A motorcyclist crashed his bike on U.S. 14 last Sunday during the Gavers Community Cancer Foundation charity ride. According to the Northwest Herald, he was eastbound on U.S. 14 near Dean Street, when traffic in front of him slowed and he ran off the roadway, presumably to avoid running into a vehicle stopping in front of him.
While it's nice to know that Woodstock PD didn't spend months investigating the accident, it's curious to me that the motorcycle operator was not ticketed. He was injured and taken to the hospital, and his motorcycle was towed from the accident scene.
The Northwest Herald did not publish the operator's name, nor has there been any follow-up.
I don't recall reading of any other accident handled by Woodstock PD that involved vehicle damage and injuries, when the driver was not ticketed.
Why should he have been ticketed? He failed to maintain control of his vehicle. He crashed his vehicle.
I've been on charity rides and one of the reasons I no longer go on them is that too many motorcycles ride too closely together, operate at speeds in excess of posted speed limits, disregard traffic control devices and generate too much noise. On one ride a pack of about 25 bikes rolled up to a stop sign. The first bike stopped, then went on. All the others, except yours truly, went through the stop sign on the first biker's stop. That was when I dropped back and just enjoyed the rest of the ride alone.
I don't object to the mild rumble of a throaty motorcycle exhaust. What I do object to is when operators "crack" the throttle and cause excessive, unnecessary noise. Also, when they decelerate sharply in lower gears to generate loud, excessive, unnecessary noise. That type of operation generates a black mark for all motorcycle riders.
Was this operator distracted by his buddies alongside or behind him? Was he talking while he was riding alongside another bike? Had he turned his head away from traffic too long and, when he looked forward again, Surprise!
Otherwise, why would he not notice traffic slowing in front of him and adjust his speed accordingly? We can probably rule out text-messaging or talking on a cell phone, although I did see a motorcycle operator the other day with his BlueTooth hanging on his ear. I thought, "There goes another Borg!"
So, what was the real reason that this particular motorcycle operator was not ticketed for something like failure to stop in time to avoid an accident or improper lane usage or following too closely? There is a good reason that the State form is called a Crash Report, not an accident report.
© 2008 GUS PHILPOTT
Dundee Township Hopefuls
5 hours ago
3 comments:
Police are not required by law to give a citation in a crash investigation. Why do you feel the need to add insult to injury. Get a life!!!
Surely you realize that it is not I who would be adding insult to any injury, if the motorcyclist had been ticketed for the at-fault accident.
The norm is that the driver/operator who is at fault gets a ticket. The exception is when he doesn't.
So, why, in what looks like a crash resulting from inattention, carelessness or whatever, did this operator NOT get a ticket?
That's the question. Perhaps someone who was there will comment on whether there was a "pack" of bikes, their speed, proximity to one other and why, within about 1 mile of the end of the run, this operator crashed his motorcycle.
Crash? Sounds to me like he never hit another vehicle. So what did he crash into? He just layed down the bike off the road. Should the police give tickets to everyone who dumps their bikes now due to various road conditions?
Why do think with half your head and then write this babble?
Where was your camera so I could see a snapshot of this "crash"?
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