http://www.wnbc.com/traffic/3591375/detail.html
:nono: geez
pocketbikes are alright with me when
1) they're only used away from EVERYTHING
that is all.
we race them on the top floors of parking structures, but only if there's 0 cars parked up there.
i'd say it's more the moron's fault who was on the bike. one less chump in the gene pool.
Quote from: Zarathustrai'd say it's more the moron's fault who was on the bike. one less chump in the gene pool.
I agree but I bet you a Twinkie his parents try to sue the cops for killing their son. :x
Quote from: Zarathustrai'd say it's more the moron's fault who was on the bike. one less chump in the gene pool.
that's pretty cold.
granted he had no business in the streets on a pocket bike at 3am in the morning. regardless, a guy died and i'm sure he didn't deserve it since its a death without a cause. :(
how many people's deaths are with a cause? very very few. desrving to die, and not does not make a difference. this kid was first, breaking the law by riding a pocket bike on the street. second, breaking a law by running from the cops. third, wearing no gear, and no helmet. fourth, riding outside his limits (obviously). yeah, it's tough that a kid died, but it's his own fault. blaming anyone else is to misplace blame. i'm just glad the cops didn't hit anyone, and that no one else got hurt while they were trying to chase this guy.
Not my son, he was such a nice boy.
Quote from: Zarathustrahow many people's deaths are with a cause? very very few. desrving to die, and not does not make a difference. this kid was first, breaking the law by riding a pocket bike on the street. second, breaking a law by running from the cops. third, wearing no gear, and no helmet. fourth, riding outside his limits (obviously). yeah, it's tough that a kid died, but it's his own fault. blaming anyone else is to misplace blame. i'm just glad the cops didn't hit anyone, and that no one else got hurt while they were trying to chase this guy.
i lost my youngest brother 2 years ago..he was 18. i suppose you just don't understand.
i'm not blaming anyone for this guy's death..not even him. its a judgement call that he obviously should have not done. saying he deserves it is just plain cold to me. i'm sure someone out there that loves him dearly is currently suffering. is that their fault too?
well see, someone has to be blamed. someone is at fault here. this is not a no fault case, someone has died, someone messed up. i see that as being the person who was killed. if he made a bad judgement call (many bad judgement calls that i see), then that implies that it was his fault. as for the grieving person at home, that is also this kid's fault. he should have looked at what he was doing, and thought about the consequences. have i done stupid things that could have gotten me killed, sure, and it would have been my fault. i didn't mean to say this kid deserved to die, i just used that word in conjunction with your cause about there being no reason for him to have died. whether or not he deserved to, it is irrelevant. i feel bad for the parents and what not, but this kid didn't think things through correctly and paid for it. it's tough, but it's life.
/maybe i'm cold.
the blame falls on the rider. ive said it before, and i will say it again:
Stupidity: The only Crime against nature that carries a Death penaty. Often it isnt the stupid one who dies, but they are always involed and THEY are "always at fault"
I am with Zara and bluknyt... Sorta... He could have taken out a kid walking down the street, or darted out in front of a bus, making the bus stomp on the brakes and caused a pile up.... Glad more people didn't get hurt/killed, while deplorable as it is... had the potential to be much worse... having said that those damn mini bikes... well parents should really pay attention to what their kids are doing. In all honesty I'll bet the parents think the mini bikes are very safe, and real bikes are very dangerous... and hence think ok Its like a skate board and dont think twice... he buys a bike and they will be lecturing him every day about how risky that is... educate the whole damn society... before blaming society... The Kid's fault, and/or the parents fault... BTW find out who paid for the thing... I'll bet its one of the more responsible people in the kids life. Sad thing... lawyers will probably pin it on the police and succeed.
Cool.
Srinath.
Quote from: seshadri_srinathSad thing... lawyers will probably pin it on the police and succeed.
Cool.
Srinath.
