alt Hacker News1. Enforcement via traffic stop is extremely dangerous to everyone, cops included.
2. Automated enforcement is generally in the form of fines, which habitual violators ignore.
3. Confiscating vehicles as an escalating consequence of automated enforcement is so unpopular no one will even suggest it.
Replies
Remove the warrant check portion of traffic stops and suddenly they become much much less risky and just normal community policing. But adding that 'the person may have a warrant and the US justice system is happy to hand down 10+ year sentences (which are basically life sentences, you aren't getting a life back after 10 years) every traffic stop by choice become much more high risk.
Policing shouldn't be done via traffic stops. Traffic stops should be done via traffic stops.
As someone from the UK, all these points seem ridiculous to me, are they really valid elsewhere?
I get that point 1 is extremely valid in a place like the US where everyone can have a gun.
Do other countries not enforce fines?
In the UK you can have your car confiscated on the spot if the automated number plate recognition in a patrol car flags you don't have insurance. Fines are enforced, but escalating that to non-payment of fines seems like something they could do (people might complain, but only the ones not paying their fines!)