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Toll-Free (661) 859-1177 Se Habla Español www.bakersfieldtraffictickets.com HARMAN CALIFORNIA TRAFFIC DEFENSE ATTORNEYS , APC BIGGER
THE DAILY DRIVER Attorneys Defending Your Right to the Road
JULY 2025
Appreciating American Freedoms — As Seen From Beijing Red Versus Red, White, and Blue
The arrival of Independence Day every July never fails to remind me of how grateful I am. Not only do I appreciate the freedoms I have, but I also like standing up for American truck drivers and protecting their constitutional freedoms — to travel, to earn a living as professional drivers, and to exercise their due process rights under the law.
participants were just swept along with the tide and thought they were actually doing good.
Whatever the case, they founded a country where an elite few govern and make decisions for the people as a whole. Individuals were not given those due process rights that we in America take for granted. Instead, it was the Communist Party’s will that prevailed. As a result, the Chinese people experienced such events as the Great Leap Forward, when the Party’s efforts to force farm laborers to work in communes caused a huge famine. The people also suffered executions and civil wars, with Communists and Fascists fighting each other for decades, leading to 65 million people dying.
I had a chance recently to visit a different country founded on a very different set of principles.
A law school classmate of mine who worked in China for eight years invited me to visit him during his last three months there. It was a great trip. We spent two days in Hong Kong and went on to mainland China. One of the last places I saw was the Museum of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing. I was thinking as I browsed through the exhibits about the stark contrast between the events memorialized there and the story of the 56 founders who signed our Declaration of Independence. Our founders’ focus was not on trying to control their neighbors but on protecting everyone’s rights. They believed our individual rights were God-given, that nobody could take them away, and that the purpose of government was to protect those rights. Those 56 founders came from all walks of life. They were clergymen, farmers, and businessmen who were picked from their communities because of their character, work ethic, and competence. They brought many different perspectives, but they shared a common belief that they had no right to control anyone else. Their focus was on preserving individual rights and allowing each citizen to make a living for their families, own property, enjoy free speech, and worship as they saw fit. Contrast that with the gathering that led to the founding of the Chinese Communist Party in July 1921. The 13 individuals at that meeting were mostly professors, recent graduates, or students at a few elite colleges where the Russians had been working hard to promote Marxist and Leninist ideas. It’s hard to say exactly what their intentions were — whether they intended to cause the suffering that followed, or simply to grab power. I don’t know. I suspect many
Of course, those events weren’t mentioned in the Communist Party museum. They left that part out.
As we celebrate Independence Day, it’s worth thinking about the contrast between those Chinese Communist Party founders and our Founding Fathers. One group was trying to make sure the government was there to protect individual freedoms, and the other was trying to control everyone to force certain outcomes — often leading to bad results. To me, our love of driving in our country exemplifies the value we place on freedom. Being able to travel freely wherever we choose is very important to us. And the due-process rights drivers have, to fight speeding tickets and the possible suspension of their driver’s license, is very important too. Our system of government may not be perfect. But it certainly is a lot better than living in a place where a Communist Party member can decide you shouldn’t be driving because you are persona non grata for some reason. However you chose to celebrate the 4th of July this year, I hope you’ll take a moment now to appreciate the individual freedoms we enjoy. –Mark Bigger
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Hooved Helpers Ward Off Wildfires
When a Colorado wildfire threatened one of Lockheed Martin’s plants last summer, the big defense contractor decided they needed better fire protection measures. So, the company called in an unlikely emergency workforce — a battalion of 1,200 grazing goats. Lockheed contracted Goat Green, a local Colorado company, to put its herd of hungry Cashmere goats to work clearing 98 acres of wilderness terrain near the company’s worksite, which includes a $350 million satellite-manufacturing facility. The terrain is too steep and hazardous for machine clearing or human crews, but it posed little challenge to the goats. Their mission: to eliminate fuel for future fires and clear paths for firefighters, if needed. The goats could mow down an acre of land
dense with plants and underbrush in a day, eliminating invasive vegetation and reducing the terrain to a nearly level, trimmed surface. The goats’ work also prevents overgrowth near powerlines, where fires often start. Lockheed embraced this unusual fire- protection strategy after last year’s 580-acre Quarry Fire came within a mile of the company’s Waterton aerospace facility near Littleton. Five firefighters were injured battling the blaze, which forced the evacuation of 600 homes and put thousands of Colorado residents on edge. Goat Green has contracted with parks, government agencies, municipalities, farms, ranches, and private land owners across 15 states to provide low-tech clearing services. The company’s workforce consists of 1,500 Cashmere goats native to the Himalayas and comfortable in cold, dry temperatures.