Hey! We're not
all bad...and if you say that again, I'll sue you! :nono:
Oh no I am selling parts to a lawyer... Oh no... :lol: :lol: :lol:
If you are a real lawyer you'd have a harley... :? ... something must be wrong with you... and you have John Belushi in your avatar... What sorta lawyer are you.
Cool.
Srinath.
The thing that is annoying about this to me is that the police decided to "pull him over" in the first place. Of course I don't know all the circumstances, but it was 3 am, and yeah, they're not street legal, etc... but he was riding in an alley and my stance on most things in life is Less Government Intervention. There are tons of pro's and con's on both sides of the argument, I know, but police just bug me.
Let the kid have his fun in the alley and leave him alone....next time, of course.
see the problem is where do you draw the line on your stance? should the cops just drive by and let someone smoke his crack in peace? maybe they should let him set off illegal fireworks while smoking crack, after snorting a rail. i mean, it's really hard to draw the line. in my mind, if it's illegal, you know it's illegal when you do it, and you accept the responcibility for your behavior. sure i do illegal things, as do most people, and when you get caught, you deal with it. the cops were doing nothing wrong.
Some of the blame falls directly on the parents shoulders. A lot of parents today do not hold their children accountable - hell some of the parents today have yet to grow up. We live in a society where kids have no respect for anyone, including their parents. Bill Cosby is right... but he hasn't gone far enough. It is not just one race that is not parenting...its every race.
Parents- wake up and be a parent! If you truely love your kids set rules and limitations. Use threats that you can and will follow thru with. I am not talking corporal punishment (though I am not against a spanking- hell some kids need a thwack upside the head!)...
Kids have too much power these days.. they are the "alpha" because parents let them be.
A guy I dated in highschool had no rules or anything. He didn't understand why my parents did. Most of the rules were reasonable rules so I abided by them with no problem. He wanted me to break those rules one night and was asking me why I wouldn't. My answer to him was "my parents love me, they want whats best. I would have no rules if they didn't care, but they do care." Needless to say we never had that discussion again.
I hate to see kids hurt like this. And you will always have some kids breaking the rules regardless.. but it has to start somewhere. Public schools should not raise our kids. They should not be where kids learn ethics. It's not the teachers job. Too many parents think that teachers (or someone else besides themselves) should do this. :nono:
If you are a parent BE a PARENT! Love your kids with all you've got.
Ok-- stepping off the soap box now.
:cheers:
The whole situation just plain stinks. This kid being a dumbass by running is the only cause. They probably WILL sue the cops and win. THAT is the problem with society. People don't take resonsibility for their actions. It just plain stinks, but the 19 yr old didn't have to do what he did. Plain and simple.
-Anti 8)
Quote from: Zarathustrasee the problem is where do you draw the line on your stance? should the cops just drive by and let someone smoke his crack in peace? maybe they should let him set off illegal fireworks while smoking crack, after snorting a rail. i mean, it's really hard to draw the line. in my mind, if it's illegal, you know it's illegal when you do it, and you accept the responcibility for your behavior. sure i do illegal things, as do most people, and when you get caught, you deal with it. the cops were doing nothing wrong.
true, it's hard to figure out where to draw the lines. an example is that kids ride their bikes on the sidewalk because it's safer, but that illegal. growing up i rode all over my town on my bicycle using the sidewalks and parking lots mostly, and the streets when they weren't busy. never once did i get i get scolded.
it's all relative and i just have reservations and a general arms length attitude when it comes to autority figures who have the power to screw with my life in a permanent way.
it is definately a no win case.. bout i say BOTH were at fault... police are refining rules for when they chase and this is good and it is due to all the lawsuits being raised.
more and more people are not trusting what police say... it used to be a he said she said with the police always winning in court.. but more and more the police are the ones not believed (see this article: http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3b38b0f2514a.htm)
why???
well, i think there are plenty of posts on this forum... we as bikers see it more and more... i have only been pulled over twice... and both time they were bs charges. my first i was to young to know you could fight it second one was reduced to court charges and basically dismissed... the officer wouldn't show up to court. why? he lied trying to get his "quota" for the month.
are all police bad? no ... but a few apples.....................
here
The kid was definitly to blame for the three things he did wrong in a row (biking where he shouldn't have, running from the cops, not wearing gear). As far as blaming his parents goes - he was 19. Without more data, we don't know if he has a job and lives on his own and was being a jackass on his own watch. If his parents/guardians bought him the bike without gear or lessons, they bear some culpability as well, though.
