Arguing with the police.......(long, like I usually do)

[Jadedcarguy]

There's currently a biker rally going on in my fair town. I am a biker, so I'm okay with this. It brings about 40,000 bikers into town. If you guess where I live from this, keep it to yourself, please. No, I don't live in Sturgis.

In my state it is illegal to split lanes on a MC, and helmets are required. Signs stating this are posted all over the damn place. SC's? Read signs? Ha!

The police in my city are pretty easy going on bikers. When I ride, I wear a silly little half helmet that wont do anything in a wreck, and standard sunglasses that are not DOT-approved shatterproof goggles. I have never been hassled for it. This should illustrate how pissed this cop was.

When I was at lunch today I saw a biker and his wife pulled over by a bike cop. I was sitting on an outdoor patio eating a sandwich so I had a pretty good vantage point. Said biker and wife were not wearing helmets. First problem. From the convo I heard, they were also splitting lanes. Second problem. Third problem? Read on, my friends.

A LITTLE MILD LANGUAGE AHEAD

BA: Biker Asshole
BW: Biker Wife
BC: Bike Cop

BC: Sir, I stopped you because you were splitting lanes back there. That is illegal in <state>. We also require you to wear a helmet. Do you or your wife have helmets with you?
BA: This is some serious bullshit. Do you have any idea how much money <bike convention> brings into <city>? You are playing with fire, my friend!
BW: We bring in enough money to pay your salary, that's for damn sure!
BC: <staying cool, to his credit>That is entirely beside the point. Please, may I see your license registration and insurance?
BC: I sure hope you know what you're doin'. <hands over paperwork>
BW: I can't believe this bullshit.

After a few minutes, the officer came back and told dipshit that he was being cited for splitting lanes and not wearing a helmet. That's when the fun really started.

BC: Sir, I am citing you for <above offenses>. Signing here is not an admission of guilt, yada yada.......
BA: A TICKET! ARE YOU KIDDING? In <BA home state> helmets aren't required! We split lanes there all the time! Do you want the city council coming down on your ass?
BW: I can't believe it! All the money we bring into your shithole town and this is how we're treated!?!
BC: Sir, ma'am, I need you to calm down, this.......
BW: I think YOU should calm down! You're jeopardizing your career!<BC had been calm and professional up to this point>
BC: My career, huh? May I please see the sunglasses the two of you are wearing? Do these pipes have baffles? You sounded pretty loud to me.
BA: What?!? What the hell do my glasses and pipes......
BC: Sir! Ma'am! Glasses, NOW, please!

The two halfwit out-of-towners hand over their glasses and BC goes back to his bike for a few minutes.

BC: I am also citing you for using non DOT-approved goggles and for not running a DOT-approved silencer. Sign here please. This is not an admission of guilt yada yada......
BA & BW: WHAT? I can't beleive...
BC: Believe what you will, the laws still apply to you whether you live here or not. Have a nice day.


The moral of this story? Be nice to the officer, it can save you money and grief!

[JustADude]

The moral of this story? Be nice to the officer, it can save you money and grief!

The Three Groups You Do NOT Piss Off
1. People Who Handle Your Food
2. Mechanics
3. Law Enforcement Officers.


Yes, I know nobody here would tamper with food (other than maybe over-salting their fries), or take advantage of their information-access as a mechanic but THEY don't know that the person they're pissing off isn't a douche-bag. With LEOs, though, it's more that they're usually being nice and ignoring the million-and-one tiny infractions that people commit constantly because nobody ever reads the whole of the laws on the books, ever. Piss them off and all they have to do is do their job to the letter to get back at you.

[Bright_Star]

Repeat after me.....NEVER & I mean NEVER argue with the police. They have the potential to turn something minor into something major.
So always be polite & ALWAYS say either "YES SIR/YES MAM OR NO SIR/NO MAM.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I don't know if they were breaking any laws (if they were in NJ they would be, at least for helmets) but on my way home from Rhode Island I was on I95 in (Connecticut or New York, I think) and I saw 2 bikes (next to each other, but again, I don't know the law on that) with 2 people on each, and of the 4 only 1 was wearing a helmet. Then a few cars behind them was another guy (didn't look like he was 'with' them, though - they were on little sport bikes and he was on a Harley) with no helmet. Then in the other direction, a whole bunch of Harley types with no helmets. I can't imagine driving 65+ mph with nothing to protect my head...

