Motorcycle-only checkpoints rev up controversy in Congress

[Cambridge K]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nati...eckpoints.html

[Degsy]

States are concerned about motorcycle fatalities. This is going to happen more and more until all states adopt a mandatory helmet law and mandatory rider training.

i propose a new catchphrase "Helmets save rights!"

The next step is tiered licensing, which I am all for.

[Sheppo]

The next step is tiered licensing, which I am all for.

I am all for that too !!!

[gadget]

States are concerned about motorcycle fatalities. This is going to happen more and more until all states adopt a mandatory helmet law and mandatory rider training.

i propose a new catchphrase "Helmets save rights!"

The next step is tiered licensing, which I am all for.

I am all for that too !!!

How does that work?

[SRTie4k]

Glad I got my license before all the nanny state supporters get traction.

[stoinkythepig]

How does that work?

Different licenses for different displacement engines. The bigger the engine, the harder it is to get a license. This does two things, it forces people to start on smaller displacement bikes, and that drives a market for small displacement bikes. There's some neat bikes that are only sold in countries where tiered licenses are mandatory.

[mzdagrl]

"If the argument is, well, you can't single us out by vehicle, we do,'' said Lt. Jim Halvorsen of the New York State Police. "When we do seat-belt checkpoints, we waive the motorcyclists through because they don't have seat belts. Both helmets and seatbelts are required safety devices."


So, why not make the seatbelt checkpoint a "safety" checkpoint and stop all vehicles - checking seatbelts in cars and helmets on bikes. Seems more appropriate than singling out one type of vehicle. Then again, logic and reason have no place in politics or lawmaking.

[timmyho414]

I'm pretty sure NH House just voted(could have been in 2010) on and passed a bill stating it will not accept any Fed money to set up motorcycle check points.

[timmyho414]

2011 Session HB148. I forgot what year it was.

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Eleven

AN ACT relative to federal funding for motorcycle-only roadside checkpoints.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

69:1 New Section; Federal Aid; Motorcycle-Only Roadside Checkpoints. Amend RSA 124 by inserting after section 15 the following new section:

124:15-a Motorcycle-Only Roadside Checkpoints. No law enforcement agency of the state or a political subdivision of the state may accept federal funding the purpose of which is to establish motorcycle-only roadside checkpoints.

69:2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

Approved: May 16, 2011

Effective Date: July 15, 2011

then passed by the Senate and signed by the Governor.


Also voted down a helmet law, that one did not even make it to the floor.

You guys wants helmet laws and stepped licenses, great stay in Mass.

[gadget]

I don't accept tiered licensing in the manner that it was described.

It doesn't seem that the police understand the laws they are required to enforce today.
I can't see making them more complicated will help things any and I don't want my tax money going towards that.

If you really want one of the "neat" motorcycles I am sure that there is some way to purchase it in another country and have it shipped here.
I have had friends do various things just like it with cars by taking a vacation to a country, buying the car they wanted, driving it around for awhile and then shipping it back.

[Degsy]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

Stepped licensing works. So do helmets. End of story.

[timmyho414]

I wasn't required to do either, I'm still alive.

[SRTie4k]

If we're talking about extremes, I'd rather sign a waiver that says if I crash my bike and get brain damage, just pull the plug. That way I have my freedom of choice and I won't be a burden on society if that choice leads to harm.

[nhbubba]

The waiver shouldn't be required, it should be implied.

Buncha bleeding heart loonies.

[nhbubba]

States are concerned about motorcycle fatalities.

Bullshit! This is about money.

[timmyho414]

I agree, my health insurance doesn't state I must wear a helmet to receive coverage. I wouldn't have a problem if any company made that requirement. I wear an Arai, Vanson, and Alpine Star gloves. I value safety equipment and I'd rather sweet then bleed. My choice.

I don't know why this got off the check points. It doesn't take a scientist to tell if a rider is wearing a helmet. If your state requires a helmet that alone should be enough to stop that vehicle. The check point for motorcycles only single out bikes. If you want a check point, stop everyone. I agree with the equality. However, if you want to stop everyone for random inspections you have issues. Big Brother has no right.

[NobodySpecific]

I wasn't required to do either, I'm still alive.

People have also survived skydiving without a parachute, does that mean it's safe?

[timmyho414]

People have also survived skydiving without a parachute, does that mean it's safe?

Nope, jump out of a plane with no chute take you chance, same with riding a bike. If you don't think your head is worth protecting you're probably right. Your call not mine.

[NobodySpecific]

Nope, jump out of a plane with no chute take you chance, same with riding a bike. If you don't think your head is worth protecting you're probably right. Your call not mine.

I'm against helmet laws. I was just trying to figure out what your point was, because not being dead is a pretty low bar to set.

I think tiered licensing would help out everybody, and support more strict licensing laws in this country. Prove you can handle it before you're out there risking other people's lives. I would support riding schools to allow people to jump tiers.

[SRTie4k]

Are there actually any statistics to prove that people riding smaller displacement bikes generally have higher survival rates in crashes compared to people on 600's or 1000's? It may sound like a stupid question, but the fact is you can kill yourself on a 250 just as easily as you can on a 1000.

[NobodySpecific]

Are there actually any statistics to prove that people riding smaller displacement bikes generally have higher survival rates in crashes compared to people on 600's or 1000's? It may sound like a stupid question, but the fact is you can kill yourself on a 250 just as easily as you can on a 1000.

I imagine, based on the laws of physics, that they are much less likely to kill other people (lower speeds, less mass). Considering it doesn't restrict you from getting A motorcycle (and you can have fun on just about any motorcycle), I don't see it as restricting anybody's right. You can still ride any bike you want on the track, just not on the street with other people, where you are no longer a danger to just yourself.

[SRTie4k]

I imagine, based on the laws of physics, that they are much less likely to kill other people (lower speeds, less mass). Considering it doesn't restrict you from getting A motorcycle (and you can have fun on just about any motorcycle), I don't see it as restricting anybody's right. You can still ride any bike you want on the track, just not on the street with other people, where you are no longer a danger to just yourself.

Well I sincerely hope you never become a politician, because creating a law because "you imagine" is not my idea of good reasoning.

Why stop at motorcycles then? May as well restrict anybody from driving a car with >180HP for 5 years, or whatever the arbitrary limitation is...because "physics says so".

[timmyho414]

...because not being dead is a pretty low bar to set.

good point.

I think I make my point more clear in the post make the same time you posted something.

We all lived through the "learning years". I can't stand people who all of a sudden think they know best for everyone else. That's how we end up with the Nanny states. People need to be able to make there own decision and pay the consequences. Good or bad. I learn that when I was little. If I could start it I could ride it, if I could not get it unstuck on my own I was done riding. People now expect to walk around and hit the reset button if they don't like what happened. Someone else should do it, help me, no one told me, I didn't know. Grow up.

[nhbubba]

Are there actually any statistics to prove that people riding smaller displacement bikes generally have higher survival rates in crashes compared to people on 600's or 1000's?

Prove you can handle it before you're out there risking other people's lives. I would support riding schools to allow people to jump tiers.

Yeah, what is it, are we saving JQ Public from idiots on 1k's crashing into them, or the idiots from their own idiocy?

If trying to save the idiots, it's gonna take a helluva lot more than a helmet law.

[nhbubba]

Why stop at motorcycles then? May as well restrict anybody from driving a car with >180HP for 5 years, or whatever the arbitrary limitation is...because "physics says so".

How about special 4-ton SUV licenses?

Wanna bet Ford and GM are the first two in line to oppose?