Quoteare all police bad? no ... but a few apples.....................
Hm... interesting. If I understand your logic, then I suppose that because you ride a bike, it is okay for me to assume that you are a drug-induced homicidal maniac?! I mean, by your suggestion, since you ride a bike and 1%'ers ride a bike, then I can assume all riders must be similar.
I doubt it. Just as I doubt you are anything like a 1%'er. There are bad cops, undoubtedly. There are also bad lawyers (most defense attorneys ;) ), bad doctors, bad teachers, bad bikers, bad priests...
Don't jump to conclusions (and if you weren't trying to make this point, then I appologize because I took your comment the wrong way).
On a side note, let me try and give you a quick, down-and-dirty idea of what it's like for me on patrol:
I'm driving around at 3 am. There's not too much going on. A partner has been dispatched to a domestic in progress with violence where alcohol is involved. A backup unit is headed his way. I'm thinking to myself
hm... they're in for a load of fun.I turn a corner, and I see a kid on a pocket bike riding down an alley headed towards the street. I roll my eyes.
Moron, I think.
It's three in the morning, and he's out on this toy riding around.I decide to stop him to tell him to call a buddy with a pickup truck. He can put the bike on the truck and go home with nothing more than a warning. I don't see this situation as a big deal, but I'm not going to ignore it, either. He needs to know that it's both dangerous and illegal. I activate my lights, and he darts off away from me.
Crud. I pick up speed so I can call in a better description of the bike and the rider, but before I know it, he's wrecked the bike and looks hurt.
I haven't even activated my siren yet. I wasn't intending on chasing him.
I call for assistance and an ambulance and get out with him. I check on his condition, but he's already dead. Massive head injury. I call for a supervisor and let communications know that the rider is dead.
Now I have to deal with his death, and I didn't even know him. It impacts me more than you might think. I begin to doubt myself.
Should I have done something different?I start to think about a lawsuit. I know it's coming. I again wonder if I should have just ignored it.
Now, think about this. I told you that I saw him, and when I tried to stop him, he ran away. However, what if he didn't see me. What if he was speeding up, and it only looked like he was running away? What if I saw him, looked the other way, and he still sped up and crashed. What if he died then? Do you honestly think that Joe Citizen is going to thank me for ignoring this kid on a bike? Don't think for a second that Joe Citizen would pass up an opportunity to rag on the police.
My point is simple. Don't blame the police for enforcing the law. It's our job. If you don't like the law, then approach your local Senator or Representative to change the law. Breaking the law, however, leaves me little choice in the matter. You break the law and I do my job.
I agree with the others in this post that are realistic enough to recognize where the blame ultimately lies: with the kid riding the bike. He made the choice to ride. He made the choice to wear no protective clothing. He made the choice to ride fast. He and only he. I can promise you that there wasn't someone sitting on the bike with him holding a gun to his un-helmeted head forcing him to ride that bike.
It's too easy in today's society to place the blame on someone else. Who the hell puts a hot coffee in their lap, spills it, and actually thinks that it's not going to be lava hot? If you haven't heard the story, supposedly someone sued McDonalds because they spilled hot coffee in their lap, it burned them, and they blamed McDonalds because the crew didn't warn this idiot that the coffee would be hot. Stupid, stupid, stupid...
I have my fireproof underwear on, and am waiting for the flames...
Ian
Quote from: ifonline
...
