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News from Feb. 2008:
The following sections in italics before the first line break are directly copied from the House of Representatives Staff Analysis. The first such information is about the passage of: BILL # CS/HB 137: Offenses Committed While Operating a Motorcycle
The following is an excerpt of: House of Representatives Staff Analysis
It is an extension of previous law taking it farther and specifying penalties. The bill passed and took effect on Oct. 1, 2008. The following is an official governmental summary of the bill.
SUMMARY ANALYSIS
CS for HB 137 amends s. 316.2085, F.S., regarding proper operation of a motorcycle. The section is expanded to require motorcycle operators to keep both wheels on the ground at all times (however, it is not a violation if the vehicle loses contact with the ground briefly as a result of road conditions). The amended section also requires the license tag to be permanently affixed to the vehicle and to be incapable of being flipped up. The bill creates a new s. 316.1926, F.S. This section provides additional penalties for two types of violations. Specifically, violating s. 316.2085, F.S., described above, or speeding in excess of 50 miles per hours, is punishable by certain special provisions in Chapter 318. The bill amends s. 318.14, F.S., to provide tiered penalties for these violations.
CS for HB 137 provides additional penalties for certain offenses committed by motor vehicle operators. These penalties include increases in fines and license suspension for motor vehicle operators who exceed the speed limit by more than 50 miles per hour, or who operate a motorcycle improperly. The bill expands the number of restrictions on the proper operation of a motorcycle. A first violation of the motorcycle or speeding prohibitions in the bill results in a non-criminal violation punishable by a $1,000 fine. A second violation is a non-criminal violation resulting in a $2,500 fine and the suspension of the operator's license for one year. Violators cited for a third violation commit a 3rd degree felony, punishable by a fine up to $5,000 and imprisonment not to exceed five years and are subject to revocation of driver licensure (sic) for a period of 10 years.
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These are the highlights as we see them:
The amendment to s. 316.2085, F.S. specifically addresses wheel stands on the back wheel and nose stands on the front wheels commonly performed by sport bike trick riders. Whereas there is a place and time for these activities, we agree that it is not on public roadways. You will not get our sympathy when caught performing these stunts when endangering those around you in unsanctioned venues.
The newly passed bill requires that the above mentioned "permanently affixed" tag must also be mounted “horizontally to the ground.” At one point in the bill consideration process the mounted horizontally to the ground had been removed from the bill but apparently the lawmakers decided our law enforcement officers couldn't read vertically so added it back in prior to passage. That might explain why police officers are never found in libraries, they can't read the book titles on the spines because they are vertical. Not my thoughts but apparently that of those working in Tallahassee. Hey, my brother is a federal agent and I know he can read vertically. In any event, the law is on the books and is being enforced.
Notice that a first violation of the bill can cost $1000.00 plus court costs and possibly other administration fees.
A second violation will cost $2500.00 and a one year suspension of the operator's license.
A third violation moves the offense to a 3rd degree felony with up to a $5000.00 fine and up to 5 years imprisonment. Serious indeed.
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Some additional interesting information contained in the House of Representatives Staff Analysis. Data collected by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles indicates that there were 5,075 motorcycle crashes in 2000. This number increased to 8,990 in 2006. In 2000, there were approximately 195,300 motorcycles registered in the State. By 2006 the number of motorcycles nearly tripled, rising to 579,275. There is no direct correlation between number of motorcycles registered and the number of accidents and there are no figures compiled for motorcycle miles ridden and therefore there can be no correlation established for that data or, as it were, lack of data. Suffice to say that this means there are a lot of newer riders on the road so we all need to be more aware of our surroundings, including our brethren on two wheels.
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From July 2009:
Our condolences to the family and friends of Bruce Rossmeyer, a pillar of the biker community and philanthropist with few equals, who recently died in a motorcycle accident while attending the 69th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
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All information on this site is reported with truth and accuracy being our primary goal but we accept no responsibility for any inaccuracies that occur.
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