Whether it's your first Bonnaroo or you’re a music festival veteran, we welcome you to Inforoo.
Here you'll find info about artists, rumors, camping tips, and the infamous Roo Clues. Have a look around then create an account and join in the fun. See you at Bonnaroo!!
Post by defiantmonkeyroo on Jun 10, 2010 13:43:24 GMT -5
hey bonnaroo brothers and sisters! i am an attorney in tennessee- and i want to give you guys some fair warning! the buzz all over the courthouse this week has been about catching bonnaroo'ers heading there and back this weekend. here's what i have to say:
WEAR YOUR SEATBELTS!! ALL OF YOU!! in tennessee, the police can pull you over for simply not wearing a seatbelt. make sure you and all passengers wear their seatbelts at all times!
MAKE SURE ALL OF YOUR LIGHTS ON THE VEHICLE ARE IN GOOD WORKING CONDITION!! again, the police can pull you over for simply having a headlight or brake light out.
DRIVE THE SPEED LIMIT!! set your cruise control for the speed limit, or even 1 under. they are radaring like mad- don't give them a reason to pull you over in the first place. better to get there late than not at all!!
DO NOT TEXT WHILE DRIVING!! not only is it dumb and dangerous, but it's illegal.
DRIVE IN THE SLOW LANE!! if you are not passing anyone, you can be pulled over for simply riding in the left lane.
USE YOUR SIGNAL LIGHTS!! this one is self-explanatory.
REMEMBER THIS: Although most of our police around here are good people just doing their jobs, they are not your friends. If they say, "You can make things easier on yourself, and I can help you if you help me, etc..." they are lying. In my experience, the cops will not help you in any way.
If you're traveling from the north from Virginia, heading south on I-81, please observe that from about Abingdon, VA all the way down to Greeneville, TN the speed limit is 65, not 70. Make sure you watch your speed!
Ok- so we did what you said, and we still got pulled over for one reason or another. Now what?
First of all, NEVER CONSENT TO A SEARCH OF YOUR VEHICLE!! Under most circumstances, the police do not have the right to search your car or your belongings unless YOU give them the green light. They may bully you and scare you, but understand that if it's a situation where they are asking your permission, it's most likely because they do not have the right. Only under very limited circumstances can they pull you out of your car and search without your consent. They must have PROBABLE CAUSE or at least a reasonable, articulable suspicion of wrongdoing to search without your consent. One of these times is if they see something in plain view. Understand that I am in NO WAY advocating any illegal or illicit activities, but make sure that if you are participating in these things that you keep everything out of plain view. Also, if they say they smell alcohol or the odor of burnt marijuana, they can pull you out of your car and investigate. The main thing to remember is, if they ask you for permission to search your car, tell them, "No thanks. I do not consent to any search. Please write my ticket for (seatbelt, speeding, headlight, etc.) and let me leave." Be courteous, but firm in your answer.
The officer may hassle you, say that they are going to bring a dog, etc. Keep stating that you would like to be detained no longer than the time it takes to write the ticket (that's the law in Tennessee). DO NOT ALLOW THE POLICE TO "ENGAGE YOU IN CASUAL CONVERSATION" AFTER THE TICKET IS WRITTEN!! Tell them "You have written me my ticket, I have told you there is nothing illegal in my vehicle, so I should be free to leave." Say it loud and clear so that the audio on their cruiser camera picks it up. If you say no, they can not search you without at least a reasonable, articulable suspicion of wrongdoing. Dreadlocks and patchouli are not enough for reasonable suspicion, no matter what some of our police may say.
NEVER CONSENT TO A SEARCH!! if you do, they can and will hold you there until they bring the drug dog, and i promise, the dogs will find it.
The ACLU has done a wonderful and informative video about how to deal with the police if you are stopped. My advice is to watch it (at least the first part about how to deal with a traffic stop- takes only about 15 minutes to learn your rights!!) before you get on the road. Here's the website:
UNDERSTAND THAT I AM IN NO WAY GIVING LEGAL ADVICE!!
Other than that, have a BLAST at bonnaroo!! I will be missing it this year, but in years past it has been one of my favorite times of the year!
Post by yfoogsittam on Jun 15, 2010 14:02:57 GMT -5
on our trip down from ky this year, our car had talked about how to handle such things, but when we stopped about 30 miles before bonnaroo, we met our friends and now had a 5 car caravan. no less than 5 miles after that, a car in the center of the caravan was pulled over for "following too closely" and the cop asked to search her car and she said yes! the cop found a grinder (new and unused) but was cool about it and let her go with a warning.
Bottom line is, drive safe and follow all the rules. They can and will pull you over for any minor offense. I've never heard of any police asking to search a car for following too closely, except during bonnaroo.
