11NATIONAL MOTORISTS ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION NEWSThe Experts’ CornerDo you have a question thatonly an expert can answer?If so, look no further. Wehave many <strong>NMA</strong> members withspecial fields of expertise. Thisfeature was created to assistmembers with answers to bothpractical and technical questions.This sharing of knowledge isanother benefit of belonging to the<strong>NMA</strong>. Please indicate that you arean <strong>NMA</strong> member when calling alisted “expert.”Can you help? Please contact uswith your field of expertise andprovide us with a contact address.A telephone number would be veryhelpful, but is not required. Feelfree to list preferred contact times ifyou do provide a telephone number.PLEASE NOTE: This is notintended for listing of commercialbusiness services.As an <strong>NMA</strong> member, the Experts’ Corner is available to you online athttp://www.motorists.org/join/membersonly/experts.htmlMARCH/APRIL 2002
12NATIONAL MOTORISTS ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION NEWSMEMBERS WRITEYour letters are welcomed and appreciated. This is a forum for diverse opinions, different perspectives, andpersonal experiences. Letters may be edited for length or clarity. Letters should not exceed 300 words inlength. Full-length articles will also be considered for publication in the <strong>NMA</strong>F NEWS. Articles should notexceed 600 words in length. Positions and opinions expressed in letters and member-authored articles arethose of the author and do not necessarily reflect <strong>NMA</strong> policies or objectives. To submit, you can email us atnma@motorists.org or mail to our <strong>NMA</strong>F Office.In the News From Around TheCountry section of the January/February 2002 issue of <strong>NMA</strong>FNEWS, it was mentioned thatRichard Philbrick (a Massachusettsresident) had erroneously received ared light camera ticket fromColorado (a state that neither he norhis car had been to in years). Oneway to avoid that situation is to becareful how you dispose of your oldlicense plates. Never turn in oldplates at the old plate recycle box atthe license bureau. This happened tosomeone in Ohio a few years back.They had old license plate recycleboxes at the license bureaus. Someguy put his old plates in one of thoseboxes and wound up getting parkingtickets from Atlanta, Georgia on hisold plates. Be sure to thoroughlydestroy them before disposing ofthem. You can't be too careful thesedays. Or, Richard Philbrick could bethe victim of outright identity theft.Tom MorrowOrchard Park, NYThis is in response to News FromAround The Country in theJanuary/February 2002 issue of<strong>NMA</strong>F NEWS. Under the"Washington DC" section, youmentioned some of the problemswith the photo radar tickets. Thereare other problems as well. Policeare getting photo radar tickets whileresponding to "code one" emergencies(driving with their blueflashing lights turned on).Police Chief Charles Ramseyresponded to the news <strong>by</strong> basicallytelling the cops who work for him totell it to the judge and see if hebelieves you, which of course doesnot work, even for the cops. That'swhat I call poetic justice.The cops have responded <strong>by</strong>driving slower during "code one"emergencies. They don't want to getmore tickets.Seth AllenAlexandria VAJust wanted to let you know thatI beat a ticket today given to me inAugust 2001. I was stopped on I-10in Tallahassee, Florida, from aVASCAR tracking aircraft run <strong>by</strong>the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP).By using your strategy of asking forcontinuances, I was able to delay thehearing until today. Unfortunatelyfor the FHP, they transferred thetrooper who was on the ground toTexas in December! Thanks againfor the advice—you saved me$130...not to mention 3 points.Michael P. Procter, Sr.Jacksonville, FLThis concerns the article <strong>by</strong>Aarne Frobom, on environmentalistsusing traffic laws to regulate gasusage (<strong>NMA</strong>F NEWS, January/February 2002). It is important toknow that airplanes use 20 percentof the United States gas whilemotorists use 80 percent. That tiny,tiny minority who fly, use a vastlydisproportionate amount.Leroy PlettenSterling Heights, MII want to thank you so much forrunning your January cover photo ofthe sign saying, "Signals timed torequire frequent stops." It truly is aclassic.If I remember correctly, that signappears as you enter the east end ofthe Revere Beach Parkway inRevere, Massachusetts. The firsttime I saw this infamous sign, I wasstruck not just <strong>by</strong> the oppressivestyle of traffic management that itevidenced, but <strong>by</strong> the sheer, boastfularrogance it demonstrated on thepart of the state to erect a signactually documenting it.Since I voted with my wheels outof the People's Republic about twoyears ago, I had been despairing ofever convincing my new acquaintancesthat my story was not a talltale, and that any government couldbe so witless as to intentionally erectsuch a sign. Now I have yourJanuary cover to use as evidence.C. D. TavaresMorristown AZcontinued on next pageMARCH/APRIL 2002
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