# \*Gasp!\* Child molesters drive vans? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 16, 2005, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gasp-child-molesters-drive-vans/304105 "2005-05-16T18:45:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gasp-child-molesters-drive-vans/304105/21 "2005-05-17T17:48:52Z")
**Phase42** We’ve got a prospector (pic on my website, actually) and it’s been beautiful. That’s with roughly 150,000 miles too. I’ve never been lucky with any American car except this one. No horror stories, no bad spots. It doesn’t like to be pushed, so you’re pretty much just going 65-70 the whole time (which makes long trips longer), but the sheer amount of windows keeps it feeling roomy. 15 hours would be much worse in, say, a Geo Metro. That’s for certain. ---
**Author:** ![sewalk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@sewalk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sewalk)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gasp-child-molesters-drive-vans/304105/22 "2005-05-18T00:50:43Z")
A minivan might not be a bad alternative. In most, the seats remove quite easily making for a good-sized load floor and the floor height is a bit lower than most box-on-truck-frame vans. Drivablity and fuel economy are also more car-like. Of course, you’d still be driving…A MINIVAN!!! :eek: And then there’s my personal fave, which might not work for you, though, due to the low roof height: the Mercedes W123 wagon, preferably the 1985-1987 300TD TurboDiesel. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gasp-child-molesters-drive-vans/304105/23 "2005-05-18T05:39:01Z")
> [@Cynical Optimist](#): > > Get the van so long as it isn’t white. Driving a white van full of electronics won’t get you profiled as a kiddie fiddler, rather you may find people thinking you’ll make them a “great” deal on stolen^H^H^H^H^H^H overstocked equipment as soon as you open the rear doors. I agree, speaking from personal experience (as a van-spam recipient, rather than having been mistaken for a van-spammer.) ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gasp-child-molesters-drive-vans/304105/24 "2005-05-18T15:36:38Z")
A vehicle’s make/model is not probable cause for a stop. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gasp-child-molesters-drive-vans/304105/25 "2005-05-18T16:38:50Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I agree, speaking from personal experience (as a van-spam recipient, rather than having been mistaken for a van-spammer.) Was it the “Boston Scientific speakers” scam? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gasp-child-molesters-drive-vans/304105/26 "2005-05-18T17:04:53Z")
> [@Jonathan Woodall](#): > > Was it the “Boston Scientific speakers” scam? Dunno, something like that. I didn’t pursue it further, it seemed more like the generic “hey, we got some speakers we have to unload for cheap” scam. ---
**Author:** ![Yogurt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/f0a364/32.png) [@Yogurt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yogurt)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gasp-child-molesters-drive-vans/304105/27 "2005-05-18T19:33:02Z")
> [@vetbridge](#): > > A vehicle’s make/model is not probable cause for a stop. In general yes. But if a police officer happens to witness a van load of hippies make a turn without a proper signal the fact that they’re driving a van may be the final impetuous which encourages him to pull them over. Around here if you’re a single white male/female driving a modern caryour chances of getting pulled over for a minor traffic violation are slim. If it’s an older car full of minorities or a young black man driving an expensive car, you better hope all your tail lights are functioning. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gasp-child-molesters-drive-vans/304105/28 "2005-05-18T22:08:33Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Dunno, something like that. I didn’t pursue it further, it seemed more like the generic “hey, we got some speakers we have to unload for cheap” scam. Ah. The joke in that scam, discussed previously in GQ, is those speakers aren’t stolen. They’re just complete crap sold at a price that’s not actually THAT GOOD. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gasp-child-molesters-drive-vans/304105/29 "2005-05-19T02:13:06Z")
