Topic: Traffic Violations

A police officer in the San Francisco Bay Area reports that departments have moved to "modified enforcement," meaning traffic stops and transient contacts have largely ceased to prevent the spread of the virus. Similar reports from Washington State indicate that speed traps are inactive, allowing for significantly faster travel times to airports.

A six-year-old boy in Quincy, Massachusetts, called 911 to report his father for running a red light. The hosts find the story distressing, viewing it as a sign of a society where children are encouraged to "rat out" their parents to authorities, comparing it to environmental reporting programs.

A discussion of the Google self-driving car's 700,000-mile record without a traffic violation leads to a theory about the future of law enforcement. The hosts argue that autonomous vehicles could cripple municipal budgets that rely heavily on revenue from traffic tickets. They suggest that cities may resist the adoption of driverless technology to protect these financial interests.

A personal anecdote is shared regarding "Miss Mickey" receiving a condescending letter from the California DMV after minor traffic violations. The hosts rail against the "despicable" tone of the letter and describe a bureaucratic nightmare where a $600 fine was paid twice due to a system error, with no way to contact a human for a refund.

A news report from WICD in Illinois details how offenders in Champaign County are placed on electronic home detention for minor offenses like traffic tickets. Sheriff Dan Walsh explains that the program saves the county money, while the hosts express outrage that first-time traffic offenders are being subjected to 24/7 GPS monitoring and surprise home checks.