New York takes a second look at banning spinners

We know what you're thinking holmes: oh no they di'n't! Well, unfortunately, yes they did. Senator John Sabini is a source of the reintroduction of a bill (S.B. 1640) that would ban "spinners," with fines of $750 for the third and subsequent violations. Like a lot of other cases where the Government gets involved in issues which potentially breach the line between public and private life, a lobby group has already taken up the case of defending New Yorker's rights to spin to their heart's content: the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA for short) has already laid out a list of problems with the bill. SEMA argues that S.B. 1640 ignores the fact that custom wheels aren't prohibited under Federal law, that manufacturers are already required to notify the Government of safety problems within five days, and the fact that spinners are shown to have no detrimental effect on safety. As our Autoblog colleagues point out, the possibility that spinners could be distracting isn't a reasonable justification for the bill either: hubcap ads and even rims with integrated LEDs will remain legal if the bill becomes law. SEMA is calling for all spinner aficionados to get in touch with Senator Sabini and members of the New York Senate Transportation Committee, where the bill was recently referred.

[Via Autoblog]

[Dan @ Feb 18th 2007 3:27PM]

The plastic ones from Canadian Tire are so much better than the good ones.

[Brian @ Feb 18th 2007 3:28PM]

He just can't handle the power of the spinning bling, he is not worthy.

[Nick @ Feb 18th 2007 3:41PM]

I am thinking they meant "rims with integrated LEDs" rather than "rims with integrated LCDs" at the end.

[pyro @ Feb 18th 2007 3:41PM]

"LCDs" should be changed to "LEDs". Also, this article has almost nothing to do with gadgets or electronics.

[Smacksmackums @ Feb 18th 2007 3:47PM]

Don't see how they're such a distraction. Maybe these politicians should be working on more effective proposals.

[s @ Feb 18th 2007 3:57PM]

This is my message I sent:
--

Mr. John Sabini,

I would like to ask that you repeal your quest to ban Spinner Rims. I have recently read that you are trying to ban the rims based on the fact that they are “distracting” and can be potentially dangerous.

With all due respect, please mind your business. It is not your job to protect everyone and frankly this seems more like a personal vendetta rather than an important quest to help careless drivers.

If you don’t personally like the rims then don’t buy them, but banning them is out right ridiculous and not something that the government should have the say in.

I do not personally own, nor do I want to own Spinner rims, but I do feel that as Americans we should have the right to choose.

Why not ban tires? They spin. You could also ban Rear View Mirrors because I can look in them while driving and that takes my eyes off the road in front of me…also a distraction.

It seems to me that this is yet another way for the government to infringe on our rights as Americans to live how we want to. The fact that you may or may not like the car accessory should not play a roll in this, but given how politics typically run things, they probably do.

Sir, I hope you have a splendid weekend but please try and refrain from making decisions that will cause undue fines to people that are not bothering anyone.

[ManekiNeko @ Feb 18th 2007 4:05PM]

Wow, New York really gets off on stealing peoples' rights. Pretty soon you'll have to ask permission to BREATHE in that state.

JR

[morcheeba @ Feb 18th 2007 4:18PM]

It's not that spinners are distracting... it's that they inhibit my ability to determine if a car is stopped or not. Yeah, of course I look at the car in general to see if it's moving, but the wheels are a good sign, too. Not only am I looking at the direction the wheel is aimed*, I also look at the top of the wheel, which moves at twice the speed of the car.

Personally, I think they look awesome. But, as a motorcyclist, I need to use every piece of information available to me. Most car/bike accidents are left-turning cars who fail to yield -- I need to know if they see me, and I have found that eye contact is not 100% reliable.

So, summary... put spinners on trunk-mounted wheels (which also look awesome... hey, I'm a child of the 70's!). I love under-car lights. Bring on the LED rims... Put as many distractions on the car as you want -- just don't conceal the intentions of the driver (and, yes, that includes limo tint on the driver's side window).

* Don't get me started on turn signals.

[Dave @ Feb 18th 2007 8:43PM]

"Personally, I think they look awesome. But, as a motorcyclist, I need to use every piece of information available to me."

Well why don't we just ban motorcycles? That would solve the problem.

[kuzu-b @ Feb 18th 2007 4:45PM]

I think spinners are ugly, gaudy, and stupid, however, the last time I checked, New York was located in AMERICA. If people want to waste money on making their cars look like crap, they have every right to do so as long as it does not compromise the safety factor of the vehicle (the "distracting" crap is BS used to hide behind what is a personally motivated opinion, which has not place in the governing of the people.)

[TheBugMan @ Feb 18th 2007 5:08PM]

Like morcheeba wrote, I ride a bike and look at everything while riding. When spinners first came out I would almost come to complete stops after seeing a cars rims moving in my direction. Now I'm more aware of these things but still hesitate when I see them moving in my direction.
I don't hate the spinners though, just means I have to pay more attention.