My brother in law is a cop, and I finally got a chance to ask him about the OP today. So, here’s the response from a real law enforcement officer. The police do not target vans for child molesters. Child molesters and rapists use whatever vehicle they can. The idea that police will target you as a child molester just because you drive a van is completely bogus. The police do look at vans as potential drug trafficking vehicles, because they are large and are easy to put hidden compartments into. If you have out of state plates, and when the cop asks you where you are going, and you say I just went on vacation at the beach and am returning home, the cop is going to be extra suspicious of drug activity. So, driving a van won’t make you a suspected child molester, it will make you a suspected drug trafficker. Oh well, at least you can tell your sister she was wrong. > [@sewalk](#): > > And then there’s my personal fave, which might not work for you, though, due to the low roof height: the Mercedes W123 wagon I personally have been in several bands, and I can tell you from experience that a station wagon isn’t going to cut it for hauling around musical equipment. Amplifiers and drum kits are just a bit too large. A minivan might be ok as long as you can remove the seats and your band doesn’t have too much equipment. If you have a lot of equipment though (a large drum kit or some really big pieces of PA equipment) then a minivan isn’t going to cut it either. And don’t think that you are going to be only hauling your own equipment. Once the other guys in the band find out you have a larger vehicle, they are going to want to shove their stuff in there too because their vehicle is too cramped for it. ---
**Author:** ![fighting\_ignorant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ac8455/32.png) [@fighting\_ignorant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fighting_ignorant)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gasp-child-molesters-drive-vans/304105/30 "2005-05-19T02:22:12Z")
I’d also just like to point out the clear logical fallacy here: even if most child molesters _did_ drive vans, it still wouldn’t follow that the police should pull over van-drivers. To wit: most child molesters have noses. Should the police pull over people with noses? The proper question is: do most van-drivers molest children? I would imagine the answer is a clear “no”. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gasp-child-molesters-drive-vans/304105/31 "2005-05-19T05:43:11Z")
When I was in a band, we used my mothers van that she had at the time. It was a full size conversion. There is nothing more perfect for a band to tool around in, lemme tell ya. We had our own rolling green (heh, heh) room for before, between and after sets. BUT…I was also glad to drop it off to mom after the gig. The mileage was terrible, parallel parking required two (2) helpers, and it got much, much less cool when the guys weren’t in it. jngl former 88-key keyboard, conga & PA transporter ---
**Author:** ![Ooner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c67d28/32.png) [@Ooner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ooner)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gasp-child-molesters-drive-vans/304105/32 "2005-05-19T05:55:16Z")
Older-model vans with no windows (particularly slightly run-down and potentially creepy ones) are regularly referred to by myself and friends as “rapist vans”. Whether the cops think the same way I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gasp-child-molesters-drive-vans/304105/33 "2005-05-19T07:07:41Z")
If you _do_ get an awesome '82 econoline, or the sort, I highly recommend spending another $100 or so on spray paint so you can paint the whole thing, top to bottom (including chrome), flat black. Then trade some weed to have some artistic dude do your band logo real cool. It may not help with the cops, but it would probably cut down on the “pedarist” factor. 2¢ 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gasp-child-molesters-drive-vans/304105/34 "2005-05-19T07:17:28Z")
p.s. Mag wheels. Can’t forget the mags. Then headers, lake pipes and glass packs. That would _coooooool_. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gasp-child-molesters-drive-vans/304105/35 "2005-05-19T15:47:42Z")
If you have large windows in the van I am sure that would make you less suspicious. If you have no windows or black out the windows then that could be misinterpreted. ---
**Author:** ![kimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f0a364/32.png) [@kimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kimera)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gasp-child-molesters-drive-vans/304105/36 "2005-05-19T16:28:44Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > My brother in law is a cop, My gonna be cop friend also confirmed this. He did add that if you, a single male, kept slowly driving your van by a school or park they’d probably keep on eye on you more than a person in a regular car. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gasp-child-molesters-drive-vans/304105/37 "2005-05-19T20:51:55Z")
You people are hilarious. Of the 36 responses to the OP, 22 have answered, or attempted to answer the OP, and 14, maybe 15, have turned this into a used car thread. Pull the van over to the side of the road, show me your hands, and step out of the vehicle…You are being cited for running two different threads at the same time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gasp-child-molesters-drive-vans/304105.md?page=1)