It might be time to ban pickup trucks

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


I prefer that AK personally.

ARs are nice but they are not as reliable.

Originally posted by mainidh
I am not sure I buy this. Gerald Bryant is quoted as saying “This is the most people I’ve seen in any passenger vehicle, and I’ve been an officer for 38 years,” and then "It’s unknown whether or not (the victims) were illegal, but it’s possible,” Bryant told the AP.

Seems to me he'd know.

He does. Sounds like he was just trying to be politically correct and failed badly. If he's the Sheriff, then that's an elected position and, if he's in Texas, then a large number of voters are going to be Hispanic.

Originally posted by thehoneycomb
reply to post by Taupin Desciple

 

An AR 15 is an adaptation of the gun.

You would have to rephrase that, question hehe. (even though you didn't ask it)

Anyways, one person was driving the truck that killed 11 people. Wouldn't that make him responsible?

Yes. Legally he is responsible. Even more so if was the owner of the truck. But your analogy just comes across as apples to oranges to me because the people in this case should've seen it coming. Whereas the people in the movie theater, realistically, could not have. The people in the truck put themselves in harms way.

reply to post by Taupin Desciple


Everything you do in life has a great deal of risk involved. Things happen all the time and in the end we all meet our maker.

Now some risks are greater than others I agree. Some are calculated and others not so much.

Originally posted by Taupin Desciple
because the people in this case should've seen it coming. Whereas the people in the movie theater, realistically, could not have. The people in the truck put themselves in harms way.

How so?

Many People get in their vehicles, and get killed daily. Apples to Oranges? Death is the final result, in both Instances. Both instances there are tools, being used wrongly.

reply to post by thehoneycomb


Just ban people from riding on the truck bed, no one does it here in the uk and the matters never even been mentioned. Problem solved (y)
Ive only ever seen hillbillies doing it in movies anyway its obviously a bad idea to ride on the back people just dont think.

reply to post by Taupin Desciple

Even more so if was the owner of the truck.

I also have to ask, (because that is disturbing) if he didn't own the truck, would he not be responsible? Just like when an illegal immigrant in this country can commit multiple felonies or negligent homicide and never get deported?

I know that is probably not what you meant, but I have to ask.

reply to post by Wongbeedman


See the comment above.

The problem is... people just hop the fence and they come into this country undocumented, knowing that there are laws that they are breaking, which they ignored in the first place and there are major risks involved. Whats to stop 23 of them from hopping in the back of a pickup truck? and there are laws about that anyways.

reply to post by thehoneycomb


Yeah that is a fair point mate, i suppose all we can say to people like that is get some common sense but its not tht simple with people like that unfortunately is it

reply to post by Wongbeedman


No, and your right. But our government will not enforce those laws. That is the stalemate. Unfortunately people around the world do not understand that, to no fault of your own.

You would have to live here for at least a couple of weeks to grasp that concept.

Originally posted by thehoneycomb
Is it time to ban pickup trucks??

Maybe we should make people take notice the seating capacity on the compliance plate first?

I'm assuming, by your question, that it is perfectly legal where this happened to ride in the back of them...

reply to post by NuclearPaul


I don't think so. In Texas they are pretty adamant about having seat belts. But that was one of my points, when people come into the country illegally and live here illegally and even commit crimes and get away with it, why wouldn't they pile 23 people in a pickup truck, they had no respect of the law to begin with.

Seat belt laws in Texas

texas.drivinguniversity.com...

Texas Seat Belt Law


The Texas seat belt statute

Like every state except for New Hampshire, Texas has a law on the books requiring the use of safety restraints for people riding in motor vehicles. In this case, the relevant law is Sec. 545.413 of the Transportation Code, which details the circumstances in which seat belt use is required and the fines for not doing so. Under section A of this statute, it is illegal for anyone, adult or child, to ride in the front seat of a vehicle that has seat belts without having their seat belt properly fastened. Section B states that it is illegal for anyone under the age of 17 to ride in any part of a motor vehicle without a seat belt if the vehicle is equipped with them. Therefore, adults can use their discretion when riding in the back, although you should always wear a seat belt anyway for safety reasons. Under this statute, the driver is responsible for making sure all passengers are secured as required by Texas safety restraint law.

For children young enough and small enough to need a child safety seat, Sec. 545.412 of the Transportation Code requires that they be secured, as well.



Fines for not wearing a seat belt

Under Texas seat belt laws, the fines for not wearing a seat belt depend on the age of the passenger. If the passenger is over 17 and in the front seat of a vehicle without a belt on, the fine can be anywhere from $25 to $50. If the passenger is under 17 and riding without a seatbelt, the fine is much higher: $100-200. Of course, there are also court costs, which can vary depending on where you got ticketed. A judge may also order you to complete a driving safety course that focuses on the importance of using a seat belt. Like regular defensive driving courses, you have the option of going to a classroom to take the course or of taking it through an alternative delivery method such as video or CD.

To find a classroom location near you, click here.

However, you also have the option of taking the seatbelt course online through Driving University. Why waste a beautiful afternoon stuck inside a classroom, learning about Texas seatbelt laws? With Driving University’s online course, you can complete your Texas seat belt course in your spare time, in the comfort of your own home. Once you complete the course, Driving University will put your certificate out in the mail immediately!

