from the Michigan State Police MSP through the Freedom of Information Act (FIOA) on how they are using the data extraction devices, one known to be manufactured by CelleBrite, that can quickly copy and download data from a driver’s cellphone to include contacts, call history, photographs, videos, and text messages without the driver being aware. But Michigan State Police are sending a bill to the ACLU for $544,680 to release the records in response to the request for actual use reports and logs.

We should not have to go on expensive fishing expeditions in order to discover whether police are violating the rights of residents they have resolved to protect and serve. Transparency and government accountability are the bedrocks of our democracy.
- Mark P. Fancher
ALCU of Michigan Racial Justice Project staff attorney

Contact the Parrish Law Firm if you have been issued a traffic ticket for offenses such as speeding, reckless driving, DUI or DWI, or driving on a suspended license. Please download for FREE our DUI/DWI Special Report.

Related Articles:

• ACLU Seeks Records about State Police Searches of Cellphones
• CNET – Michigan police refute claims of data-collection wrongdoing
• MSNBC – Michigan police and ACLU in flap over cell phone downloads
• ABC News – Michigan Police Use Device to Download Cellphone Data; ACLU Objects

Photo via PassiveAggressiveNotes

PassiveAggressiveNotes.

Not so much.

Take the case of Anthony Graber, for example. When Maryland State Troopers pulled him over in March of 2008, he admitted to speeding while riding his motorcycle on I-95.

Officer Joseph Uhler pulled him over when Graber sped past his unmarked car, claiming he was traveling 100 mph. Uhler did not have a radar gun. Graber was pulling off the exit ramp, when Uhler cut him off with his car, and hopped out with his gun drawn.

Uhler never mentioned a gun in his report, but he did note that he saw a “strange looking object on the operator’s helmet, which he later realized to be a video camera.”

That video camera was recording the incident—speeding (which Graber fully admits to), and at one point in the video, Graber turns back, showing Uhler’s unmarked car, without lights on. The video shows Uhler getting out of the car with his gun drawn, waiting several seconds to identify himself as an officer.

In the end, Graber wasn’t hurt, and took his citation for traveling 80 mph in a 65 mph zone. So what’s the problem?

Aside from the behavior of Officer Uhler, Youtube. After realizing the camera on his helmet had recorded the entire altercation, Graber posted the video online.

Ten days later, Uhler discovered the video. He issued an arrest warrant against Graber, as Uhler was not informed of the recording (“violation of criminal law 10-402(b)”). Uhler also added Reckless Driving and Negligent Driving charges.

Graber was residing with his parents when six police officers searched his home in the morning. He was not arrested, as he was recovering from gallbladder surgery, however police seized family computers and told Graber to turn himself in as soon as possible.

Graber spent 26 hours in jail, and was released upon his own recognizance, facing charges of violating wiretapping laws.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, there must be a reasonable expectation of privacy in order for the violation to be held valid.

There were other people on the Interstate exit ramp. While Uhler appears to be in plainclothes and driving an unmarked car, exactly how much privacy was he in expecting in broad daylight?

While the American Civil Liberties Union and the Maryland Attorney General’s office have stated charges against Graber would not stand, Hartford County State’s Attorney Joseph Cassilly made the following statement in a magazine interview:

“The officer having his gun drawn on or being on a public roadway has nothing to do with it. Neither does the fact that what Mr. Graber said during the stop could be used in court. That’s not the test. The test is whether police officers can expect some of the conversations they have while on the job to remain private and not be recorded and replayed for the world to hear.”

Both sides bring up some interesting points. Whatever the result of this trial, it will certainly set an interesting precedent for privacy and wiretapping laws, as well as police behavior.

Whatley claims that he initially thought the officers were escorting him home during the pursuit, and only pulled aside when he thought something may be wrong. The police claim Whatley struck an officer as he left the initial scene (which he denies).

Still, it’s hard not to make a snap judgment based on the video from the police dashboard above.

If there’s one thing to take from this, it’s to always be on your best behavior when pulled over.

If you are in doubt, be sure to (politely) take note of the officer’s name and badge information. Then, don’t make a scene. Accept your ticket, then seek an experienced attorney. Arguing with the officer at the scene will most likely just result in more charges. If you or someone you know has received a ticket for a criminal traffic offense in Virginia, contact the Parrish Law Firm for a free initial consultation.

Full results will be published in the August 2010 journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

The study used 1,253 college freshman at a large mid-Atlantic school. They were interviewed annually for four years, with a 88-91% followup rate.

Three alcohol-related risk behaviors were studied: riding with a driver who was under the influence of alcohol (RWID), driving after drinking any alcohol (DAD), and driving while intoxicated (DWI).