Ian
:cheers: :kiss: :thumb:
Ifonline:
No flames ... you are right on!
Somehow everything seems to be someone else's fault these days. The only ones who win are the lawyers,
snapper:
I like your take on parenting. People quite often say how well behaved our 3 year old is. That's because we have rules. Don't get me wrong .. she can misbehave but she also gets disciplined. And by that I mean that we take away priveleges etc. Think about this ... right now I am about 6 times her weight. If I cannot control her now what will I do when she's 16?
"We live in a society where kids have no respect for anyone, including their parents. " I think this was first quoted by Socrates.
All:
We will not know all of the circumstances how this happened. Was this a hard working kid that was just hangin with his buddies and was in the wrong spot at the wrong time and excercised poor judgment? Or was he brought up in poverty with no positive role models? etc, etc.
I hope the cop does not get blamed for this as it seems he was doing his job. If cops were to just leave everyone alone for fear of being sued then we have a much bigger problem.
Well said Ian.... VERY well said.
Brandiwine... here's another point of view the officer might have thought about:
3 am... Not only against the law to be riding the non-street legal "bike" but the time of night/morning... could it be stolen...Yet another reason on top of it being illegal to ride on the street-for pulling him over...
As Ian said..He was breaking a law and the Police are there to enforce the law. He made a bad choice and paid for it with his life.... It sucks but he (the kid) is clearly to blame and not the Police for doing their Job.
Darwinism....
i'm not saying it wasn't the kids fault, but honestly, what kinda duck of a cop chases a kid on a 2 foot tall bike? he was in an alley at 3am, have you ever been in an alley at 3am? not usually too much going on, running was a dumb idea on a bike that only goes 40mph, that'd be like trying to get away on a honda metropolitan, but i don't remember the last time i've seen cops flip on their lights for some kids playing football in an alley, they just like people to pick on, and kids on bikes are easy targets
Quote from: tt_fourhave you ever been in an alley at 3am? not usually too much going on
You hang in different alleys. In both Chicago and Seattle, I've seen plenty of crazy *&&% going on in alleys at all times of the night.
Quote from: tt_fourthey just like people to pick on, and kids on bikes are easy targets
BS. Big time BS, for all of the reasons mentioned on this page of the thread.
:cheers: ifonline :cheers:
Right On. The Crap that is blamed on other people these days is unbelivible.
I burnt m self W/ Your Coffee,I did not know it was hot. :bs:
I am Fat I Did not know McDonalds was bad for me its your fault :bs:
my gs is close enough to a pocket bike for me
Ah, crap, why do you always have to say it...do the re-search before you go bustin' up on 78 year ol' ladies at Mcdoogies, Bustem. In the court case it was found that "MickyD" kept the coffee above temperature safe to drink. The woman received third degree burns over 20% of her body. She required full-thickness grafts to her legs and her buttocks and she was willing to settle the case for what amounted to the medical bills. "M" declined to settle so it went to court. Read about the case in full before you go choppin' on somebody man. There's a lot more to it than that, but basically i'm sayin' everthin' ya see ain't everthin' ya see. Not bustin' on you, 'cause I love the baby G and the G forum.
C.......
Quote from: Jared
Brandiwine... here's another point of view the officer might have thought about:
3 am... Not only against the law to be riding the non-street legal "bike" but the time of night/morning... could it be stolen...Yet another reason on top of it being illegal to ride on the street-for pulling him over...
Darwinism....
I'm definately all for Darwinism. I would not drink the water from the gene pool. But that's a whole other tangent.
Question: Would you say the cop was picking on you're kid if (s)he gave them a ticket for riding their bicycle on the sidewalk...because that's illegal. What about if you got a ticket for riding your bicycle with your kid on the sidewalk or for not putting both feet down and coming to a complete stop at a stop sign in your neighborhood?
There theoritically is no difference in the two. If a law is a law then everything is black and white; no exceptions.
