S.N.A.F.U.
Portuguese law, as of today, requires every driver to carry in his/her car a reflective safety vest.
Makes sense.
The safety vest must be easy to reach before leaving the car.
Makes sense too.
You can get fined if you don’t carry that vest.
Makes even more sense, otherwise nobody would buy the thing.
The fine for having an unreachable safety vest is higher than the one for having no safety vest.
Does it still make sense?
Laws here are made by people who have law degrees, they learned old laws, they make the new laws.
What do they know about the real world? Nothing. Zero. Nada. Zilt.
Common sense? What for?!
Well, other countries have stupid laws too, no point fleeing here, the weather and the food are worth staying.
Makes sense.
The safety vest must be easy to reach before leaving the car.
Makes sense too.
You can get fined if you don’t carry that vest.
Makes even more sense, otherwise nobody would buy the thing.
The fine for having an unreachable safety vest is higher than the one for having no safety vest.
Does it still make sense?
Laws here are made by people who have law degrees, they learned old laws, they make the new laws.
What do they know about the real world? Nothing. Zero. Nada. Zilt.
Common sense? What for?!
Well, other countries have stupid laws too, no point fleeing here, the weather and the food are worth staying.
posted by DCveR at 7:36 PM
10 Comments:
call me dumb but I'm confused by the safety vest part. Is it like a life preserver? Why does it need to be reflective? Not making any sense to me.
It is a thin fluorescent vest you use over your clothes to increase your visibility, like the ones worn by policemen or firemen at night, so that in case of an accident the other drivers can see you from a greater distance. It has also to reflective stripes that become very bright when in front of the other drivers headlights.
Have you read/seen "Catch 22" by Joseph Heller? Stupid laws everywhere. I always laugh from US local laws such as 'elks are forbidden of having sex on the streets [Alaska]', 'people are not allowed to sleep on the shop shelves [Texas I s'pose ;)]' etc. Did you know that women in France are forbidden to wearing trousers? (I think that they changed it lately but it was still valid [although not prosecuted] 3-4 years ago) Weird - don't you think?
I can't quote any polish stupid law but there's plenty of it
OK, so what happens when there isn't any light around to reflect on your vest when you've had your accident? I just don't get it! Do they let you talk on cell phones while you are driving, or is that allowed? Just wondering...
You know. If you have to get out of your car at night (on the road) then you have to put that on. If there's any other car on the road then it's driver has greater chance to notice you and stop (or just not hit you). If there's no other cars then there's no need of using it. But there's no way to check if there could or could not be any car so you have to put it any time while leaving your car on the road.
That's how I understand it anyway.
Cheers!
shyha: read the book, seen the movie, it is easy to laugh at stupid laws in other countries, I do to, but I have to put up with our legal system...
last girl: during day time or dusk, the fluorescent green or orange color can be seen miles away, nightime the reflective stripes do the same job; you can only use a cell phone if you have a hands-free device.
The law is not all bad, but if you throw the vest in the trunk you pay a fine that is almost twice the one you would pay for having no vest.
To be honest I could live with that law.
Here in Florida you're prohibited from having sex with a goat. I guess other animals are okay.
Also, unmarried women cannot go parachuting on Sunday.
Women, also, are not allowed to fall asleep under the hair dryer.
I'm not one to make judgements on what other countries do but I'm just not getting this law. Maybe if I were there I'd understand better. Here it is a safety option to carry flares in your car in case you break down on the highway but it is not mandatory. Where are you supposed to carry said vest? on the passenger's side seat? seems like it's sort of like the seat belt law...it's a law but not super enforceable unless you get pulled over for other things.
hummm...
bent: yeah, but this fines policy is getting weird, they actually know everybody bought the damned vests, so they are trying to get money from fines some other way
jane:in most european countries police can pull you over to check if everything is ok with your car or your documents
Sigh. At least you have laws. Here it often feels as if we live in a lawless society and anything goes.
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