“No, we are doing this because these vehicles will kill you,” Cincinnati police Sgt. Danita Kilgore said.
Kilgore balked at the insinuation that the vehicles were being targeted.
“You know, I might buy that argument if it were the vice or dope cops out there writing the tickets, but it’s not,” Kilgore said, adding, “80 to 90 percent of the citations are written by traffic officers. That’s all they do all day, keep the roads safe.’
The sergeant said it is no different than skateboard laws, a sport that has a primarily young white male fan base.
“For whatever reason, you don’t seen too many African-Americans on skateboards, does that mean we should not enforce the laws because we are going to be ticketing Caucasian boys?” said Kilgore, who is the mother of teenage son.
Action gets reaction, she said.
“We have seen an increase of these cars, therefore we are citing more people. It is that simple,” Kilgore said.
Some of the vehicles are modified with rims so big that the vehicle is lifted so high that a crash could result in little protection, other than a windshield. The gas tank also is exposed that could result in an explosion on impact.
“We don’t want people being decapitated or blown up in a vehicle,” Kilgore said.
Some modifications can result in the tires rubbing against the rim and just generally not steering properly.
Cincinnati is enforcing a section of Ohio law that states, “No person shall drive or move, or knowingly permit to be driving or moved, on any highway, any vehicle or combination of vehicles which is in such unsafe condition as to endanger any person.”
Most cities, including Middletown and Hamilton, have their own versions of the unsafe motor vehicle law.
Kilgore said big-rimmed vehicles are not the only ones being cited.
“There are also sorts of dangerous vehicles out there,” she said.
Kilgore said she recently saw televisions installed into the air bag compartments of a car.
Middletown police Maj. Mark Hoffman said the city has a safe vehicle ordinance, but has not had an upturn in citations.
“The law is open to a lot of interpretations,” Hoffman said, adding there are a whole lot of things that could be considered unsafe under the city’s ordinance, including gaping rust hole, doors wired shut, a bumper attached with rope and badly cracked windshields.
“For the most part if we are issuing citations, it would likely be as a result of the condition of the vehicle being a causative factor in an accident or something like that,” Hoffman said, “But for the most part we don’t see a lot of cars that are grossly jacked up.”
Eddie Sorrell, owner of Dan’s Tire Center in Middletown, said the bigger the better seems to be the trend now. But there are ways to get the look, but be safe.
“The problem is sometimes they don’t want to spend the money,” Sorrell said.
He decided against installing 28-inch rims on his 2000 Silverado when the job, done right, came with a $1,700 price tag.
“You can go with an oversize rim for your car if you get the whole package that will make sure it is safe,” Sorrell said, but he noted he has had car owners ask him to cut corners, even cut off the catalytic converter, to accommodate special modifications.
“No, we just won’t do it,” Sorrell said. Be he added he will sell them the rims.
“I am not going to lose a $3,000 sale. If they go somewhere else that’s their business,” Sorrell said.
He agreed donks appeal to a “flashier” owner and there are more of them now. He recently invested in equipment that can install up to 30-inch rims.
“You usually don’t get a lot of guys in here in business suits that want 28-inch rims,” Sorrell said with a laugh.
Vehicle manufacturers also are catching onto the big rim trend, with several models sporting big rims including the Camaro and Charger.
“If it is done by a professional, I don’t see the safety risk,” Sorrell said. “But if it is not done right, you can lose the handle of the whole car. That’s dangerous.”
Oversized rims are a nonissue in the city of Hamilton, according to police Chief Neil Ferdelman.
“We are very conservative,” Ferdelman said with a bit of a chuckle. “Sometimes it takes trends longer to get here.”
Ferdelman said the city does have an unsafe motor vehicle ordinance but has not cited or towed any cars with big rims.
“We just haven’t seen a big problem with it,” he said.
The chief noted many years ago, the city also adopted an altered suspension law because pickup truck drivers were raising their vehicles so high the gas tank was exposed.
“But really we are not seeing much of the right now, either,” Ferdelman said.
Terry Geyer, manager of J&J Tires on High Street in Hamilton said his business also has seen an increase in big rim enthusiasts, but that safety also is key.
“If we put oversize tires on, we make sure there is clearance,” Geyer said.
Ron Singleton of the Hamilton Corvette Club who has owned more than 20 of his favorite model over the years said he understands the attraction of the big shinny rims.
“Chrome’s pretty,” he said, but added those who add a 30-inch wheel to a vehicle not built for it are risking their own safety.
“And some of the those guys have more money in the wheels and tires than in the car,” he said.
The Specialty Equipment Association, which consists of aftermarket manufactures, distributors and equipment manufacturers, issued an alert when the Cincinnati police alert came to light.
According to that alert, the police department explained the enforcement is concerned with a vehicle that does not comply with bumper height restrictions, the steering wheel is unable to go from right lock position to left lock position or the tires come into contact with the vehicle frame and the brakes are not up to standard in terms of brake pads and calipers.
“We encourage SAN members to assess their vehicles with larger-sized wheels for compliance ... If you believe that you are being targeted by law enforcement despite compliance standards, we welcome being aware of the circumstances of your citation,” the alert says.
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