The point you made about the cop "maybe" thinking that it's a good reason to question this kid because the bike may be stolen sounds like profiling to me. My GS probably looks more like a stolen bike than that pocket rocket did. But I'm just pulling that one out of the same hole you did. :dunno: :)
I'm definately not for living my life in boxes built by people who don't generally have to follow the rules anyway. Can someone spot me a couple hundred million so I can live in Germany and drive on the Autobaun part of the year, live in London and take the tube everywhere another part of the year, and finally live in Amsterdam among real liberals the last part of the year? We're too uptight and too much in everyone else's business here in America. And before someone tell's me to get out.....believe me I wanna but the Queen won't let me stay more than 6 months at a time. :(
QuoteDon't blame the police for enforcing the law. It's our job
Yes, i understand what your putting across, My father was Miami/Dade officer for 27 years. However, Officers like Civies are Human. (dont take this the wrong way, its what i have seen with my own eyes) Some Humans are assholes. to make matters worse, you have assholes with badges and authority. A badge doesnt make one Correct. (without being there NO ONE can say, Your hypothetical of what you might Typicaly encounter has just as much validity as the opposite end of the spectrum.) Ive been stroked for wreckless driving for an endo i didnt plan, but because he wanted to split hairs on Terminology and i wasnt about to admit to "Performing a wheelie" he went for the highest penalty he could. this included the use of plastic cuffs and sitting in back seat for 10 mins. Now, judge looks my record over, and its not great, but nothing pointing to wreckless tendicies. Court fines 157$. no convict, no points. ive also had my Bike gone over with fine tooth comb 3x in 2 weeks by same officer. this made me late for work all 3 times. me and a friend cruiseing in his car, not speeding or anything, we got pulled over cuz 1 of the 2 tag lights were flickering. Both our ID's run, clean, tag, clean but the officer wants to search the car. he said NO. in under 2 mins 4 units slide up, we end up in cuffs, car gets torn apart, dog gets brought in and guess what, nothing, we dont drink, we dont do drugs. no knives or guns. but the first officer finds my pruning shears in thier belt holster in the glove box and claims he could book us both for a CW charge. after 40 mins of BS. he says to get the light checked and have a nice night. HOW do you Fight this?
" Well sarge, came across the gents traveling blah blah, and when i seen the light flickering, i thoght i would let them know, upon approaching i was certain i smelled alcohal, but none was appearnt, i asked if to search the vehicle and they acted as if they where hiding something yadda yadda. "
Ive lived through it, ive seen it happen, and heard it from other LEO's mouths. the common phrase "Creative Writing" seems to come up, and as a Officer (expert whittness) thier Opinion is addmisable and carries fair weight over a Civilian. Many cops do a job i could not, i respect that. I dont respect assholes
ok flame done.
Profiling...??? If more crimes happen at night (My motorcycle was stolen betwen 1 and 5 am...) -is it profiling or just smart police work?? No it sounds more like a reasonable suspicion at that time of night. People will steal just about anything...
ANYWAY....
The part about "My kid "( Don't have any-Can't have them as a result of cancer ..) getting a ticket for riding on the sidewalk etc-- if it was illegal I'd make sure he never did it again. Would "my kid" have run from the police? Hell no-which is the point here......he'd have me to answer to later-and I think I would have hopefully raised him well enough that he wouldn't run.
Yep opinions are like assholes...everyone has one.
I own my actions and words...(good or bad..).
QuoteAh, crap, why do you always have to say it...do the re-search before you go bustin' up on 78 year ol' ladies at Mcdoogies, Bustem. In the court case it was found that "MickyD" kept the coffee above temperature safe to drink. The woman received third degree burns over 20% of her body. She required full-thickness grafts to her legs and her buttocks and she was willing to settle the case for what amounted to the medical bills. "M" declined to settle so it went to court. Read about the case in full before you go choppin' on somebody man. There's a lot more to it than that, but basically i'm sayin' everthin' ya see ain't everthin' ya see. Not bustin' on you, 'cause I love the baby G and the G forum.
