Maybe they don’t have to put their feet down in order for it to be a legal stop. I often leave my feet up coming to a complete stop and then go.
Really, there are a lot of stop signs that should be yield signs and are being used in some speed trap communities as revenue generators, giving tickets to people who are violating no one’s right of way but not coming to stop long enough.
Speed trap, a village that collects ticket revenue to exist and exists to collect ticket revenue.
Tennessee had helmet laws, but no seat belt laws. Now we have seatbelt laws, but no helmet laws. And on top of that, motorcycles in Tennessee are no longer required to wait at red lights or stop at stop signs. If they see an opening, they can go because it is hard to hold a bike upright while stopped.
The reason many states are passing these laws are because the sensor loops on many lights (i.e. 'smart lights" that never, ever change unless they sense a vehicle) aren’t calibrated to detect a motorcycle, moped, or bicycle.
Note that there are already laws on how to handle a “malfunctioning traffic light.” The new law merely clarifies that a traffic signal that fails to detect a vehicle is, indeed, “malfunctioning.” I would posit that it’s legal in all 50 to run a light that fails to detect a vehicle. (As it is “MALfunctioning”; that is, functioning badly or contrary to design.)
A few years ago, I found the Texas motor vehicle code on line and searched in vain for any language refering to malfunctioning traffic signals.
“I would posit that it’s legal in all 50 to run a light that fails to detect a vehicle. (As it is “MALfunctioning”; that is, functioning badly or contrary to design.)”
So would you say it would be legal to go through an intersection being controlled by a police officer displaying his palm to you in a “stop” signal if he had his head turned and didn’t see you?
Who has the right of way if you run a red light that you consider “malfunctioning” and someone with a similarly “malfunctioning” left turn signal t-bones you? Was it malfunctioning, or were you just impatient? Prove it.
What you can get away with and what’s legal are two different things.
peter_devries:
I suppose if the traffic cop was “malfunctioning” (perhaps he’s gone off his meds, or is passed out in the center of the road) I’d treat him as a “malfunctioning traffic signal.”
This would never occur, as the procedure for a “malfunctioning signal” would require yielding the right-of-way. An equipment failure is never cause to violate ROW laws.
B.L.E.: Then I truly feel for TX residents in the wake of a power disturbance, forced to sit at unpowered/flashing lights until power’s restored several hours/days later. Hope they all pack lunches!
Just because I couldn’t find anything in the motor vehicle code dealing with malfunctioning traffic lights doesn’t mean there isn’t some sort of law dealing with the situation. Besides, everytime we have a blackout, there are usually cops at the important intersections directing traffic anyway.
I’m also pretty sure you can cross a red light in order to allow an emergency vehicle blocked behind you to cross the intersection, even though it is not specifically stated in the vehicle code.
piter, I got my information about the stop signs from my local paper. They do have a web site, but you have to be a subscriber to access it so a link here wouldn’t do any good.
It’s kind of a moot point, though. It seems like I may be one of less than a dozen or so drivers in the whole state who comes to a complete stop for a stop sign, no matter the conveyance.
Unpowered traffic lights are generally to be treated as a four-way stop. Flashing traffic lights are generally to be treated as flashing traffic lights.
What’s the name of the paper anyway? Don’t go “mute” on me!
This was not about helmets and safety. It is about do I have the right to live somewhere else than the padded cell of safety mandates.
An adult should be able to do as they see fit. I’ve never worn one except in areas where it was required and it does cause problems; at least for me. I get a chronic stiff neck and headache from them.
The public dollars argument doesn’t hold water for me. If that premise is to be used then withhold public dollars for head injuries sustained in car wrecks, skateboard accidents, boating accidents, home repair incidents, and a thousand others including snow skiing.
Congressman Sonny Bono was not wearing a helmet when he chose to cut it too close to a tree and died of head injuries. Wonder what the taxpayer tab on that one was.
A few years back some other high profile person died from a similar ski into a tree incident but I do not remember who it was.
I’d like to hear the rest of the story. The rider locked up his brakes. Why? Was it because of the usual car driver did not see the biker explanation?
Several decades ago a guy near here was killed on a motorcycle and was not wearing a helmet. The local paper, TV stations, and law enforcement had a field day while constantly reiterating this biker “was not wearing a helmet”.
A car pulled out in front of the biker, he locked the brakes, and skidded underneath the rear wheels of a fully loaded dump truck. From the belt buckle up he was squashed instantly and I’m of the opinion that a helmet would not have aided the guy very much.
What should have been dwelled on is the oblivious car driver who was the cause of this and I would also note this car driver was not charged with anything other than a traffic violation, as in “failure to yield”.
“Congressman Sonny Bono was not wearing a helmet when he chose to cut it too close to a tree and died of head injuries. Wonder what the taxpayer tab on that one was.”
My guess would be…nothing.
The accident probably saved us money because he’s one person who will not live to be 100 in a nursing home soiling his bedclothes and needing to be spoon fed baby food.
“It is about do I have the right to live somewhere else than the padded cell of safety mandates.” On a public road, no. On your own property, go nuts. Do some ghost-riding while you’re at it.
“I’d like to hear the rest of the story. The rider locked up his brakes. Why? Was it because of the usual car driver did not see the biker explanation?”
Did you not read the OP? You mean “Was it because of the usual car driver did not see the FIVE HUNDRED BIKERS explanation?”
If you expect cars to see you motorcycles may not be your best choice. Unless you have FIVE HUNDRED OF THEM.
I’ll leave you with a Buseyism: “Hi, I’m Gary Busey, and I’m still alive but after my helmet-free motorcycle accident my brain functions like a fine-tuned bowl of oatmeal.”
I’m assuming the taxpayers were involved since it’s likely the police (maybe even the Feds) and the EMTs/Fire department were likely involved.
So I’ll mention this again. Are you equally offended at the taxpayers picking up the tab because of a skateboarder accident, home repair incident, etc?
Compare the cost of this alleged use of taxpayer funds on non-helmeted motorcycle riders to the total of taxpayer funds used on the care of car drivers injured because of cell phone use while driving. That number is going to be far greater.
Are you even more offended by this?
Since McDonald’s is the whipping boy (unfairly) for health issues I ask if you have been a customer at their outlets. Why should I as a taxpayer have to fund your poor health choices? (For what it’s worth, they can bulldoze them all down and I never set foot in one.)
As to Busey I wan’t aware that he suffered brain damage from an accident. I thought it was genetic in his case.
I assume that the police, firemen, and EMTs that responded to the accident would have been paid exactly the same if that accident never occurred.
Same with prisons, just because it costs an average of (what is it? I forget. $30,000/yr?) per prisoner doesn’t mean that the operating costs of a prison increments up by $30,000/yr by adding another prisoner. A lot of the operating costs are fixed.
Am I correct that folks that don’t favor helmet laws also don’t favor seatbelt laws? It would seem to be the same reasoning for both.
I wear both seatbelts and motorcyle helmets by choice, I even wear a helmet for snow skiing now.
It’s some super-nanny saying I have to that I have problems with. Also, where do we draw the line, helmets and five point harnesses in cars anyone?
Some years ago when you could choose between a 10 dollar or a 50 dollar motorcycle helmet, it was said: If you have a 10 dollar head, then buy a 10 dollar helmet. If you think more of your head, then buy the 50 dollar helmet. If you don’t believe that you need a motorcycle helmet, the conclusion is obvious.