O.T. Motorcycles and red lights
 

Here is a bit of interesting news I found.
Guess it does pay to read the news :)

Troutly, care to ad-lib to this?? Your thoughts would be greatly appreciative. :)

No stop? No way, group says

Statewire

Published Jul 5, 2002
ST. PAUL (AP) -- When the Legislature passed a law allowing motorcyclists to run red lights that don' t seem to be working, many considered it a common-sense measure. The Department of Public Safety even signed off on it.

Now some are wondering whether it was such a wise move.

The law passed in May doesn' t actually make it legal to run a red light. It allows motorcyclists to proceed when the signal has been red for an " unreasonable period of time." It must appear that the signal is malfunctioning or has failed to detect the motorcycle' s presence, and there can be no other vehicles or people approaching.

" It is creating a safety problem that doesn' t exist right now. We' re encouraging motorcyclists to take chances that they aren' t taking right now. It puts everybody at risk, " said Sean McManamy, regional director of public affairs for the American Insurance Association.

Motorcycle enthusiast and attorney John Carey agreed. " This promotes chance-taking and promotes misinterpretation. It' s one of those laws that' s really unneeded, " he said.

Ray Egan, executive director of the Minnesota Motorcycle Riders Association, a political lobbying organization, conceded that a few of the state' s 310, 000 licensed motorcyclists might take risks.

But he said he expects most will play it safe when going through red lights because they realize their vulnerability. In a car-versus-motorcycle crash, the motorcycle always loses " and they know that, " he said.

In 2001, 82 percent of 1, 213 motorcycle crashes resulted in injuries while 30 percent of all other types of motor vehicle crashes caused injuries, according to Minnesota Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, a publication of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

Hey bro - sorry you missed LOTO on Mem Day....hoping to see you for either the ShootOut or Labor Day. And I've got a big 'ol bottle of Vicodin in my first aid kit - just in case. :)
Hmmmm....I'm going to have to side with the bikers on this one. I can't really see where that law is going to cause bikers to start racing through red lights, or blowing through them just because they don't want to wait like everyone else.
I've had bikes and had to just sit at a light because the sensor couldn't detect the bike (due to weight). So I think that law makes sense.
I mean look at it this way....idiots in cars are constantly driving around/through rail road crossings that are flashing. Idiots will always be idiots. And if an idiot on a motorcycle wants to risk his life by not waiting at a red light and gets flattened by a car, that's one more breeder that won't be having any idiot kids.

i'll throw in my two cents. I have sat at many a lights late at night waiting for them to change. On enight i sat for at least 10 minutes at an intersection of two 2 lanes road were the speed limit is 50. After a while i realized it was on a sensor and my bike didn't trigger it. Usually i can just wait for a car to show up and that will trigger it but NO luck on that one. It freaks me out and i HATE doign it but sometimes youhave to "run" the red lights.

FYI in NY we have no such law but i think it could be argued with the cop. I still don't like having to do it though.

since they repealed the helmut law in Florida the waiting list for organs is damn near non existant. A friend of mine work in an emergency room and they see fresh "donors" daily. Minor low speed accidents that due to lack of helmuts are causing major brain injuries and leaving the rest of the youthful healthy bodies in tact.

Kind of tweaked huh???


FYI I ALWAYS wear my brain bucket!!!!!!!!!!! But those that don't and thos ethat run red lights at crowded intersection; I see that as "culling the herd"

I really do not think it is a big deal. I'll usually sit for a few minutes and have a little arguement with myself on whether the light is going to actually change or not. When I finish swearing at the light I "proceed with caution". I think it would be safe to assume most law enforcement have better thing to do than worry about this one.