Man with suspended license appears in Michigan court over Zoom while driving - eviltoast
  • Hacksaw@lemmy.ca
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    6 months ago

    I’m really torn about this. He’s in jail now for driving without a license. That in itself doesn’t harm anyone. It could very well be that he just didn’t have the money to renew his driver’s license. Doesn’t seem like the kind of thing deserving of jail time by itself. As for the driving, in a lot of places it’s not possible to keep a job, or go to the doctors office, without a car.

    That being said, since he doesn’t have a license, his insurance, even if he had any, is void and therefore he is a liability. He clearly isn’t going to stop driving when he isn’t legally entitled to.

    In a society where driving isn’t often optional, I feel like the law is more callous than necessary. I don’t have a solution though. Maybe drivers licenses could be free so that your license would only be suspended for cause?

    The video is absolutely hilarious though. The comedic timing is as good as a sitcom. No marks.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldOP
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      6 months ago

      You have given many reasons he might be driving without a license.

      You haven’t given any for the reason he might be doing it while on a zoom trial with a judge for doing so in the first place. Which is the real reason why he’s in jail now.

      • Otakulad@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        Many states also have a no use of cell phone while driving law, which he is clearly breaking.

      • Promethiel@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        Your Honor, if I may Devil’s Advocate for that other poster;

        To be the victim of a callous system designed with apathy at best and cruelty at worst…

        and to be a profound fool who never picks up any chance to put two neurons together to a task however many chances are given…

        Is not mutually exclusive. 🤣. You might even be acquainted with a few folks miraculously barely navigating the concrete jungle already.

        It’s always a tragic story from some angle, but empathy doth need a break sometimes, that’s why we developed humor to uncomfortably bridge the gap.

        Don’t Zoom and Drive people, court or not.

    • Pips@lemmy.sdf.org
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      6 months ago

      Don’t do the thing you’re being accused of while appearing before a judge is common sense though. It is so incredibly easy to not physically be in a car for this hearing.

      • Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social
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        6 months ago

        I’d think it would be common sense not to be driving when you have a court appearance. I’d put on at least a collared shirt and a tie and take the call from a quiet place where there’s nothing else going on.

    • Perfide@reddthat.com
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      6 months ago

      On one hand you’re not wrong. I’ve been driving with expired plates all year because I can’t afford the work needed to pass emissions, and I already used my hardship extension last year. The alternative is losing my job, my ability to get a job, my ability to get to a grocery store in under an hour, etc…

      On the other hand, though… I’m not sure what this guy was expecting. Like, the vast majority of the cops in my area do not give a flying fuck about expired plates, but I’m still gonna make a turn I didn’t need to if it means avoiding passing a cop. This guy literally livestreamed himself committing the crime he was accused of directly to the judge.

      • Hacksaw@lemmy.ca
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        6 months ago

        Oh yeah, that was a real stupid moment in this guy’s life. No defending that. And having that on video is just awesome! This guy will never live this down lol

    • HobbitFoot @thelemmy.club
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      6 months ago

      Suspension of a license is usually because the state has deemed that the driver is not fit to drive for various reasons, either criminal or medical. Not paying the renewal fee usually just means the license lapses and the penalities are far less.