Ten year ban, lose your ride and prison time for pulling a wheelie.

[ohiosmith]

STUNTING BIKERS in Miami may have gone just a step too far at the weekend,
and their antics look set to bring in tough new laws that is likely to see their bike taken off them, their licenses revoked for TEN years and a mandatory stay in prison.

State representative Carlos Lopez-Cantera went on a ride-along with the Florida Highway Patrol to check out the local problem of speeding bikers for himself.

"This guy did a wheelie," Lopez-Cantera said of one motorcyclist. "It's unbelievable. These motorcycles passed us like we were standing still." Lopez-Cantera said he witnessed racers speeding at up to 120mph on the Dolphin Expressway.
"They're just blatantly riding in excessive speeds, putting themselves and other motorists in danger," Lopez-Cantera said. "It's just too much."

Police officers had complained that they were virtually powerless to pursue the bikers and said that they were frustrated as they watch their tactics, like flipping the bike's number plates around so they can't be traced.



more: http://www.visordown.com/motorcyclenews/view/ten_year_ban_for_pulling_a_wheelie/1969.html

[democracyindanger]

1. If the cops are

"virtually powerless" to catch them in the first place, isn't the new law kind of pointless?

Not that I completely disagree. Stunnin' has its place--like not on public streets--and idiots like these are a big reason I pretty much quit riding street, but this is just a legislative stunt.

[ThomCat]

2. That;s what a lot of politicians do.

When a solution is needed, pull a stunt to fake a solution.

[jmm]

3. Is this for the first offense?

Even first time drunk drivers don't get sentences like this.

[redqueen]

5. No kidding.. this law is total BS.

Ugh.

[Dukkha]

4. is this really necessary?

seems to me Darwin's law will take care of these stunk bikers better than criminal law.

[ohiosmith]

6. Except these idiots take innocents with them.

[unpossibles]

7. well, the problem is sometimes they will take out people who are innocent

I don't know. I've seen it, and it's pretty stupid. As a motorcycle rider, these guys give us a bad name and worse statistics. Heck, a lot of the sportbike stunters and racers I see don't even wear helmets.

[Dukkha]

8. i've seen the helmet free riders too

Totally insane on a highway! I used to work for a motorcycle courier in SF on bicycle and our motorcycle riders were fully dressed in body leather and all the safety equipment. In my 5 years there three riders died on the road. You're only as safe as the drivers around you. Pulling reckless stunts greatly increases a chance for accidents.