There is a small article in the WSJ today mentioning that New York, Iowa and Virginia have (or have had) proposed legislation to ban spinners on car wheels, on the grounds that they are distracting and may cause confusion at intersections. I think if you're too stupid to be able to look at a car (hello, the whole car, they're kinda big?) and tell whether it's moving or not then you're too stupid to have a driver's license. And of course you have those handy dandy road signals to help you out, too. Jeez. Wouldn't want anyone to actually engage their brain whilst driving, now would we?
I know--it's bad for people's self-esteem! They see the spinners and think the car is moving. When they realize it isn't moving after all they cry boo hoo! I got tricked! That mean person made me feel bad! Obviously we need to legislate that cruel and unusual experience out of existence, so they can go find something else to whine about.
Hi there! Just followed a link from Mr. DuToit's site to here, and had to respond to this one.
I think you're a little off-base here. They're the coming thing among certain elements of the socio-economic ladder down here, and I and some friends of mine (one of whom is a professional driver, BTW) have had a few run-ins with these spinners. Granted, if you look at them directly, yes, you can see the rest of the car is not moving, but if you're at an intersection and catch a glimpse of something moving out of the corner of your eye, you're gonna react because instinct is telling you something's coming at you from over there -- and while you're looking at the nice person with the spinners, you're not paying attention to the other (moving!) vehicles around you. Yes, it only takes a second or so to ID the spinner-wearing vehicle as not moving, but that is more than enough time for someone who is moving to ruin your whole day.
So, no, I wouldn't cry if the spinners were banned. In my opinion they do constitute a clear safety hazard in certain situations.