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Comment by maratd | Hacker News Reader

While I agree with the spirit of your post and that of Mr. Musk, there's something missing here.

Contrary to Mr. Musk's assertion of conspiracy, what seems to have happened here is that there were some unfortunate laws on the books that weren't being enforced. Various business interests (ie the car dealers) complained to the Motor Vehicle Commission. The MVC created a new regulation to reflect the laws already on the books.

Unfortunate? Yes. Should that law get repealed? Absolutely. Should the Governor get involved and push to get the law fixed? Yes.

Conspiracy? No. Suggestions of mafia-like behavior? Childish and insulting, but definitely gets headlines and attention.

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Christie didn't say "I wish this is repealed, but it's my duty"; he said it's for the good of the consumer. It is industry protection.

There are all sorts of laws on the books that we've agreed are idiotic and are no longer enforced. It's up to the executive to determine which those ones are, and, as time progresses, some laws become so outdated that no rational minded person would ever think of enforcing them.

What if the law had suggested that Office and Automotive equipment could not be sold directly (perhaps harkening back to a time when the Large Automotive and Office Equipment resellers had built up their distributorship); are you seriously suggesting that means Apple Stores should have been shut down in New Jersey?

Europeans (mostly Germans) I've talked to about how we do this in the US shake their heads. These shenanigans along with the "speed limit+9mph" informal rule make them comment that the US is really a stealth police state.

EDIT: There's a precedent for "two sets of laws" in the US, some of the most prominent of which are related to civil rights and sexual orientation.

Just to clarify for any europeans who might have read this, ""speed limit+9mph" informal rule " - is a rule (at least in California) for what your minimum speed on the freeway/highway should politely be.

Anybody traveling slower than this needs to be in the slower right lanes to avoid getting tailgated or inspiring road rage.

I've often wondered if anybody traveling at (or just over) the speed limit on the freeway has ever been pulled over by the police for obstructing the flow of traffic.

I'm european and i can tell you that you will get tailgated, headlight-flashed and all around road-raged if you drive at the speed limit in the left-most highway lane in EVERY SINGLE EU country.

You won't get pulled by cops tho.

so true

Some states have laws that restrict use of left lanes for passing. Many states have laws requiring drivers who are moving slower than the rest of the traffic, regardless of the speed limit, to keep right.

Most of the time if somebody is going the speed limit for any length of time in the left lane, there often is legitimately is an issue that they can be ticketed for.

http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/right.html

I'm pretty sure that "speed limit + 9mph" refers to the unwritten rule that you are allowed to exceed the speed limit by 9mph and not get a ticket. Cops don't typically pull people over for less than 10mph over the limit on the freeway. They are allowed to (and do at times if they have a particular bug in their hat or have a quota to fill) but that is not the norm.

Based on the California driving code you are supposed to keep up with the flow of the traffic on the road around you so if the rest of the road is going 70mph in theory you could get a ticket for doing 60mph.

Generally unless you are the only car on the road or you are weaving dangerously between cars at high speed its unlikely you will get a speeding ticket if you are part of a pack of cars for this reason.

Then again I'm not a lawyer so don't go off my knowledge ;)

I'm reading this as a half joke or deliberate troll. "Speed limit + 9" is the typical speed on most of the Bay Area highways I drive on.

No - I was absolutely serious. If you travel slower than Speed Limit + 9 in the left-most lane when traffic is clear, you will annoy people, cause people to swerve around you, and generally increase the odds of an accident.

Drivers who are driving slower than this speed need to move over rightwards. Speed Limit + 9 is a minimum speed for the leftmost lane.

It's actually more like speed limit + 15-20, in the fast lane.

Try going less than 80mph in the fast lane on 101, 280 or 880 when traffic allows for it. Just try.

I always stay out of the fast lane.

You should get tailgated, headlight-flashed and all around road-raged if you drive at any speed in the left lane and you are not passing.

I'm not particularly well versed in the specifics of the Tesla situation, and I'm not a lawyer, by any means; I'm saying this as a general consideration. I would tend toward thinking that the selective enforcement or reinforcement of antiquated laws could be seen as just as negative, if the outcome is the same.

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