[Land-speed] Brake testing in CA

Joe Lance jolylance at earthlink.net
Fri May 1 10:44:58 MDT 2009


In Pennsylvania if you:

 

--- test your brakes (to see if the anti- locks are working properly, check
for black ice, test grip on a wet road, etc)

 

--- try a drift to check break loose limits under different road conditions

 

--- do a acceleration test (to check your clutch, tranny, or traction
control)

 

--- do a burnout just for the fun of it (without exceeding or even nearing
the speed limit)

 

Even if you do any of the above way out in the boondocks where there are no
other cars on the road and no other humans to witness your actions, a cop
hidden in the weeds can still give you a ticket for staging an "exhibition"

 

I suspect other states have similar provisions in their MV codes.

 

Lance

 

PS-This DOM can think of some other circumstances when seat belts on a bed
might be useful 

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: land-speed-bounces at autox.team.net
[mailto:land-speed-bounces at autox.team.net] On Behalf Of Ed Weldon
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2009 9:34 PM
To: land-speed at autox.team.net
Subject: [Land-speed] Brake testing in CA

 

Did you guys know that it is illegal and a moving violation to test your

brakes on California roads at speeds over 25mph?

 

This afternoon a fellow called Len Tillum's KGO legal talk show saying he
was

stopped on a recent night on I5 by a CHP officer for doing this and saying
so

when questioned. The officer gave him a warning; but ticketted his wife, who

was laying down sleeping in the back of his minivan, for not wearing a

seatbelt.  The driver was a fairly mature sounding fellow with a very
distinct

East Indian accent.

 

Say what?  On I5 where there are two nighttime speeds, 59 in the right lane

(truckers) and 95 in the left?  Go figure...

 

Anyway if you get stopped in CA and asked why you hit the brakes "I was just

testing them" is the wrong answer.

 

So everyone repeat after me:   "I saw a critter trying to cross the road" or

"I heard a strange noise inside the vehicle and slowed to investigate".

 

Also, as kinky as it may sound seatbelts on the beds of your camper rig may

not be such a bad idea.

 

Ed Weldon


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