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Old 02-24-2005, 12:28 PM   #1
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Do Skoolie Drivers Draw more attn from Police?

I posted a message about VW roof grafts and have read other messages (i.e. one on choosing a color for your bus) where the conversation turns to dealing with the police. There were so many posts I thought it might be better to have one thread for all the useful information being offered.

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Old 02-24-2005, 01:53 PM   #2
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Last summer my steering arm broke, this made it VERY difficult to turn because it caused an increased turning radius when making a left turn.

One night I was making a left turn in a residential area and there was a cop behind me, I wasn't able to make the turn and had to reverse to make another go at it, the cop had to back up also because he was too close. I was sure he was going to pull me over but he didn't, he just waited to see me get going and then went the other direction.

That is the only time I have probably been close to being pulled over and I have done a lot of in city driving with the police present.
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Old 02-24-2005, 05:00 PM   #3
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I am a Police Officer and I can give you at least my opinion. Wild airbrushed murals resembling black light posters or questionable bumper stickers like marijuana leaves or Grateful Dead stickers just might get you more attention than you want. If I dress like a deer and walk through the woods on all fours at hunting time I will probably get shot by a hunter, even though I am not really a deer. Moral...if you dress it up to get attention you will probably get attention, good and bad. If you put a VW on the roof but the bus is conservatively painted and looks like a nice RV (like the white one with pull-outs) you won't get the negative attention you don't want, even though it has a VW on the roof. Steve has a very nicely painted bus that looks like a family RV and he gets no unwanted looks from law enforcement. I always appreciate quality workmanship and a well done conversion gets that kind of attention from me. Do the bus any way you dream is my advice, but keep in mind that the outer colors (more than anything) and statements made on the outside are what will get you the negative attention, more than the style of conversion.

Just my opinion.
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Old 02-24-2005, 06:14 PM   #4
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I'M sure there are vehicles that attract more attention than mine, but my bus definately does not blend in with most other vehicles.

Not only is it a large vehicle, but it's painted black with flames, and i'm always leaking gallons of water onto the road/parking lot ect. So far, in over 26,000 miles i've never been pulled over in the bus while driving. I've been harassed slightly by the police once or twice while parked, but those are the only negative responses i've had from the cops.

Speeding is never a problem in the bus !

On the flip side....when i'm hanging out in the parking lot and there's a bunch of people standing around, a police car seems to always drive by to see what's going on. I try to make it a point to always invite them in, usually they accept. Quite often, they'll leave. A while later, two cop cars return. The first officer wants to show his buddy how cool the bus is. This has happened tome ton's of times!

I've thought to myself that if i were a police officer, i'd try to find an excuse to pull over a bus like mine. It looks like there coule be hulliganism going on inside.
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Old 02-28-2005, 04:28 AM   #5
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re: pulled over by the police...

I have never been stopped by the police. My bus is maxed out at 55 mph and I don't act like an idiot on the road. I have had cops check the bus out while I was stopped but they were all smiles and even had one that wanted pictures of it. Maybe they were just trying to get a feel of where my head was at or trying to see if I would get freaked by them being around the bus but I have never had them give me a hard time.

Yes, my bus looks wierd...
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Old 02-28-2005, 01:21 PM   #6
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Even we appreciate cool art and hard work. Yours has so much detail that every look yields some discovery you missed on the last pass.
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