# SFPD Sobriety Checkpoint...at 9am?? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 27, 2005, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sfpd-sobriety-checkpoint-at-9am/305807 "2005-05-27T20:28:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2005, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sfpd-sobriety-checkpoint-at-9am/305807/61 "2005-05-29T08:55:08Z")
> [@Manda JO](#): > > As a Dallas school teacher I can assure you that no schools on Preston Road had children in them yesterday. Gotta be careful about that as far as school zones go, though. My mom is very indignant about a time years ago when she got pulled over and ticketed for violating a school zone speed limit during the summer. Explanation: summer school. She took it to court, claiming she shouldn’t have been expected to know that summer school was in session. She lost. Since more school zones have blinking lights now rather than the ambigous “on school days” message, this is much less of a problem. However, the area where she was ticketed still has the old-fashioned lightless sign. And she’s still indignant about the ticket. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2005, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sfpd-sobriety-checkpoint-at-9am/305807/62 "2005-05-29T19:17:23Z")
> [@TheLoadedDog](#): > > So I don’t think you’re being overly hassled in SF. 🙂 Ye Gods. After reading that, I think you’re right. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Apricot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bcef8e/32.png) [@Apricot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apricot)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2005, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sfpd-sobriety-checkpoint-at-9am/305807/63 "2005-05-29T20:32:35Z")
I used to work in a fast food restaurant right off I-5 (main highway). I would get quite a few drunks in at 10:30 am to get coffee. Lots of salesmen and women who were quite sloshed over. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2005, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sfpd-sobriety-checkpoint-at-9am/305807/64 "2005-05-30T12:47:23Z")
Ohio just changed the law re seat belts. Used to be a cop could issue a ticket for not wearing your seat belt only if he pulled you over for some other reason first. He couldn’t pull you over _because_ he saw that you weren’t wearing your seat belt. Every state’s law varies. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2005, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sfpd-sobriety-checkpoint-at-9am/305807/65 "2005-05-30T16:56:08Z")
> [@Metacom](#): > > Was it a school zone? Those are the only places I’ve heard Texas cops being real strict about… Heh, you should be on 75 some time, north of Plano, where they have one cop on an overpass with a radar gun, and a line of cop cars waiting to pull the people he spots over. (I thought about calling 911 and reporting a sniper on the overpass. How was I supposed to know it was a cop aiming something at passing motorists?) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2005, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sfpd-sobriety-checkpoint-at-9am/305807/66 "2005-05-30T20:11:24Z")
> [@Loopus](#): > > Gotta be careful about that as far as school zones go, though. My mom is very indignant about a time years ago when she got pulled over and ticketed for violating a school zone speed limit during the summer. Explanation: summer school. She took it to court, claiming she shouldn’t have been expected to know that summer school was in session. She lost. > > Since more school zones have blinking lights now rather than the ambigous “on school days” message, this is much less of a problem. However, the area where she was ticketed still has the old-fashioned lightless sign. And she’s still indignant about the ticket. 😃 Oh, crap. I don’t have kids, so I have a hard enough time figuring out when the hell school days are regularly; now I have to worry about summer school too? Son of a monkey spank. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2005, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sfpd-sobriety-checkpoint-at-9am/305807/67 "2005-05-30T22:18:50Z")
> [@Mockingbird](#): > > Take a fucking joke and get over yourself. The same could be said for any cop that would abuse their power because of a simple remark like that. > > YOU are the sterotype of a conservative that has a Redwood up his ass, you humorless dickweed. _overreaction in aisle 2… over reaction in aisle 2…_ ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sfpd-sobriety-checkpoint-at-9am/305807/68 "2005-05-31T09:04:35Z")
Maybe they were training a new batch of academy recruits or giving some desk cops some field time. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sfpd-sobriety-checkpoint-at-9am/305807/69 "2005-05-31T13:18:15Z")
> [@Mockingbird](#): > > Take a fucking joke and get over yourself. The same could be said for any cop that would abuse their power because of a simple remark like that. What kind of job do you have that allows you to constantly ignore problems sitting under your nose and still be employed. Making snarky comments at a police officer doing what is expected of them is also being a jerk. Would you make that kind of comment to a judge in a courtroom? Would you expect him to ignore your disrespect for him/courts/legal system in general when sentencing you. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sfpd-sobriety-checkpoint-at-9am/305807/70 "2005-05-31T13:38:13Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > Would you make that kind of comment to a judge in a courtroom? Would you expect him to ignore your disrespect for him/courts/legal system in general when sentencing you. Well, technically “contempt of cop” is not a punishable offense, yet. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sfpd-sobriety-checkpoint-at-9am/305807/71 "2005-05-31T16:56:02Z")
> [@askeptic](#): > > Well, technically “contempt of cop” is not a punishable offense, yet. Not officially, no. But I know that if you are really snarky, any cop will find a number of reasons to “check your vehicle for safety” and the like. It is never wise to annoy those who can make your life miserable. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sfpd-sobriety-checkpoint-at-9am/305807/72 "2005-05-31T17:24:35Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > Ohio just changed the law re seat belts. Used to be a cop could issue a ticket for not wearing your seat belt only if he pulled you over for some other reason first. He couldn’t pull you over _because_ he saw that you weren’t wearing your seat belt. > > Every state’s law varies. Here in Maryland too. Now, I always wear my belt, but I remember when the law passed, every government and police official in the state swore up and down on 3 stacks of bibles and the Pope’s grave that they would never, ever, ever, ever, no never ticket people or pull them over for _just_ having no seat belt on. I believed that like I believe in the tooth fairy, and I’ve been proven right. So many people don’t understand that that is the nature of the governmental beast-it will alway take more power, more money, more authority than it says it wants or needs. Always. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sfpd-sobriety-checkpoint-at-9am/305807/73 "2005-05-31T19:01:14Z")
