Impounded in Virginia - anyone from here?

[davesaddiction]

Virginia Police Impounded A McLaren And A Dozen Other Cars For Reckless Driving
Benjamin Preston

The mountainous roads surrounding Virginia's Shenandoah Valley aren't the world's most treacherous, but they are fun to drive, and they're easy to get to from Washington, D.C. So it's not all that surprising that car enthusiasts from the D.C. area's teeming, affluent suburbs occasionally make their way down there.

It should be even less of a shock that some of those exuberant car junkies have a tendency to drive fast. That's what happened on Sunday morning when police in Highland and Augusta Counties stopped 15 sports cars and charged the drivers with speeding and reckless driving. All of the cars were towed, and footage from the cameras confiscated from the towed cars is being used as evidence.

A spokesman from the Augusta County Sheriff's office told us that the group included several BMW M3s, a couple of Lexus coupés, a new Ford Mustang, and even a McLaren. Police allowed the drivers of some of the cars — the ones with low clearance and ground effects — to follow their tow trucks to the impound yard to avoid damage. The spokesman said all of them have payed the towing and impound fees and retrieved their cars.

The spokesman also said that the group was part of a car club associated with Mischief.tv, which organized a group drive along Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive over the summer.

"Some of the people involved in this [event] were involved in street racing in the past," he said.

The Virginia State Police trooper who delivered a lecture to the group at the end of the video seemed less than impressed with that event. Apparently, busting a U-turn in the middle of a two lane road when you see cops ahead is a bad idea. Who knew?

Video will play a big role in the legal proceedings against the 15 charged on Sunday. The Augusta County Sheriff's Office is using footage from the towed cars' GoPro cameras as additional evidence, which the spokesperson said will likely mean extra charges for a few of the people already facing reckless driving charges. He said after they have been to court — which is scheduled for Jan. 3 — the Sheriff's Office will release the video footage to the public.

Most of the drivers were in their late 20s to early 30s, and with the exception of a handful of Pennsylvania residents, most of their cars were registered in Virginia and Maryland.

We reached out to Mischief.tv for comment, but haven't yet heard back.

http://jalopnik.com/5959896/virginia...ckless-driving

[dagolfpro]

I was just about to ask as well. We go on drives 2-3 times/month around the various roads here in Nor Cal. I think we're going to have to ban gopro's going forward.

[Transfer]

Mischief.tv?
Sounds like a bunch of reckless losers that probably deserved what they got.

[MRSSIIM3]

how sick is this!!

[Lorde]

First car in the Jalop article looks like MDOSU!

[Kwando]

This is why I stopped going on cruises..9/10 everyone turns into wreckless dbags.

[W///]

Unless they love being ridiculed by 95% of M3post members, they'd be wise to not come here haha

[BPMSport]

Originally Posted by W///

Unless they love being ridiculed by 95% of M3post members, they'd be wise to not come here haha

+1..

"Lexus Coupes? LF-A's on those roads would be awesome, SC 430s would be an epic fail"

My favorite comment on that article.. lol

[BPMSport]

Originally Posted by dagolfpro

I was just about to ask as well. We go on drives 2-3 times/month around the various roads here in Nor Cal. I think we're going to have to ban gopro's going forward.

I don't see how it's even legal for them to seize a camera from your car.. I would have my attorney all over that.

[Sapper_M3]

Originally Posted by Mike Benvo

I don't see how it's even legal for them to seize a camera from your car.. I would have my attorney all over that.

Mike--my thoughts exactly. Not sure if anyone here is familiar with legal precedent on seizing personal recording equipment as evidence against the owner, but I'd be interested to hear more about it...

[W///]

Originally Posted by Mike Benvo

I don't see how it's even legal for them to seize a camera from your car.. I would have my attorney all over that.

I don't either but that's definitely not the first time that has happened.

[cposk]

Originally Posted by Mike Benvo

I don't see how it's even legal for them to seize a camera from your car.. I would have my attorney all over that.

Technically I think they need a warrant to search through personal electronic records (the SD card in the gropo). But considering how strict VA is on speeding/racing, I'm sure they had no issue getting one.

[positiveions]

People need to realize that there are other drivers on the road, and it can turn into tragedy.

[TVMA Doc]

Originally Posted by Mike Benvo

+1..