To learn more about Driving University's Defensive Driving Course, click here.



Who is required to wear a seat belt?

For safety reasons, everyone riding in a vehicle should be bucked up anytime the vehicle is moving. However, Texas seat belt law only mandates that drivers and front seat passengers buckle up at all times. Adults are not required by law to have a seat belt on if they are riding in the back seat. However, children under 17 must be buckled up no matter where they sit.

Texas seat belt law does provide for a few exceptions for front seat passengers, such as for US Postal Service employees, newspaper delivery people and utility meter readers who have to get in and out of the car all the time as part of their job duties. Also, if you have a medical condition that makes it hazardous for you to have a seatbelt on, you can get a doctor's excuse for it. Additionally, seat belts are not required on small farm vehicles such as tractors that weigh less than 48,000 pounds.

Truck bed laws

www.dps.texas.gov...

V.T.C.A., Transportation Code 545.414. Riding in Open Beds; Offense

(a) A person commits an offense if the person operates an open-bed pickup truck or an open flatbed truck or draws an open flatbed trailer when a child younger than 18 years of age is occupying the bed of the truck or trailer.

(b) An offense under this section is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $25 or more than $200.

(c) It is a defense to prosecution under this section that the person was:

(1) operating or towing the vehicle in a parade or in an emergency;
(2) operating the vehicle to transport farmworkers from one field to another field on a farm-to-market road, ranch-to-market road, or county road outside a municipality;
(3) operating the vehicle on a beach;
(4) operating a vehicle that is the only vehicle owned or operated by members of the household;
(5) or operating the vehicle in a hayride permitted by the governing body of or law enforcement agency of each county or municipality in which the hayride will occur.
(a) Compliance or noncompliance with Subsection (a) is not admissible evidence in a civil trial.

(b) In this section, "household" has the meaning assigned by Section 71.005, Family Code.

Originally posted by muse7
Terrible tragedy.

Is a truck's main purpose to kill people? Or is it transportation? What are trucks made for?

Can you tell me what an AR-15 is made for? and it's purpose?

Yup. Where I am from, its used to kill varmints. A very effective hogging gun, and it being automatic action allows you to take out 2 or 3 before they scatter. Best I can do with a bolt action or lever action is 1 hog, and maybe get another poorly aimed shot off.

Defense

(4) operating a vehicle that is the only vehicle owned or operated by members of the household;

That a pretty big loophole

reply to post by roadgravel


Now Ive heard of hispanics having very large households but 23 is unheard of, not to mention there were minor children among the dead.

Anyways now the article has been edited. At least 14 dead. The vehicle itself appears to not be owned or registered to the driver, so according to one of the posters above, the operator of the vehicle is (not as much) responsible.

McALLEN, Texas — A pickup truck overloaded with illegal immigrants veered off a highway and crashed into trees in rural South Texas, killing at least 14 people and leaving 9 injured, authorities said.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations agents were looking into the human smuggling aspect of the case. A Texas Department of Public Safety accident reconstruction team meanwhile investigated the cause of the Sunday evening crash in Goliad County, about 150 miles northeast of the border with Mexico.

ICE spokesman Greg Palmore said that among the 11 men and three females who died were citizens of Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras.

Yep, illegal immigrants who were being smuggled into this country have no regard for obeying laws.

Gerald Bryant, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said at least 23 passengers were crammed inside the truck’s cab and bed, including at least two young children whom he saw among the dead.

The white 2000 Ford F-250 pickup was heading north on U.S. 59 when it drove off the right side of the highway near the unincorporated community of Berclair and struck two large trees, Bryant said. Berclair is about 90 miles southeast of San Antonio.

The truck was registered in Houston to someone other than the driver, Bryant said.

This was on a major highway, not on a farm or farm to market road.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan

I find a scoped M-1 Garand to be far superior to an AR-15 at eradicating hogs.... I've seen hogs that had been hit by10 rounds of .223 ammo from a full auto M-16 and not go down... The last one I killed was taken down by 1 round from a John D. Englis Browning Hi Power... Hogs are a PITA around here.

Keep the guns.
Ban the trees.
There is no Constitutional right to have a tree.

reply to post by Taupin Desciple


Rat poison is made to kill, so are pesticides. All guns are made to kill, why pick on the AR-15? Oh because 1 person out of 7 billion people on this planet used it in a crime. Let me educate you on the fallacies of prosecution sentencing. We sentence based on intent plus outcome instead of just outcome. The driver of the truck is responsible for several deaths and so is the Colorado shooter. Both had a similar outcome. The intent was different. The driver will receive less time for a similar outcome simply because his intent was different.

Lets flip the coin shall we? Imagine two drunk drivers. The first drunk driver hits a tree and receives a ticket. The second drunk driver hits a little kid killing the kid and spends life in prison. Same intent but different outcome. This proves that sentencing is emotion driven. Both drivers had the intent to get behind the wheel drunk, one was just less lucky than the other. Should we ban alcohol too? Someone might drive drunk and kill someone.