N Y new hitch law?

[mudmaker]

No offense, but it is usually best to watch where you are walking. I really don't see why anyone would be casually walking that close to the back of a vehicle to hit the hitch (unless of course you had a 2ft extension for a camper or something).

[StanleyZ]

First, let me say that I would be very opposed to a law about it and I hope you're wrong about NY. But, it's like this, it's evening and the light is about gone, you walk along and there is traffic going both directions between the rows of cars and you're carrying some packages and walking with the wife. You move over for traffic and walk behind this truck parked nose in. The next thing you know you're shin is on fire and you are jumping in pain between the passing cars and it hurts like hell. Now, in hind sight you know ya should have looked, but that doesn't make it hurt any less. right after it happened I contemplated the penalty for murder and weighed the difference between 1st and second degree, and could I get it reduced to man slaughter. I can't count the number of times since I've seen trucks parked the same way with the hitch in. I'm always tempted to steal the hitch but I doubt the owner would get why it was gone. I've driven a truck for much of my adult life and used receiver hitches just as long. When I'm not using it I take the hitch out. It's just one of those things I do for society, like not disabling my muffler or farting in the elevator. Some things I don't need a law to tell me to do.

[ClydeSDale]

Originally Posted by StanleyZ

.....I can't count the number of times since I've seen trucks parked the same way with the hitch in. I'm always tempted to steal the hitch but I doubt the owner would get why it was gone. I've driven a truck for much of my adult life and used receiver hitches just as long. When I'm not using it I take the hitch out. It's just one of those things I do for society, like not disabling my muffler or farting in the elevator. Some things I don't need a law to tell me to do.

Well stated and true.

One of the main problems that I see in our seemingly degenerative society is

way to much emphasis on "Don't tell ME!"

and not nearly enough on "What's best for US?"

[bunklash]

and not nearly enough on "What's best for US?"

Yup, and too much "What's in it for ME?"

[n4aof]

Originally Posted by slappysdump

I don't think the law has anything to do with causing less damage if involved in an accident-it has to do with people walking around the truck when its parked.

I doubt that it has to do with the hitch at all. If you bother to find the law in any of the states, the only one's I have seen prohibit having ANYTHING protruding from any vehicle.

Once you realize that, two things become clear:
1) The law does make good sense
2) The only cops who enforce it for a normal receiver hitch are ones who have banged their shin on some a-hole's hitch in the past.

[bunklash]

People with enough consideration and common sense don't need a law to remove this obvious hazard. People lacking in same are the ones who will resent the law.
Have we batted this one around enough yet?

[teufeltruck60]

Put a Joe hauler in the hitch, That sticks out way farther and does not hace a ball so it would be exempt from the given law.

[ClydeSDale]

Originally Posted by bunklash

People with enough consideration and common sense don't need a law to remove this obvious hazard. People lacking in same are the ones who will resent the law.
Have we batted this one around enough yet?

Evidently not ...

[Sycostang67]

I have a B&W stinger, pop 2 pins and the ball end swings under the truck. It weighs a ton so it's nice to not have to remove it. It's also held in with a locking cross pin. It still hangs down to stop the little cars from going under my truck but doesn't stick out to catch any shins.

[teufeltruck60]

Also, if someone is that close to my truck, I hope they whack their shin.

[bunklash]

"Also, if someone is that close to my truck, I hope they whack their shin."

There's a winning attitude.

What goes around, comes around.

[grafekie]

So nobody is allowed to walk near your vehicle in a parking lot or on the street? Why, do you own that territory? Quite frankly I'm quite surprised and shocked with the attude shown here... *shakes head*

[mudmaker]

I guess I don't understand how you hit your shin on a vehicle you are not getting into the back of. That is what my reference to you shouldn't be that close to my vehicle.

If you are walking between vehicles in a parking lot there are a lot of things that can catch you shins. You have to be careful and watch where you are walking.

[bunklash]

Some more Einstein-level logic here:
"If you are walking between vehicles in a parking lot there are a lot of things that can catch your shins."

Oh yeah? Like what? By that logic, because hazards exist we should do nothing to eliminate or alleviate ones we have control over?

"You have to be careful and watch where you are walking."

Like another poster mentioned, people out and about very, very often have other things on their minds, in their hands/arms, in their eyes (watching for traffic), and any number of other distractions. But that's their problem, I know. Nothing in it for you, so why should you care?

You really ought to think before you post. You are not portraying yourself in a favorable manner.

"It is far better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

[StanleyZ]

If you are walking between vehicles in a parking lot there are a lot of things that can catch you shins. You have to be careful and watch where you are walking.[/quote]


OK, I couldn't pass this up. Other than a hitch sticking out a foot or more at almost exactly shin level, name one. Cause I can't think of anything else that sticks out like that. I mean curb feelers went out in the 50s and they would only tickle your ankles. Mirrors have some give and don't hurt. If you happen to run up on a 59 caddy I guess those big tits that stick out on the front might get ya, but I think they were more like thigh high. So, I await some examples.

As for how it can happen see my post above. In the end it comes down to this for me, I can think of at least two good reason to take mine out, safety and theft prevention. I can't think of any good reasons for leaving it in. Well, maybe laziness.