"Lexus Coupes? LF-A's on those roads would be awesome, SC 430s would be an epic fail"

My favorite comment on that article.. lol

The ISF isn't too shabby, although not quite up the M standards. You seem to have hit both extremes from the Lexus line-top of the line supercar and worst sports car ever built, but left out at least one car in between.

[davesaddiction]

Originally Posted by positiveions

People need to realize that there are other drivers on the road, and it can turn into tragedy.

Exactly. I do think there are good rules to follow to have fun on public roads that endanger no one. Here are some I like to follow on our trips to Arkansas:

- NEVER cross the center line (unless you can see far, far ahead)
- pass only with lots of room (assume someone else could be driving very fast in the opposite direction around that curve or over that rise)
- always err on the side of caution (think of what a serious injury or death would mean to your family or others)
- drop speed in areas with houses, businesses, turnouts (never know if a kid or pet will be near the road, or a car will be entering the roadway)
- leave the traction control on - in MDM, of course (unless you are an extremely capable driver - probably just 5% of everyone here...)
- turn your lights on
- don't tailgate other drivers you'd like to pass
- if you get stuck behind a line of slow traffic, enjoy the scenery or pull off to stretch
- keep in mind that your goal is to enjoy the drive, not get anywhere quickly

Enjoy these machines, but let's be safe out there kids.

[M3PO]

Originally Posted by TVMA Doc

The ISF isn't too shabby, although not quite up the M standards. You seem to have hit both extremes from the Lexus line-top of the line supercar and worst sports car ever built, but left out at least one car in between.

Mike copied that from the comments section of the article. The article specifically calls out Lexus COUPES (IS-F is a sedan) so that's what motivated the poster to use those examples, they are the most recent Lexus coupes.

[pbonsalb]

Originally Posted by Mike Benvo

I don't see how it's even legal for them to seize a camera from your car.. I would have my attorney all over that.

In New York City and other jurisdictions, the police may seize and auction your car if you are caught illegally street racing.

[e1000]

Originally Posted by cposk

Technically I think they need a warrant to search through personal electronic records (the SD card in the gropo). But considering how strict VA is on speeding/racing, I'm sure they had no issue getting one.

probable cause

[LucWerkz]

I saw this caravan while going out for a countryside drive with the wife. They were going the opposite direction and from what we saw they were going pretty fast but we didn't see them doing anything extremely reckless. And FWIW I didn't see any LFAs, just M3s and GTRs, and what looked like a Corvette.

[135Pats]

Originally Posted by e1000

probable cause

exactly, in the state of VA reckless can be categorized as any speed that exceeds 80mph, along with other circumstances that are largely left to the leo's discretion. Once you have been charged with that, anything in plain sight becomes a potential accessory to the "crime", and probable cause is established. Two lessons here,
1. VA is not the state to do this in.
2. As a general matter 4th amendment protections have shrunk, while 1st amendment protections have grown. The erosion of the 4th is particularly true in automobiles, which are not solitary places of private residence ala the house in the Kilo decision. You do not have an expectation of privacy so far as your car is concerned. Now the trunk and glove box complicate matters, but thats another lecture in conlaw for another day.

[cposk]

Originally Posted by 135Pats

exactly, in the state of VA reckless can be categorized as any speed that exceeds 80mph, along with other circumstances that are largely left to the leo's discretion. Once you have been charged with that, anything in plain sight becomes a potential accessory to the "crime", and probable cause is established. Two lessons here,
1. VA is not the state to do this in.
2. As a general matter 4th amendment protections have shrunk, while 1st amendment protections have grown. The erosion of the 4th is particularly true in automobiles, which are not solitary places of private residence ala the house in the Kilo decision. You do not have an expectation of privacy so far as your car is concerned. Now the trunk and glove box complicate matters, but thats another lecture in conlaw for another day.

Yep, I went to college there and lost my license for a couple months due to a reckless... Wheel spin is considered reckless. A kid with an EVO lost his license right before me because he took off from a light and the cop heard squealing... Also should note we both didn't have lawyers.

[991brothers]

Originally Posted by Transfer

Mischief.tv?
Sounds like a bunch of reckless losers that probably deserved what they got.

Originally Posted by Kwando

This is why I stopped going on cruises..9/10 everyone turns into wreckless dbags.

Seriously. Some kid always has to prove how small his dick is....