I guess you won’t have to wait “till death due us part”
While I’m sure reckless motorcycle drivers are in abundance all across the US, Florida legislators decided it was time to make the existing punishments harsher.
Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, R-Miami, sponsor of the bill Offenses Committed While Operating a Motorcycle (HB 137), believes that harsher punishment for reckless motorcycle drivers could be the solution to the problem or bike riders who fly thru Florida roads and highways sometimes exceeding the speed limit by 50 or more MPH and/or doing things such as popping wheelies, standing on their bikes and crossing between several cars at these speeds.
Now, I have to agree parts of this bill may be a tad bit to extreme. Not only will the offenders pay hefty fines and possible lose their bikes; they could also lose their licenses for up to 10 years. 10 Years? Isn’t that a bit excessive? 2 years sounds long enough, especially to someone who is passionate about bike riding.
Here’s my beef with the offenders and this bill. I think harsher punishments should be added. Taking the bike away from someone doing 120 MPH in a 70 MPH zone, disregarding every car on the road, driving between cars, over the lines, that could change lanes at the moment they are passing them, putting not only their lives but the lives of everyone on the road in danger and pretty much disrupting everyone’s daily lives sounds like a pretty good punishment to me. People like this should not be driving motorcycles at all, but it’s the US and life punishment for people being stupid is not always to answer to everything. Education, to me, is the key to solving many of this country’s current problems. And while we may not have much success with teaching today’s adults, we can at least start with our youth.
I myself have been witness of what a person on a bike is capable of doing simply because they feel they can get away with it. Think about it, what cop car will give chase to a vehicle that can hit speeds of 120 MPH in just a few seconds, can slide between 2 side by side cars and can even fit thru small spaces and unusual terrain where cop cars can not follow. Even a bike cop runs the risk of killing himself and hurting other drivers trying to pursue a bike rider who decides to run. None the less, just because the idea of stopping these offenders seems almost impossible does not mean we should let it happen. There are states where police officers are not allowed to continue of pursuit of a suspect if the pursuit exceeds certain speeds yet they don’t simply let them go. They use things such as helicopters, cops that are in the areas where the suspect is passing and road blocks to stop and capture the suspect. So should we simply give up on dangerous bike rider simply cause they have the ability to out run the police in many situations?
There is, however, one thing that is bugging me the most. The average bike rider that claims this bill to be a discrimination against bike riders. They feel that people who drive cars are more dangerous that bike riders, that because cars are bigger that they can create more damage. Not so sure how they can compare a bike to a car, I don’t exactly hear a lot of stories of cars driving 50 miles above the speed limit while driving between 2 cars, popping wheelies and other stunts for fun. Usually someone driving at those speeds, zig zagging thru traffic is running from the cops already. What I don’t understand is why are they defending those who make the average bike rider look like they are all dangerous drivers? Why are those who drive bikes within the law not happy that those reckless drivers could be getting what they deserve instead they shoot down the law for personal fear? Why fear a law that does not apply to you? If you don’t drive recklessly and don’t exceed speeds limits by 50 MPH, why are you afraid of this law? Are you admitting that bike drivers are all reckless and therefore this law should not be passed?
Honestly, anyone driving any vehicle at 50 above the speed limit should have their vehicle taken. But there is no denying that biker riders are some of the most dangerous cause it’s easier to get away with breaking these laws due to the abilities I mentioned above and with no external protection, except for what they wear, bike riders are 100% likely to be injured and possibly lose their lives while breaking these laws. Granted, an idiot in a car (10 times more dangerous that a bike) driving recklessly is worse than a bike, but they either drunk, running from the police and in some occasions drag racing. Not necessarily the same as a bike rider who if drunk could probably not even keep the bike standing for too long, if running from the police was most likely already speeding or driving recklessly and racing seems to be what drives most of those who buy motorcycles like Ninjas, Katanas (spelling?) and Hondas
But I wanna hear what you people have to say. What do you think would be a better punishment for those driving bikes 50 over the speed limit and doing stunts on the roads, sometimes being filmed by someone? How can we make this bill possible and bikers agree to it?
Here are some statistics I found on accidents with motorcycles compared to cars:
1 | Do motorcyclists have high crash death rates?
Yes. Per mile traveled in 2004, the number of deaths on motorcycles was about 34 times the number in cars.1 Motorcycles are less stable than cars during emergency braking situations and are less visible on the road. Some motorcycles have high performance capabilities that can encourage riders to speed, accelerate quickly, or engage in other risky driving maneuvers. When motorcyclists crash, they lack the protection of an enclosed vehicle so they're more likely to be injured or killed.
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2 | What are the most common types of motorcycle crashes?
Crashes involving a motorcycle and another vehicle accounted for half of all motorcycle fatal crashes in 2005. In 2-vehicle fatal crashes, 78 percent of the motorcycles involved were struck in the front and only 6 percent were hit in the rear. Thirty-eight percent of these crashes involved a vehicle turning left while the motorcycle was going straight, passing, or overtaking the vehicle. Crashing into a fixed object is a bigger problem on a motorcycle than it is for other motor vehicles. In 2005, 26 percent of motorcycles involved in fatal crashes collided with fixed objects, compared with 17 percent of cars in fatal crashes.2
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