Unlike most domestic goats destined for the
slaughterhouse early in life, Goat Green’s
employees work for about 12 years for as many as 265 days a year. Kids are born on the worksites and learn to eat a wide range of weeds and forage as adolescents. These
goats even have a retirement plan: After losing their teeth, they live out their final days in peace on a ranch. After a dozen wildfires in the last 10 years in the Littleton area, residents are bracing for another wildfire season. The area is a little bit safer this year, however, thanks to the goats. As one regional fire-protection official said on Facebook, “These goats are a wonderful partner to us.”
ARE DRIVER ASSISTANCE SYSTEMS MAKING THE ROADS SAFER? Help or Hazard?
ADAS include lane departure alerts, automatic emergency braking, and blind-spot monitoring. Adaptive cruise control brings vehicles to a stop if a vehicle ahead stops. Side guard assist warns the driver if the passenger side of their truck comes too close to a vehicle or pedestrian. Some trucks also have in-cab cameras and sensors to monitor the driver’s alertness. Safety advocates regard the systems as a game-changer that can reduce accidents. One insurance industry study in Germany estimated that an automatic braking system prevented 12% of all truck accidents, and a lane departure warning system prevented 39% of all truck accidents caused by lane departures. Separately, a 2020 study by vehicle safety researchers in the Netherlands showed that lane departure and driver monitoring systems led to a 14% reduction in crashes. Systems that sound alerts for drowsy drivers were linked with a 10% reduction in crashes. But ADAS also can be dangerous at times. Adaptive cruise control was linked in the 2020 study to an 8%–12% increase in crashes. Also, while vehicles with forward collision warning and automatic braking systems are less likely to hit other vehicles from behind, they are more likely to be rear-ended themselves. Under new federal regulations, automatic electronic braking will be required on cars and light trucks as of September 2029. But despite support from regulators and the insurance industry, widespread adoption of ADAS by the commercial trucking industry still faces some tall hurdles.
Drop into any online truckers’ forum these days and you are likely to see posts about Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) — part of a growing list of vehicle monitors and controls designed to prevent crashes. A growing number of fleet operators are using ADAS, and many newer truck models come equipped with them. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has promoted the adoption of ADAS through industry outreach and studies. But independent trucker groups have raised questions about how well the technology works in the real world. Many drivers claim it can generate false alerts and interfere with their ability to control their truck, especially in bad weather. Also, smaller operators have tended to avoid ADAS because of the cost of installing and maintaining the systems.
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Brake Check Pranks Put Pro Drivers at Risk IT’S NO JOKE
Your Referrals Make a Difference! Thanks to your 86 referrals in June, we were able to donate $1,220 to help fight human trafficking and lead medical missions. INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION To learn more about International Justice Mission and their mission to protect half a billion vulnerable people from exploitation, please go to IJM.org . MEDICAL MISSIONS OUTREACH To learn more about showing God’s love by providing quality medical treatment to some of the poorest people in the world, visit the Medical Missions Outreach home page at Medical-Outreach.com .
Road rage is on the rise. And unfortunately, it sometimes leads to professional truck drivers getting hit by unfair tickets.
