Dear Sultan of the Streets: I'm headed south on Interstate 30 and exit at Sixth Street. Parked in the natural-gas refueling station is a bright red Dodge with a bold ASP logo painted on the passenger side front panel. Nothing at all on the driver's side. What's up with this? -- Hot Tamale
Dear Tamale: This sounded familiar in the morass of our mind. Here's the skinny.
Way back in December 2008, the Arkansas State Police introduced roving stealth cars. They are as you describe, with logo on the passenger side. No lights on top.
Troopers are to operate them only in daylight on multilane and controlled access highways. Uniformed troopers are to move safely alongside the left side of a vehicle and make eye contact with the driver, so that the latter can see and recognize the logo. The trooper then should fall back behind the driver and make the traffic stop. The cars are equipped with blue lights on the front and rear.
Stealth patrols are designed to monitor hazardous driving in congested divided highways. Tickets issued by stealth troopers generally include following too closely, careless and prohibited driving, and reckless driving.
Dear Mahatma: Since arriving in Arkansas in 1992, I always hear people speak of wrecks, not accidents or fender-benders, terms used elsewhere. Another common phrase is "my stomach is all tore up," rather than "I have a tummy-ache." -- Loyal Reader
Dear Reader: You refer to a recent column in which we found no material difference between a wreck, an accident, mishap or any other reference to a traffic collision.
Regarding "all tore up," this also refers to unrequited love. As in: "He is all tore up because his girlfriend dropped him like a bad habit."
Dear Mahatma: Left turns from a one-way street to a one-way street have been allowed since 1987 via Arkansas Code Annotated 27-52-107. If prohibited, there's a sign such as at Second and Center streets in Little Rock. Why hasn't the word filtered down to drivers? After 29 years, someone else should have picked up on it. -- I'm a Lawyer Too
Dear Lawyer: Rumor has it your law degree came from a venerable and reputable institution. Ours, on the other hand, came from that electronic thingee, the Interweb.
In any event, you are correct. Traffic in the left lane of a one-way street, after coming to a complete stop facing a red light, may cautiously enter the intersection to make a left turn into the left lane of a one-way street. Unless, of course, there is a sign saying don't.
This is the mirror opposite of making a right turn on red after a stop. The Mahatma does this from time to time at Sixth and Cumberland.
Why don't drivers take advantage of this move? They aren't paying close attention, because the matter has been included in this column about six times. Wake up, people.
Vanity plate seen on a convertible: 40 LOVE.
Metro on 10/22/2016