[ditchdj]

Ahhh yes. The latter two citations given to them are known within the LEO community as "attitude tickets". They're usually given when the person being pulled over, well, gives the cop an attitude.

[Jadedcarguy]

Ahhh yes. The latter two citations given to them are known within the LEO community as "attitude tickets". They're usually given when the person being pulled over, well, gives the cop an attitude.

Yup. The police around here will tend to look the other way a lot during our "bike week", issuing warnings and such instead of tickets. In this case they could have gotten off with a warning if they had simply been nice, promising to not split lanes and picking up a helmet or two as soon as they could. Even those non-DOT brain buckets will keep the police from hassling you, and they can be had for about $20. If only they had been nice.......

[Gurndigarn]

Then in the other direction, a whole bunch of Harley types with no helmets. I can't imagine driving 65+ mph with nothing to protect my head...

Around here, you never see helmets. OTOH, most of the bikers locally drive sanely. It's the few guys who weave in and out of traffic at 80mph that really worry... no, I figure that they'll darwin themselves soon enough, so I'm not really worried, per se... I just don't want to be the person who's windshield they decide to fly through.

[crazylegs]

Ahhh yes. The latter two citations given to them are known within the LEO community as "attitude tickets". They're usually given when the person being pulled over, well, gives the cop an attitude.

They usually lead to an 'attitide adjustment' as in this case, or failing that further tickets, or a visit to a cosy single room with en suite facilities, but i hear the room service sucks.

Stay Safe

[Cia]

Split lanes? What is that?

[JustADude]

Split lanes? What is that?

Not sure exactly, but it's either 1) Having multiple bikes riding directly next to each other in a single lane, thus "Splitting the lane" between them, or 2) Driving in the usually-unoccupied space between lanes to avoid traffic, thus causing massive danger if someone doesn't check their blind-spot before turning or lane-changing. My personal bet is #2, since it's "Splitting lanes" not "Splitting the lane".

[mariamousie1]

Yay for the cop! I like how he just started finding more and more stuff to fine them on. I have never understood why people don't wear helmets. It's your own safety, idiots. My brother would say "You think you look uncool? Think of how uncool you'll look with your brains smeared down the street."

[JustADude]

My brother would say "You think you look uncool? Think of how uncool you'll look with your brains smeared down the street."

And, seriously, there are some EXTREMELY cool helmets out there, especially if you've got a sports-bike (Ninja) and not a cruiser (Harley). The amount you'd spend on getting a stylish, color-matched helmet is way less than you would spend on just one ticket, let alone the cost of facial reconstruction should you survive the wreck. Looking at the medical bills for treating road-rash makes a similarly compelling case for a good set of Leathers that coordinate with your bike and helmet.

In short, the people who say they'll look uncool are just too cheap to spring for the cool looking gear.

[Acolyte]

I don't think I could ever ride a bike without a helmet. I'm taking my MSF courses soon, and I'm getting the full-on armour. Maybe I'm paranoid from driving, for both work and personal use, almost only big vehicles, but still.

[Jadedcarguy]

Split lanes? What is that?

Not sure exactly, but it's either 1) Having multiple bikes riding directly next to each other in a single lane, thus "Splitting the lane" between them, or 2) Driving in the usually-unoccupied space between lanes to avoid traffic, thus causing massive danger if someone doesn't check their blind-spot before turning or lane-changing. My personal bet is #2, since it's "Splitting lanes" not "Splitting the lane".

It's the second one. The first one is perfectly legal, and you will see cops doing it all the time.

[SuperB]

I have a few friends in law enforcement. I know one who gave a ticked to a guy who flipped him off.

Illegal use of a hand signal, or something of the sort.