Quoteand always look to the facts before rendering your decision about any publicized case.
Hmmm... looks like I was not on the up and up of the facts of this case,
cernunos you were right it was an older women and they kept there coffee above temps.
But it was still coffee, I am sitting back and thinking. I understand that there coffee is too hot and that they have still not fixed it.
Was She At Fault,For trying to prepare her coffee the way she did . Yes
QuoteAfter receiving the order, the grandson pulled his car forward and
stopped momentarily so that Liebeck could add cream and sugar to her
coffee. (Critics of civil justice, who have pounced on this case, often
charge that Liebeck was driving the car or that the vehicle was in
motion when she spilled the coffee; neither is true.) Liebeck placed
the cup between her knees and attempted to remove the plastic lid from
the cup. As she removed the lid, the entire contents of the cup spilled
into her lap.
Now I agree that I was not aware of all the facts,but I am still to the point that she was at fault for more then the 20% the Judge said.
http://www.lawandhelp.com/q298-2.htm
http://www.lectlaw.com/files/cur78.htm
Quote from: tt_fouri'm not saying it wasn't the kids fault, but honestly, what kinda duck of a cop chases a kid on a 2 foot tall bike?
Not to be rude, but a 19yr old boy doesn't usually look like a "kid on a bike" but rather a grown person on a bike. I see lots of teens (as I work at an Environmental Ed center), and believe me, a lot of them look like they could be in college or older. Add the fact that it was pitch black in an alley... :dunno: "kid on a bike" doesn't fit.
Quote from: tt_fourhe was in an alley at 3am, have you ever been in an alley at 3am?
only when drunk, puking my brains out... and all I remember was the stench of puke and piss mixing in the humid summer night air. :mrgreen:
Ian,
Excellent point. Will we ever know what the officers point of view was that night? Probably not. It well could have gone down just the way you say.
And 500rider... exactly my point. Thing is there are a lot of folks out there doing a GREAT JOB!
My rating system for kids being, ah, well behaved (I guess thats the term I want to use...) is.. Do other responsible adults make comments such as "Your kids were so well behaved. How do you do it?" You're kids are never going to be as well behaved for you as they will for someone else. If they are golden with others they you must be doing something. If they are terrors well.. maybe more work is required. ;)
To give an example.. I have a 7 yr old (thats my estimate of his age) that rides his bicycle around the neighborhood. He actually torments me while I am working in my yard. NICE! He is FREAKING 7! He is rude and obnoxious!! Generally kids flock to me (have no idea why- it just happens)... so this is a whole new experience. Little twit... makes me want to throw rocks. (Now who isn't being an adult!! :mrgreen: )
My City has just made pocket bikes illegal for road use. Now I haven't read the whole article myself, but that was the message I had on my voice mail this am.
I say woot woot!
Now lets get some tracks for these bikes so we can ALL GO PLAY!
:cheers:
OK here is another point.. who the hell tries to make a getaway on a mini bike... cant you run faster than that... :lol:
Cool.
Srinath.
I have no flame, but look at whole post please... my whole point was sytem has changed... police would always win he said cases before but now things have changed... TOOOOOO DAM. MANY OFFICERS ARE BEING A>>WIPES. Especially when it comes to bikes. Look on this forum for the stories... one was mentioned above.
"are all police bad? no ... but a few apples..................... "
the part you quoted was saying that those that abuse their job and privilages of rank and position have turned the system on it's ear... SOOOOO MANY of us have experienced it that we believe the defendant not the police officer.... i have been pulled over twice... and twice it was BS.
As for all the WONDERFUL law enforcement officers doing their job with wisdom, discression and common since :cheers: my hat's off to you. I THANK YOU....
