Funny listen to the party line. This is a decoy. You come up from behind, driving normal, because it’s just a taxi. You pass it, going 10 over the 50mph limit. You get pulled over because it’s a cop in yellow pants. You get to pay the speed tax and the cop ticks one off on his “totally-not-a-quota-for realsies-you-guys.”
I wonder how often this is used to catch dangerous, reckless drivers vs. how often it’s used to fuck over people who are late for work and going 5 mph over the limit.
Idk would you rather they spend the money on military-grade swat equipment? Lots to pick at here but overall an example of outreach instead of enforcement, which is a win in my book.
It’s not sunk cost outside of the wrap. If it’s not a successful campaign the only thing lost is the 1500 bucks. If it’s successful then $60,000 is nothing compared to a human life.
The car is taken out of the fleet. Used as a reminder to take a cab. I would include the cost of the cruiser because if the campaign doesn’t work the vehicle just goes back to the fleet, no harm done.
That’s about a $55,000 vehicle. Also, how is it going to save a life? Do you think someone is going to look at that car and then think back to that when they’re drunk and remember seeing a half police car half cab and decide not to drive?
Not to mention but they’re basically putting advertising for a corporation on the police cars. Yellow Cab is a specific company, not just a general reference to taxi cabs.
That would be even worse. There’s so many problems with letting corporations sponsor police that I’d be here all day if I intended to type them all out.
The cab company probably paid for the entire vehicle and then "donated it" to the department like that. I'm guessing there's several more like this and that they made a deal with the police to be the preferred referral if the cops call a ride for someone.
I think you could be on to something even given the official explanation from other comments (that it’s just for events, with the tag line of ‘choose your ride’) - I do find it interesting that it has the branding and contact info of one specific cab company…
Some car dealerships by me do this and "donate" police vehicles. You get the company branding, but (at least here) you can also gussy it up with extra boot licking nonsense. A municipality can't necessarily put a huge thin blue line paint job on an interceptor, but if it's a gift then can they really complain? Same with religious shit. Those same cruisers here have "one nation under god" on them as well. So you get a free christofascist oppression-mobile and even the public can't complain away the shit that's on it.
It's also implied that businesses gets preferential treatment. Pizza place gives the station free delivery a few times a week? No tickets. Car dealership gives a vehicle once every few years? No tickets. Cab company makes a ton of sense honestly.
There is a bar not far from me that has an old public transport bus and a passenger van they use to take people home. I think it’s a cool idea because as you say, there isnt a public option.
And of course biking and walking isn’t an option, because if you walk or bike home you’ll get a public intox rap.
Biking while too drunk to drive is probably still a bad idea. Not as bad as driving a car, but you can still cause a serious accident on a bike, especially on roads in the US where there aren’t even bike lanes in most places.
You can still get a DUI riding a bicycle, if you can believe that. It’s fucking stupid as shit, but I know someone whose life was turned upside down because he chose to ride his bike to a bar, thinking he was being responsible.
Very much depends on the state. Here in Massachusetts, the charge is operating a motor vehicle under the influence (OUI). I’m pretty good friends with an assistant DA, and she assures me that my bike is not a motor vehicle.
Regardless of the state, I’d imagine that a decent lawyer could have helped your friend out.
Okay I know this is crazy, but if you just take the drunk person into account and the the only options are walk, bike, or drive. The safest thing for them to do is drive home drunk. Mind you this study was only done with data from America so that may be different in places with different urban planning. And yes that is terrible
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