[CyBeR @ Feb 18th 2007 5:15PM]

Good riddance. Those things are fugly and people who want to buy them should be protected from themselves.

[Brian @ Feb 18th 2007 5:18PM]

Senator John D. Sabini has been accused of racism before: http://ftl.nypress.com/blog.cfm?blog_id=859

[mike @ Feb 18th 2007 5:22PM]

are you serious, you look at the rim to see if the car is coming, how about just the fact that the car is coming at you? if the rest of the car isn't moving but the rims are spinning, would generally mean that the car isn't in motion don't you think?

[TheBugMan @ Feb 18th 2007 5:33PM]

Like I said before... When you have been using moving wheels as one of many factors your whole life to determine movement of a vehicle it can make you hesitate. My life depends on me noticing drivers eye, tire direction, ground cover, lighting, blind spots, animals, peds, are they on a phone, blah, blah, yadda, etc... It's like if you make red=go and green=stop to me. I wouldn't be surprised if you don't understand, most drivers are oblivious!

[Leoedin @ Feb 18th 2007 5:39PM]

you, sir, are an idiot.

Surely you understand that when you're riding a bike, you only have a short period of time to determine whether a car is moving. As was said before, the wheel rim moves at twice the speed of the car. Therefore, it is easier to detect movement. It is very hard to judge accurately the speed of a car, especially when you're moving at considerable speed in a different direction.

[interlard @ Feb 18th 2007 5:29PM]

They should make the big, gay, soccer-mom death wagons that these bling Jersey scum drive illegal too. And Jersey scum in general. I got issues with you people!

[Charles R Hamilton @ Feb 18th 2007 6:25PM]

The story (conveniently?) neglected to mention that Sen. Sabini is a Democrat, so I will. WTF is up with NY Democrats wanting to ban every thing? Spinners, iPods, Trans fats etc etc etc. Who do those elitist snobs think they are?

[John Doe @ Feb 18th 2007 6:29PM]

Unfortunately you can't fine someone for extraordinarily bad taste. People who have spinners on their cars need to be put in rehab. Or need to get a penis enlargement.

[Aaron @ Feb 18th 2007 7:04PM]

I think this is good legislation. Nothing more annoying then going through a 4 way intercestion and seeing the guy on the other sides wheels moving... Its just a saftey hazard and they serve no purpose.

[regomodo @ Feb 18th 2007 7:13PM]

i too am a biker and the first time i saw a car with shiny spinners (those BMW x5), i got spun the f**k out and had to slow down as i was confused on what was going on.

Yes, you do look at almost everything whilst riding a bike i.e. the drivers face, rims, the way the wheels are pointing

Personally i think they are a joke but thankfully i haven't seen any others. The worst things i have to deal with are those who drive with their eyes closed, non-existent mirrors, and broken indicators. Of course they aren't, the just don't give a damn (can you tell i've been t-boned whilst on roundabout by a female driver?)

[mr friggles @ Feb 18th 2007 7:31PM]

morcheeba, get laid. you're waaaay too uptight.

This law is aimed at a particular "demographic", and their is more likely this bill is a product of animosity toward that "demographic" than it is out of concern for drivers.

This bill is a day late and dollar short anyway because spinners are going out-of-trend except for the most expensive (10K+).

[Jeremy @ Feb 18th 2007 7:36PM]

Ya know, I personally have nothing against spinners and I always get a kick out of some beater Oldsmobile rolling on 22s with spinners.

But, until I saw a car stop at an intersection with them at the front of line of cross traffic, I never realized how my brain correlated spinning wheels with a car being in motion. My initial reaction was "oh *&%#, this car's running the light", which it obviously didn't, but my brain definitely had a moment of confusion about what was going on.

It was at this moment I thought to my self that spinners could actually pose a danger because of how our brains have been trained to perceive certain things.

BTW, I'm an athlete (so I have pretty good hand-eye coordination) and I also always score exceedingly well on spatial perception-related tests.

[patrick @ Feb 18th 2007 7:52PM]

Although I like others that have commented don't particularly like spinners. Nor do I like the cars with rims that are entirely too big for the car. Not the Pickup trucks but the '85 cutlass that has a 24" rim they just look stupid to me. But anyway where was I going with this? oh yea even though I don't like them I believe it is a persons right to have them if they want. Same thing with the IPOD thing if someone is too stupid to pay attention while they are crossing a busy street especially in NY they they deserve what they get kinda like natural selection. Also I have been driving a motorcycle for over 15yrs and I look at the car in relation to the environment to determine if it is moving not the freaking tires. And I dang sure don't freak out if I see the rims moving because I have already noticed that the car isn't in relation to the ground or surrounding buildings. And I have never been in an accident either.

[reallycheep @ Feb 18th 2007 7:56PM]

How about instead of giving tickets to people who already have them, maybe just prohibit sales of new spinner rims? Don't punish the poor saps who have already sunk $3K into a set of custom rims.

