dynodonn 

It may be easy in some aspects, but be prepared for any legal repercussions, one of our local LEOs had legal charges brought against him for accessing the license plate data base to conduct non law enforcement activities, similar in ways to CB's.

Bike Rat

He used publicly available information only to determine contact information...no different than looking up someones name and address in the telephone book, to call this stalking is beyond ridiculous.

This scenario is exactly why vehicles have license plates...to identify otherwise anonymous owners. Rather than having his lawyer write her a courtesy letter, he did it himself. Another option would've been to file a police report to create a recorded history of her harassing cyclists.

Allowing these things to go unaccounted serves to perpetuate repeated unlawful behavior under a veil of anonymity.

look566 rider

So, any response from the offending driver?

PlanoFuji

Again, like the OP you are ASSUMING that the person who shouted at him is in fact the owner of the licensed car...

dynodonn 

I did not refer CB's actions as stalking, all I said that CB's feat cannot be replicated in our state due it's anti stalking law. If CB wants to gain access to a motorist's info, he will have to go through legal channels and not quickly look it up anonymously from the internet, and then his actions will be recorded.

dynodonn 

That's one of the first questions that law enforcement dispatchers ask me, driver description, when I call in an offending motorist's license number. Gotta prove who was driving at the time, hopefully CB didn't get it wrong.

PlanoFuji

This would have been the more proper response if he in fact felt the need--after all he claims the vehicle violated the harassment LAW. Instead the OP took it upon himself to contact a person HE ASSUMES is the one who bothered him. From a look at the OP's past posts he has a history of such stalking behaviour. Including showing up at the home of folks he believes were driving vehicles that offended him.

Again, I an linking to a post that would be a good read for all of those who think the OP was right to do what he did.

https://kentsbike.blogspot.com/2011/0...bike-club.html

Another poster on this forum has a sig line that seems particularly apropos; If you are encountering problem drivers more than the average cyclist, then the problem may not be the drivers but yourself (or something to that extent)...

wphamilton

California is very particular about access to DMV records. I would advise against if you're a California resident.

dynodonn 

+1

Bike Rat

While bad cops are the best stalkers, "accessing the license plate database to conduct non-law enforcement activities" is quite different than researching a plate for lawful reasons. Still, as you said, his method of access may/may not be legal.

I'm doubtful, but in my state I don't know if it's illegal to access license plate records via internet. I do know it's only legal to request that information from official channels for lawful purposes. In jest, does that mean it's legal to gain that information via internet for unlawful purposes?

Quote:

Originally Posted by dynodonn

I did not refer CB's actions as stalking, all I said that CB's feat cannot be replicated in our state due it's anti stalking law. If CB wants to gain access to a motorist's info, he will have to go through legal channels and not quickly look it up anonymously from the internet, and then his actions will be recorded.

My apologies, you didn't specifically say stalking, I attached my perception of your tone to the claims of stalking.

Edit: Haha, talk about an insincere apology...for whatever reason, the font changed when I copied/pasted.

dynodonn 

Gaining access to a motorist's info may not be illegal, but to what end purpose it is used may in fact be.

Bike Rat

Whoa, Nellie! Firstly, are you stalking the OP? Lol
Secondly, showing up at peoples homes is way overboard, and will only lead to trouble...very George Zimmermanish.

I agree with the signature line...sometimes cyclists have to accept culpability.

gcottay

No stalking was done or threatened.

contango 

Who cares if the driver wasn't the owner? If CB contacted the owner it will warn the owner that someone they have allowed to drive their car is driving it inconsiderately. Better get a polite email from an unhappy cyclist than a formal email from law enforcement asking why the car ran a red light or knocked a cyclist off his bike.

DX-MAN

Aw, geez -- this is ridiculous. Spare me from bike-lane lawyers.....

Mods...how about it? Silly enough for you yet?

apollored

Thats fine if you are able to look up such information on a motorist.

Can the rest of us mere mortals do that?

chewa

Couldn't be done in the UK because of data protection laws. If a cop got found doing it they would be sacked. A Lord (House of Lords) is in a bit of stick about using DVLA access (our DMV) to contact litter louts.

I just note the reg and report to the police.

CB HI

Your the one doing the ASSuming here. When a license plate # is enterred on the State Judiciary official website, it returns the names and dates of traffic infractions associated with that license plate. It does not return the owner of the car. That is a clear indication that person is driving the car on a regular basis. From that page you can link to other traffic infractions based on the drivers name. That gives you a strong indication if the name you have is currently driving the car involved or if they have moved on to driving another vehicle.

Add that to the voice being a woman and the video capture being a woman of about 55 years adds up to the person with the driving infractions also being the person who would harass a cyclist.

So stop your wrong ASSumptions.

Then you claim I am stalking by riding roads through my town and happen to spot a vehicle used to endanger or harass cyclist. These vehicles have all been parked outside within 2 miles of my home. Maybe you expect me to become blind and not see these vehicles. I have never knocked on a persons door, never threatened anybody (unlike them using their cars as weapons to threaten and endanger).

I have to commute the same gulch each day since 1985. Allowing the same drivers that frequently pass me over the years to gradually escalate each time they pass by me will lead to seriously bad consequences for me (who is really doing the stalking in this case?). If you are ever faced with this same situation, let me know. Until then, your off base claims are pointless.

CB HI

In Hawaii and a few other USA states, mere mortals such as you and I are able to do so. Police using a protected database is illegal for personal use and gives full information of on the driver. Of course cops that do that get fired and has no relation to the database provided for PUBLIC use in Hawaii.

CB HI

Generally requires threats or excessive repeated contact AFTER being asked to make no more contact.

CB HI

Less than 24 hours - no response.
Since the e-mail address is likely one that only gets looked at once a week (probably on weekends), I expect any response will take some time. If the soccer club is not ordering uniforms for their teams right now, it may take even longer for her to read the e-mail.

B. Carfree

Or you just ride more miles and/or on more problematic roads than the average cyclist. Those of us who regularly ride over 15,000 miles per year, particularly when many of those miles are commuting/utilitarian and we don't drive our bikes to nicer start points, are going to encounter many more derriere chapeaux than someone who barely cracks a thousand miles and does those on MUPs.

KCNEWF

x1000000!

PlanoFuji

Sorry, I did assume that the license plate database was for the owners. Either way it is clear you are incapable of simply understanding that the records you are searching still require you to be making assumptions that the person you have identified is in fact the person you contacted via email... Strong indication is another term for an ASSUMPTION... But I suspect that you will continue to ignore (or misunderstand) the meaning of the term

Oh, perhaps your caps lock is not working or are you intentionally violating forum policy and cursing at another user?

AI made that claim which is supported by YOUR posts, much like this one from November 2010. Perhaps like those innocent folks you insist on stalking, you might consider that your record of past behaviour is also eternally recorded.


Either you like dissecting language like a former President or you simply don't recall making the following statement in a thread where you bragged of similar behaviour. And if you think following someone home (even if we accept your claim that you did NOTHING else, is still a threatening act.

PlanoFuji

While I own a car, I rarely use it. A bike is my primary transportation. And yet I have not had a single incident with a motorist in over three years of riding... So I think that the sig line I paraphrased is pretty accurate.

Oh, and like the OP you seem to be making a number of assumptions about me...