Dutch Chases Dirt!

Nobody's Business gives us the poop on a Dutch law banning messy cars:

The Dutch Secretary of Transportation, Karla Peijs, has decreed that loose objects are no longer allowed in Dutch cars, as everything that isn't tied down might become a projectile in the event of a crash. So starting next January, drivers unlucky enough to be caught with an open glove compartment, a handbag on the floor, or an unsecured book on the backseat, will face hefty fines.

Whole thing here.

Obsure headline link here.

Comments

[Amanda Hugginkiss]

I'd like Ms. Peijs to tell me where the heck I should put my stuffed animal collection now that I can no longer arrange them in my rear windshield.

[joe]

Don't worry, Madam Minister, that Garfield is securely fastened inside the door.

[keith]

This is why they sell stuffed animals with suction cup feet.

You know, as derailed as America has become, things like this make me happy I'm not a European. Outloawing crap lying around in the car? Why do the Dutch hate freedom?

[independent worm]

Not to worry. We'll have that here soon. Might as well start practicing now.

[Evan Williams]

How absurd! Next thing you know, our leaders will be forcing us to wear seatbelts for our own protection!

Oh, wait. Fuck!

[Hakluyt]

There are lot more interesting things happening in Europe right now.

[smacky]

Wow....wow.

If having crap lying around in your car was ever banned in the US, I'd be in some serious financial trouble. More or less, parts of my life are always in my car, rolling around and falling on the floor when I make sharp turns. I like to think of it as a game: try and keep my free-falling clutter away from my gas and brake pedals.

[durandal]

To be fair, the Elsevier article pointed to by the blog does say that the regulation must still be approved by the Dutch legislature (the Tweede Kamer). Having lived in Amsterdam for a few years now, I've noticed that this sort of nonsense often gets put forward by the Christian Democrats, who must feel obliged to put forward legislation while their party maintains its tenuous grip on power. Given the situation, I'd be very surprised if this got passed. Even if it did, the enforcement level would be about the same as that of the Dutch marijuana laws; i.e., none at all.

Cheers,

Michael

[joe]

"Why do the Dutch hate freedom?"

Probably because of all the you-know-whos.

[No Humor Till All The World's]

There are lot more interesting things happening in Europe right now.

Thank you for putting it all in perspective.

[Hakluyt]

No Humor,

I'm surprised there hasn't been a blog entry about the Sarkozy-Merkel lovefest. 🙂

[WSDave]

Will they also be fined for having their brains rolling around in their cars, since they're obviously not in their heads?

[Johnny Clarke]

We've got a ways to go before we reach the Dutch level of paranoia...here in the Puget Sound area we still can't keep people from being killed by unsecured crap falling OFF of other people's cars...

[s.a.m.]

Johnny,

Funny you bring this up unless you saw that couch in the middle of highway 99 near East Marginal yesterday morning. I fully concur with you, especially around Tacoma!

[Highway]

I see they've gone with the "It's for your own good!" argument over the "It's for the environment!" one, since it can be argued that every extra bit of weight in the car can add to the fuel used, and therefore pollution generated by said vehicle. Isn't it nice to have such an array of specious justifications for silly laws?

[Mr. Nice Guy]

"Having lived in Amsterdam for a few years now"

You're my hero 🙂

[Dynamist]

Probably because of all the you-know-whos.

Planners?

🙂

[Eric the .5b]

durandal:

Thanks for the perspective, Michael.

[Stevo Darkly]

Wow. If having a cluttered car interior was against the law here, I'd be, like, the Charles Manson of car clutter.

Although, like smacky, I do keep the area around the pedals clutter-free.

[Shawn Levasseur]

Knowing how cluttered my car is, it's a good thing I'm not Dutch. I probably would have earned the death penalty by now!

[smacky]

Stevo,

Oh, yeah? I'll one-up you: I'd be the Ted Bundy of car clutter.

(How's that for an offensive degradation of serious crime? Godwin's Law ain't got nothin' on me. ^_^ )

[Jennifer]

I'd be willing to put up with it in exchange for legalized pot. But I doubt this silly bill will pass anyway.

[The Hitler of Car Clutter]

Smacky and Steve are wussies.

[Dynamist]

Who's the Ted Kacszynski of car clutter?

Or the Ted Kennedy of car clutter?
(the car went off the bridge because an empty Scotch bottle was under the brake pedal)

Or the Ted Knight of car clutter?

[Mo]

I guess I'm the Osama bin Laden of car clutter. Though it's organized clutter. I have to make sure the heavy stuff rests on top of the light stuff or papers fly out of the car when the top's down (for random attacks on unsuspecting vehicles).

[Jennifer]

The Ted Kaczynski of car clutter would be the dolt I read about in a "weird news" article once, who siphoned gasoline out of a car and thought an electric vacuum cleaner would be a good way to do it. I'm no math genius, but I know that gasoline + electricity = BOOM!

And now he does too.

[Mo]

And here I thought the Ted Kaczynski of car clutter would have an electric vehicle full of empty UPS boxes and then get turned in by his brother.