@morcheeba, TheBugMan, I hear what you're saying. I've wanted a motorcycle my whole life, but I've never bought one because they just seem way too dangerous. You have the right to ride a motorcycle, but you're already endangering your life every time you get on one, and you obviously realize that's just one of the trade-offs when you choose to ride a bike. Do the spinning rims really make biking that much more dangerous for you?

[B @ Feb 18th 2007 7:57PM]

I don't own spinners and don't really care if others do own them. However if spinners distract your driving that much, you shouldn't be allowed to have a license.

[Jeff @ Feb 18th 2007 8:43PM]

"WTF is up with NY Democrats wanting to ban every thing?"

Yeah, you mean like, say, flag burning, gay marriage, or political dissent?

Oh wait.

[Paul @ Feb 18th 2007 9:27PM]

The government is just trying to save retarded people money.

There are stupid people out there who will spend and can barely afford $3000 for some spinners or any other useless car modification instead of supporting their family.

Ghetto people I'm looking at you!

[Paul @ Feb 18th 2007 9:30PM]

For those who say that spinners are not a distraction... Why else would people pay 3-10k for rims?
Obviously for attention, they want people to look at them and they want to look cool.

So either the people who buy spinners are complete retards for buying a product that doesn't do what they want it to do (cause attention and distract people) or they do cause distraction and the people who buy them are STILL retarded.

[Dave @ Feb 18th 2007 10:09PM]

Personally, I think they're hideous--and I find them distracting. I also find motorcycles, attractive women, billboards, outrageously-dressed people, really short people, really tall people, people missing limbs, and buses distracting--let's ban them, too. Intolerance and freedom cannot coexist. Let people do what they want with their money. You don't have to like it.

[Big @ Feb 18th 2007 10:25PM]

America has got to be the only country that would bother to spend time debating new laws to ban spinning rims while THE COUNTRY IS LOCKED IN MORTAL KOMBAT WITH INSURGENTS IN IRAQ.

America has got to be the only country where news commentary about the death of Anna Nicole Smith is more intelligent than the commentary about The Iraq War, Job loss to Asia or Energy independence from the Middle East.

America has got to be the only country that would attempt to BAN RAP MUSIC (Black Dominated) while cigarretes and alcohol (White owned) kill hundreds of thousands of people every single year.

I think Spinning rims are stupid. When I first saw them they were "kinda" cool but, years later, they look so cheesy and ridiculous. But why would the legislature waste time trying to stop the few people who can afford to add them to their cars - while America plunges into Bush's disastrous foreign and domestic policies?

HAVE WE FALLEN SO FAR?

[Ron @ Feb 18th 2007 10:57PM]

Hey, I am too busy text messaging on my blackberry and listening to my iPod to care about whether that oncoming car has spinners or not.

(ob honesty - actually I live in California - sheeh I thought my state was crazy...)

[o0adam0o @ Feb 19th 2007 1:55AM]

No no Engadget you got it all wrong...they are called SPINNAZ....get it right!

[ali fitz-d @ Feb 19th 2007 6:38AM]

Please engadget - don't bore us with news about 'spinning rims'... surely that sort of stuff belongs elsewhere ... like ... "www.spinning-rims.com" (a quick google search verified that it DOES exitst- *weeps with disbelief at the sheer waste of a server*)... your article required a whole extra turn of my scroll wheel to avoid and I'm not sure the effort that it required to do that could ever be justifed!

[g @ Feb 19th 2007 9:37AM]

personally, I find large breasts more distracting than wheels, will they be banned as well?

[Mark @ Feb 19th 2007 10:34AM]

We could avoid this glut of rinky-dink laws if they'd just make it illegal to be an idiot.

[Dave @ Feb 19th 2007 11:21AM]

Good idea. That would make everyone in politics a criminal.

[Miguel @ Feb 19th 2007 2:21PM]

Forget distracting, can we just ban them for being tacky, even in the ghetto?

[engadget @ Feb 21st 2007 2:46AM]

I feel he knows that most of his current constituents don't care whether the bill passes or not. So he's somewhat immuned from its backlash. However, this bill looks like his golden opportunity to appeal to the conservatives who openly or secretly deplore any popularized trend arisen from hip-hop lifestyle. And probably to the racists and ethnocentrists as well.

[YenTheFirst @ Feb 22nd 2007 12:53PM]

@mike:

because depth perception is NOT exact in humans. humans tend to rely on other visual cues, such as the relative motion of the rim to the car body.

I think these sort of things might be banned for causing distraction, and thus endangering others, along with unnecessary flashy lights.

[Joshua James @ Feb 28th 2007 11:16AM]

To the bike riders, I'm more concerned about too many unnecessary laws. One of which may be to eliminate motorcycles. They are small and hard to see. Again, another stupid law proposition...