BUT IN THIS CASE AS MANY... i stand by my original opinion and say it was both thier faults...
with the data we have present the only way to say that they both are at fault is to assume large amounts of data. let's look at what we know. we know there was a 19yr old kid on a pocket bike. we know this took place around 3am. we know he had no gear on. we know he wipped out and died. he may have been chased, he may have not seen the cop and split his head on his own. to blame the cop partly is to assume correlation between the cop's actions and what happened to the kid. based upon the evidence at hand, based upon the fact that we don't know what agenda the cop had, how long the "persuit" was, what speeds were attained, or what actions the police were taking when trying to stop this man, we cannot assume the cop is at fault. to say the cop is at fault is to presuppose a large amount of information and seems to be based off a general distrust of police officers and nothing more. going with the facts at hand, the police are free and clear of this.
You don't run if you're not doing something wrong.
I feel sorry for the kid and his family. Most of the time you tend to mature and grow out of adolescent behavior, so he didn't deserve his fate. But, it was his choice to gamble with his life. Sooner or later the house always wins.
Saying the Cop has any responsibility is irresponsible. If you catch a murderer, is it their fault, or yours for catching them?
Quote from: nisus1You don't run if you're not doing something wrong.
Amen :thumb:
My oh my . . . .
How quickly things turn sour! :lol:
Some kids in my neighborhood have one of those things. It sounds like someone's running up and down the street with a weed wacker at full throttle!
:mrgreen:
Quote from: stephan
Some kids in my neighborhood have one of those things. It sounds like someone's running up and down the street with a weed wacker at full throttle!
:mrgreen:
:o
Those kids better be glad they don't live in mercdude63's neighborhood!!
http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11185
I agree with most in this thread, and appreciate the support for my job from many. I don't want something to be misunderstood, however, if it even was... I do feel for this kid's parents. Although everyone will die someday, no one should die "before there time," whatever that may be. I know that some will jokingly say that it was this kid's time to die, but I think everyone knows what I mean. A life lost, no matter how idiotic or tragic the circumstances, is a terrible thing.
I also can appreciate the comments from some that talk about the encounters they have had with the police and that the cops were dicks, the encounters were BS, and so on... I would like to know what really happened during the encounters, and, no offense, but those that have had those types of encounters can only offer one side of the story, and it might not be the correct version of events.
On the topic of McDonalds, you're right. I don't know the entire facts of the case. It is, however, still my opinion that blame is all too often shifted from the real blame-holder to some other party. In other words, the "it's not my fault" argument. It's unfortunate. It's stupid. And I believe it happened in this case.
Someone made a comment about being in an alley at 3am, as if that's a normal thing to be doing. If we're talking about the same type of alley, then they are accessways to the backs and sides of buildings, and not throughways for foot or vehicular traffic. So why would you need to be there at 3am? Is there really a good reason to be in an alley unless using it for loading and unloading items or something similar? Or are you hiding in that alley because you might be doing something wrong?
I have always had an "open door" policy in my patrol vehicle, if that makes sense. I would invite anyone to ride with me when they want to. If they just want to get some excitement, that's fine. If they don't think the cops do anything and want to see for themselves, that's fine too. Whatever is okay. However, I would love to take it one step further. How about this... I'll be the passenger, and you be the cop. You wear my equipment (all 25 pounds of it), you drive the car, you take the calls, you deal with the public, and you make split-second, life-altering decisions, and then tell me if we're Nazi's, or dicks, or whatever else you might think.
I feel confident that some people's eyes would open wide. All to often, public opinion is based on a singular event, and not a series of events. You have a bad experience with a cop, and all cops are bad. Mostly no one considers that I fight the things that most people are afraid of, and mostly no one realizes that I am willing to die to protect those that would so quickly spit in my face.