I do not understand how people get tickets for seat belt violations. I do not wear my seat belt, **except** for situations where a police officer will be looking into my vehicle. Approaching a sobriety checkpoint, I buckle up. Being pulled over for speeding, I buckle up. ---
**Author:** ![meara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@meara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meara)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sfpd-sobriety-checkpoint-at-9am/305807/74 "2005-05-31T22:14:42Z")
> [@vetbridge](#): > > I do not understand how people get tickets for seat belt violations. I do not wear my seat belt, **except** for situations where a police officer will be looking into my vehicle. Approaching a sobriety checkpoint, I buckle up. Being pulled over for speeding, I buckle up. I just got one Friday in Santa Clara, CA on El Camino Real. Nice sunny day… enough traffic that I was only averaging around 20mph in the right lane. Stopped at a red light, and a cop on a motorcycle zoomed up alongside me, saw that I wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and gave me a ticket. Grrrr… He mentioned that he was part of a special 3-week task force that had seat belt enforcement as its primary duty (part of this stupid “click it or ticket” thing, I guess). What a lovely world we live in. Let’s tax people, pass stupid laws about what they must or must not do for their own personal safety, and then use those taxes to pay special police to fine them for not caring enough about their own safety. Double grrrr… Would it be so horrible to spend that energy badgering the folks who present a danger to _other_ people? ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sfpd-sobriety-checkpoint-at-9am/305807/75 "2005-05-31T22:21:02Z")
Well, I won’t comment on the validity of this, but I beleive the idea behind the law is that we’d rather spend the money making sure you buckle up instead of spending it scraping your remains off the road or caring for what’s left of you. If that’s accurate, I’m for it. ---
**Author:** ![cookeze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@cookeze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cookeze)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sfpd-sobriety-checkpoint-at-9am/305807/76 "2005-05-31T22:21:31Z")
Just curious—but how much will the ticket cost you? ---
**Author:** ![meara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@meara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meara)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sfpd-sobriety-checkpoint-at-9am/305807/77 "2005-05-31T22:34:18Z")
Don’t know how much it will cost yet. I need to call the court. As regards avoiding “scraping my remains off the road”, I can see that argument on a highway, but this was on a road where nobody was going faster than 30 miles an hour. I’m not a traffic safety expert, but I’m having a hard time coming up with scenarios there where a seatbelt is going to make the difference between life and sticky remains. I do tend to wear my seatbelt in more dangerous situations (highways, rainy days, nighttime, etc.). However, for lowspeed joy rides on a nice sunny day, I don’t like the restrained feeling. I know there are lots of traffic laws that are broad and that don’t apply perfectly in every situation. I guess what frustrates me most is the idea of assigning a task force to sit at stoplights in non-dangerous areas and ticket people for behavior that isn’t even dangerous to themselves, let alone others. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sfpd-sobriety-checkpoint-at-9am/305807/78 "2005-05-31T22:59:20Z")
> [@meara](#): > > I’m not a traffic safety expert, but I’m having a hard time coming up with scenarios there where a seatbelt is going to make the difference between life and sticky remains. Well, there’s two things that could happen: you could get in a wreck at 30 mph, and a seatbelt could save you from a broken nose, or the guy who runs a red light and broadsides you could be going 70. I’m with the “don’t tell me what to do” crowd; I’m also in the crowd that buckles up every time I get in the car whether it’s a law or not because you just never know. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sfpd-sobriety-checkpoint-at-9am/305807/79 "2005-05-31T23:26:30Z")
> [@Troy McClure SF](#): > > Well, I won’t comment on the validity of this, but I beleive the idea behind the law is that we’d rather spend the money making sure you buckle up instead of spending it scraping your remains off the road or caring for what’s left of you. If that’s accurate, I’m for it. Me too. > [@meara](#): > > As regards avoiding “scraping my remains off the road”, I can see that argument on a highway, but this was on a road where nobody was going faster than 30 miles an hour. I’m not a traffic safety expert, but I’m having a hard time coming up with scenarios there where a seatbelt is going to make the difference between life and sticky remains. What percentage of people do you think actually differentiate between types of roads or traffic conditions before deciding whether to belt up or not? Also, even if people are only going 30, there’s plenty of potential for death or horrific injury. One problem, i think, is that many people nowdays place too much faith in the presence of airbags. What they fail to realise—and what car manufacturers never mention—is that in many situations airbags can only properly protect you if they are working in concert with a seatbelt. ---
**Author:** ![Balle\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@Balle\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balle_M)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2005, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sfpd-sobriety-checkpoint-at-9am/305807/80 "2005-06-01T00:35:48Z")
> [@calm kiwi](#): > > Yes. What the hell was that? Follow the pen? Follow it where? [Joe Friday] Straight to jail, son. [/Joe Friday] Dum De Dum Dum… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sfpd-sobriety-checkpoint-at-9am/305807.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sfpd-sobriety-checkpoint-at-9am/305807.md?page=5)