While results showed that rates of risky behavior were high, they also showed a distinct increase when students hit the legal drinking age of 21.

The study results come in the wake of new legislation making penalties for underage drinking much tougher.

If you or someone you know have been charged with a DWI or DUI in Virginia, make no mistake: this is a very serious charge. Contact the Parrish Law Firm for a free case evaluation.

Police reported that the effort resulted in 1,141 total summonses/arrests for both states.

Nine drivers were cited for reckless driving, and 68 speeding tickets were issued.

684 of those violating HOV regulations were first-time offenders. 25 were second-time offenders, 3 third-timers, and one fourth (we don’t even want to know how much his ticket is).

If you have been charged with reckless driving, or another serious traffic charge, be sure to consider the ramifications this arrest could have on your insurance, license, and future. Contact the Parrish Law Firm today for a free initial consultation.

Just because you’re driving on the water instead of pavement doesn’t mean the rules are any more lax. In fact, Virginia is stepping up its efforts to enforce Operating Under the Influence laws with Operation Dry Water.

Police officers with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries will be patrolling the waters looking for boat operators with a BAC of .08 or above. As always, there is a zero-tolerance policy for anyone under 21 years of age. Virginia looks at Boating While Intoxicated or Operating Under the Influence much the same way it looks at Driving Under the Influence. If charged, you will be arrested, and Virginia’s waterways have Implied Consent just as the roadways do—you are still subject to field and chemical sobriety tests.

And, as always, operator licensing applies. Check the Department of Game & Inland Fisheries website for more information.

The quick and dirty answer is a resounding YES. You can always hope for a bureaucratic error, or some kind of technical problem in the database sharing, but it sure isn’t likely.

When it comes to drivers licensing, there are three main databases that track your info: the National Driver Register, the Driver License Compact, and the Non-Resident Violator Compact. There is also the Driver License Agreement, but we’ll get to that in a minute.

Start with the basics.

The National Driver Register
The NDR was created about 10 years ago, and is what most people are thinking of when they hear something along the lines of “national dmv database.”

While it’s true that licensing is something that’s left up to each individual state (and thus each state will have vastly different laws), every state and the District of Columbia submits any information to the NDR, and are in turn required to check a person’s info through the NDR before granting a license.

Suppose, for example. you hold a Virginia license which is up for renewal. The Virginia department of transportation will most likely check the NDR three months before you are up for renewal. If they find any sort of violation that needs to be attended to (say you got a DUI or ticket while on vacation in another state) they will notify you. Then, you would need to resolve the issue before you could renew your Virginia license.

While only certain groups can access your NDR records (which consist of your name, gender, DOB, license number, and state of offense—note this does not include the type of offense), you have every right to request a copy of your file by contacting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at 202-366-4800.

The Driver License Compact and the Non-Resident Violator Compact
These agreements between states are the reason tickets actually follow you. The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administration came up with these compacts to regulate offenses nationwide. Of course, licensing is still a states’ right—think of these as treaties that most states have opted into.

While the NDR simply notifies a state that you have a violation elsewhere, the DLC basically equivocates violations across states.

Back to the Virginia-Florida example. If you received a speeding ticket while on vacation in Florida, Virginia will actually be able to assess points to your Virginia license. If your Florida violation was enough to suspend your license there, Virginia would suspend your license (provided the offense would be worthy of suspension if committed in Virginia).

The DLC is a lot more intensive than either the NDR or the NRVC. While the NRVC works the same way, your home state doesn’t issue penalties and points on your license.

So who opts in? Well, all are in the NDR, and most of the states have opted into the DLC and NVRC. Michigan, Georgia, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Massachusetts are not members of the DLC. Wisconsin, California, Michigan, Montana, Oregon and Alaska are not members of the NVRC.

And of course, how states record information and the severity they treat it with is subjective.

The Driver License Agreement
Oh yeah, that one. The DLA was drafted in 2004 (full text available here) to close some of the loopholes of the prior two compacts. Any state that agrees to the DLA is saying that DLA regulations supersede state laws.

Suppose you were cited in another state for reckless driving, but your state doesn’t have such violation. Under the DLA, your home state would be required to find a comparable citation to issue you. The DLA would also require states to make information such as the nature of the offense and your Social Security number available to member AND non-member states.

The AAMVA is working to get the DLA passed in all US states, as well as internationally. So while your out-of-state ticket may have been lost in the system before, you need to be far more careful in the future.

Facing a reckless driving charge and aren’t sure what to do? Before you hire an attorney or otherwise attempt to resolve the charge, please request a copy of our FREE special report on Reckless Driving.