I appologize for going off on a rant, once again. I realize this isn't supposed to be a cop thread, per se, and I'm not at all trying to point fingers at anyone in particular. I'll see if I can give my soapbox to someone else for a while... :oops:
Ian
Well I can say that I do have one of these pocket bikes and yes I ride it on the road on a regular basis around my block not very trafficy or nothing most people who see me laugh and ask me how it rides and so fourth hell they are alot of fun. My question is why are they not street legal mine has headlights tail light break light front and rear blinkers horn all im missing is mirrors and I am putting those on it. It is a 49cc motor so by the way the law reads in GA it should be legal when i put mirrors on it as long as it wont break 35 mph which by the way it wont not even going downhill =) so what is the law that makes it illegal on the road in my opion it should be classified as a moped by the way everything reads oh yeah i hated english so screw puncutation and spelling sorry if its hard to read
PITBULL
You know, I get worried when I skip a period... :P
... :o ...er, uh...gee :oops: ...but I do love my little GS and the forum.
C.......
Sorry, bad pun.
I ride mine to work everyday...! :?
(http://tinypic.com/20aw6)
See however that bike isn't highway legal, It doesn't have lights... next time timmy please put lights...
Cool.
Srinath.
Quote from: seshadri_srinathSee however that bike isn't highway legal, It doesn't have lights... next time timmy please put lights...
Cool.
Srinath.
The driver isn't highway legal... he doesn't have a brain... next time, Timmy, please have a brain...
One thing I really like about my bike is that it puts me above the level of the cars. Mmm... visibility...
That's cruel... see he does have all his gear on... a full road race spec suit with puck's etc... and he has just passed that truck too... That Timmy he's the smart one...
Cool.
Srinath.
Quote from: PITBULLMy question is why are they not street legal mine has headlights tail light break light front and rear blinkers horn all im missing is mirrors and I am putting those on it. It is a 49cc motor so by the way the law reads in GA it should be legal when i put mirrors on it as long as it wont break 35 mph which by the way it wont not even going downhill =) so what is the law that makes it illegal on the road in my opion it should be classified as a moped by the way everything reads
Actually, let me see if I can answer the question that is buried in all of this free-flowing text...
From OCGA 40-1-1:
Quote'Moped' means a motor driven cycle equipped with two or three wheels, with or without foot pedals to permit muscular propulsion, and an independent power source providing a maximum of two brake horsepower. If a combustion engine is used, the maximum piston or rotor displacement shall be 3.05 cubic inches (50 cubic centimeters) regardless of the number of chambers in such power source. The power source shall be capable of propelling the vehicle, unassisted, at a speed not to exceed 30 miles per hour (48.28 kilometers per hour) on level road surface and shall be equipped with a power drive system that functions directly or automatically only, not requiring clutching or shifting by the operator after the drive system is engaged.
So, as I read this:
1. A motor driven cycle
Is this a motorcycle or a motor driven cycle (moped)?
2. Two or three wheels
It has two - check
3. With or without foot pedals for muscular propulsion
It has no foot pedals for propulsion - check
4. Power source capable of producing no more than two brake horsepower
How many horsepower does this thing put out?
5. Maximum dispacement is 50cc
47/49 cc - check
6. Must not be capable of speeds greater than 30 mph
Depending on the model, it may go as fast as 40 mph, so how fast will yours go?
7. Must have a drive system that is either automatic or single-geared only
How many gears do these things have?
So, can you answer 1, 4, 6, and 7? This is, of course, notwithstanding any other laws requiring headlights, taillights, turn signals, brake lights, etc. I'd be interested to see if these really are street legal (with some modifications) or not.
Ian
OK one more question... If you fit a licence plate on it... will the plate drag on the ground??? and further is the wind catches the plate will the vehile with rider get lifted off... :lol:
Cool.
Srinath.
The only time i had a problem with the wind...
(http://tinypic.com/22zdg)
BTW, pocket bikes lose street legality under this requirement in WA:
From RCW 46.37.040
(2) Every head lamp upon every motor vehicle shall be located at a height measured from the center of the head lamp of not more than fifty-four inches nor less than twenty-four inches to be measured as set forth in RCW 46.37.030(2).
OK then wear one on your head... come on... think... you're the smart one Timmy...
Cool.
Srinath.