Readers offer look in rear-view mirror

“Back in the 1970s, Mass. had a tax commissioner who took much stronger action against N.H. booze imports,’’ wrote Chan Morrison of Nashua. “He had State Police parked at N.H. liquor stores taking down license plates . . . then [had] State Police waiting across the border to stop the cars and issue tickets.’’

That official was Massachusetts Revenue Commissioner Owen L. Clarke, who had tax agents, not police officers, poking around New Hampshire parking lots, according to Globe archives.

Clarke’s effort drew the ire of New Hampshire’s then-governor, Meldrim Thomson, and Massachusetts abandoned its strict enforcement of the border-crossing statute. But it’s still on the books.

“With digital odometers, you’re basically talking about computers, and computers get hacked into every day,’’ said Christopher Basso, Carfax’s spokesman, who e-mailed me after reading the story. “If you do an Internet search you can easily find software that can be used to change an odometer reading within seconds.’’

It is harder nowadays to get away with odometer-spinning, however, because of services such as Carfax, which records yearly odometer readings of millions of cars based on annual registration inspection data. Type in any vehicle identification number at www.carfax.com/odo (basic details are free).

How common is odometer-spinning with used cars? “From 2004 to 2008, we showed a 25 percent increase in the number of vehicles for sale with a potential odometer rollback in Massachusetts,’’ Basso said.

The risk is significant enough to invest 60 seconds on Carfax’s website, in addition to having your own mechanic check out the vehicle you want to buy.

I was told that police can pull someone over who’s driving recklessly or dangerously, or who’s possibly intoxicated, based just on your word. But police can’t pull someone over for simple “civil’’ violations such as speeding, running a red light, or parking in a handicapped spot unless they witness it, I was told.

This prompted several letters, including one from an old source: retired Brookline traffic sergeant Larry Fitzgerald.

“I have to correct you on that,’’ Fitzgerald wrote. He pointed me to Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 90C, “Procedure for Motor Vehicle Offenses,’’ which includes the following: “Any police officer assigned to traffic enforcement duty shall, whether or not the offense occurs within his presence, record the occurrence of automobile law violations upon a citation.’’

Fitzgerald explained that while the law allows officers to write tickets based on a civilian’s report, they would be extremely difficult to prosecute under normal circumstances, based on the witness’s likely lack of training and expertise. “Thus, the procedure becomes a waste of time for the officer and the court.’’

“We have a big RV,’’ Shaw wrote. “We have wine in its fridge. In fact, sometimes people in the kitchenette or on the sofa might be drinking wine while I drive. (I don’t drink.) Are we all going to the slammer?’’

Shaw, and other recreational vehicle owners, need not fear: The law specifically excludes passengers of house coaches and house trailers.

Peter DeMarco can be reached at demarco@globe.com.