Getting a ticket days before the unofficial H2Oi 2020 event rolls into town is arguably valuable clout points, something to brag about.
Ocean City, MD is on high-alert days before the unofficial car pop up-rally known as H2OI 2020 rolls into town and, although reports of tickets being issued targeting cars with lowered suspension and even the slightest bit of camber are hitting social media, it doesn’t seem to deter attendees and their plans one bit.
This lady driving a 2002 Acura Coupe shared she was pulled over earlier today, hit with a $210 ticket, and cited for driving a car unsafe for highway travel and for unsafe tires (read, on lowered suspension and tires with a bit of stretch.) Her post has over 350 comments and 170 likes and counting.
Another driver of a late-model Audi A4 Coupe posted they pulled him over last night, popped him with a $70 ticket, and, warned fellow attendees that “Anyone who plans on driving the strip, have fun!”
“Got here last night and they hit me with that “driving unsafe vehicle on highway” f***ery already lmfaoooooo“
When asked what was unsafe about his Audi, he replied that,
According to the ticket, tires lmfao. I tried explaining it to the cop but he wanted no part of it.
His post has 202 comments and 143 likes.
Another mid-2000s VW Jetta on air-ride suspension posted that,
“…they are already waiting at the route 50 bridge. Got me for being low and camber”
Someone in the comments posted a photo of his Jetta being towed away.
While he didn’t post how much they got him for, towing, it seems, is where Ocean City wants to “hurt” offenders the most.
According to a list of tow fees we reported on earlier this month, if the tow truck has to bring out specialized tow equipment, however small, a $985 ticket is possible. As you can see, they’ve almost double the cost for specialized equipment.
- Tow- 250
- Specialized equipment- 600
- Dollies- 35
- (1) day storage- 50
- Admin fee- 50
The Jetta post has over 500 comments and 300 likes and is the most popular post on this particular H2OI 2020 Facebook group.
This Nissan 240 caught being towed on Instagram suffered a similar fate.
Ocean City has been preparing for this pop-up car rally for the better part of a year, making amendments to tow laws and extending jurisdiction of their Special Event Zone ordinance.
While traffic enforcement and ticketing is a normal function of the local police force, the special event zone goes into effect tomorrow, Sept 22-27.
The Mayor and local chief of police even made a handful of videos.
Attendees also have money to burn
A global pandemic has put a stop to a lot of fun these car enthusiasts normally would have. That also means the amount of disposable income is probably higher than ever before. While a potential $1,000 ticket might sound heinous, the added disincentive to attend, in a round-about way, raises the notoriety and thrill of the event even more.
Here’s just a handful of the meets already planned.
H2OI is like the Super Bowl of car meets for these East Coast kids. They’ve run a rudimentary “cost-benefit” analysis in their heads, are willing to hedge their bets, and have the disposable income to take a hit in the wallet thanks to a fat fine.