An increasingly common prank on California highways is the brake check. This is an aggressive or careless driving maneuver in which a driver travelling in front of another vehicle — let’s say it’s a commercial truck — suddenly stops or sharply slows their car, forcing the truck driver to swerve or brake hard to avoid a collision. Some drivers do this because they think they were being tailgated and want to retaliate. Others are intent on committing insurance fraud — causing a crash so they can collect damages. Whatever the triggering event, if a highway patrol officer sees only the last part of the incident, they may cite the commercial truck driver for following too closely — a “serious offense” under Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules, and a potential threat to the professional driver’s livelihood. When clients come to us for help after this type of incident, we look for evidence to determine the real reason the driver was following too closely. Was it actually a misjudgment by the driver, or a brake check by the driver in front of them? The stakes are high. A conviction on tailgating charges can lead to a heavy fine, points on a driver’s state record, higher insurance premiums, and a downgrade of a driver’s Compliance, Safety, and Accountability (CSA) score. The driver could even lose their job. A second conviction within three years triggers a 60-day disqualification from driving. That is why disputing these citations is absolutely essential. A skilled traffic attorney can challenge the citation, look for procedural errors in the arrest or ticketing process, negotiate reduced charges, and offer skilled guidance in navigating state and federal safety regulations. Unfortunately, brake checks and other crazy behaviors aren’t going away. More than 9 out of 10 respondents to a 2024 survey said they had witnessed an act of road rage, such as aggressive driving or honking at another driver in anger, and two-thirds said they had committed an act of road rage themselves. Don’t let this type of behavior jeopardize your career! Consult the experienced traffic attorneys at our firm to mount the strongest possible defense. We will be glad to meet with you for a free consultation to protect your rights!
“When I thought, ‘My foot slips,’ Your steadfast love, O LORD, helped me up. When the cares of my heart are many, Your consolations cheer my soul.”
PSALM 94:18–19
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, APC HARMAN CALIFORNIA TRAFFIC DEFENSE ATTORNEYS BIGGER
Toll-Free (661) 859-1177 Se Habla Español www.bakersfieldtraffictickets.com
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1701 Westwind Drive Suite 203 Bakersfield, CA 93301
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
How a Visit to China Reinforced My Respect for America............................................ PAGE 1
Company Enlists Goats to Reduce Risk of Wildfires............................................................ PAGE 2
Cruise Control or Lose Control? The Future of Driver Assistance Systems....... PAGE 2
How to Fight a Tailgating Ticket...................... PAGE 3
The Rise of AI Assistants.................................... PAGE 4
Have a ticket in California? Give us a call, and we’ll help you out! Regardless of the location, we can point you in the right direction free of charge!
The Future’s on Your Desktop AI TOOLS THAT WORK WHILE YOU DO
A few decades ago, TV shows and science fiction stories portrayed our time as a future with flying cars and robot assistants. But here we are in 2025, cars still don’t fly, coffee doesn’t pour itself, and most of us are stuck handling our household chores. We may not be in the world of “The Jetsons” yet, but technological developments like artificial intelligence (AI) remind us that the future is undoubtedly here. MEET YOUR DIGITAL TASKMASTERS. AI personal assistants are one recent development with huge potential to help with everyday life. Tools like Manus AI and DeskSense can simplify various tasks. Need help scanning a dense article, writing an email, or generating formulas for a spreadsheet? These tools have you covered. Manus AI is a supercharged browser assistant that can process data. The tool understands text, images, and code and can be integrated to work alongside web browsers and information management systems. Manus AI also handles any task asynchronously, so you can set it and forget it while working on other aspects of a project.
DeskSense brings ChatGPT power into your browser tabs. Accessible via a Chrome extension, web app, and Android mobile app, this tool helps you streamline your work and tackle various tasks without switching between applications. BIG PROMISES LEAD TO BIG QUESTIONS. As you might expect, Manus AI and DeskSense aren’t the only AI assistants available. Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI are just a few major companies that have created other AI agents capable of handling similar tasks. As these tools become more common, they raise concerns about privacy and security. Another concern is the erosion of human skills and job displacement due to an overreliance on AI. These concerns underscore the importance of cautious development, but we cannot deny AI’s potential to save time and make our work and personal lives easier. And while AI might not do the dishes, it may help us regain some time to enjoy more of life beyond the screen.
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