More motorcyclists killed

[storysunfolding]

I was driving home from the store when I see a bunch of rescue vehicles, smears of blood, chips of plastic and two ford excursions. As I passed the fords I saw a few bikes on the ground, one guy bleeding from the neck and rescue workers going crazy.

Apparently, the guy in the excursion made a u-turn in front of the bikes, and when the bikes veered right to go around him (3 lanes plenty of room) they got hit by the exlorer doing a right on red. Double SUV homicide. Looked like a few bikes stopped in time but the explorer apparently hit the lead rider right in the side.

So bikers down, at the very least one dead, and the drivers of the SUV's? Young boys. They didn't even look like they had graduated to shaving yet.

This pisses me off so much. The u-turn was illegal, the right on red from that intersection was illegal. I don't know 100% that someone died, but I've seen it enough times to make a well educated guess. I'm also certain that this kids will never have to truely pay for the consequences of their actions.

[CNF2002]

Thats the problem with our traffic laws. Accidents while doing illegal things are still considered 'accidents'. Unless they intended to hit the biker, nothing will happen to them except a few points off their license and an insurance hike.

[TheImp]

That's really bad and particularly annoying when its inexperienced teens behind the wheel. Down here in florida there is apparently a law that is going into effect where the legal driving age will raise to 18. That's a little better, I suppose, but now that I'm in my later twenties I say they raise it to 25!

But anyhow, the kids driving those SUV's commited manslaugter (at least one by your account) so certainly that should carry some harsh penalties even though they're minors?

[CNF2002]

I dont think raising the driving age to 18 is going to help. Instead of 16 year old inexperienced drivers, we now have 18 year old inexperienced drivers.

What we NEED is manditory driving courses. Permits that only allow kids to drive when there is a certified trainer in the car (parents can feel free to get their certification by taking a similar training course - half the adults cant drive well enough to be teaching their kids to do it anyway).

Then we need manditory testing and license renewals every 5 years. Teens should not be able to drive after midnight until they are 21. Any infraction by a teen, speeding in excess of 10mph, running red lights, etc, should result in immediate revoking of their license until they repeat the training course.

The training courses should also involve tests, so that every 5 years when a person eventually becomes too OLD to drive they will also be removed from the road.

What say you all?

[moto_hanki]

I aggree 100% about the 5 year testing. It is the only way we could remain current on the driving laws.

Recently, here in Oregon, they have made it a felony if you get caught driving in excess on 100mph. They impound your car, or motorcycle, and you go straight to jail.

Our system has no problem prosecuting vehicular homicides. 3 people are facing charges here in Albany. They were street racing and hit a car full of people waiting at a stop light, 2 were killed. Another idiot on the coast is being charged after his car spun out of control on the beach while he was doing cookie in the sand, he killed is 21 year old cousin.

You should contact your D.A. and request prosecution for such crimes. If the people yell loud enough the lawmakes will hear them, but somebody has to start the yelling.

[Chris8187]

If someone dies, I'm pretty sure they get charged with vehicular manslaughter. Seeing how these kids are probably under 18, by your describtion, they won't get the full punishment they deserve.

[dieziege]

You want to go through all that? Because the standards will be higher for motorcyclists than for drivers. Motorcyclists are at higher risk.

It won't really help anyway.

To fly an airplane you must have a minimum of 40 hours flight instruction (usually takes closer to 70), pass a 50 question knowledge test, pass an oral exam (can range from 1-4 hours, depending on the examiner) and demonstrate practical skills (again, 1-4 hours in an airplane). Then, to maintain your flying privleges you must receive additional instruction every 2 years, and you must have flown within 90 days to carry a passenger. In addition you need to pass a medical exam every 2-3 years (depending on age).

Yet people constantly do the same sort of stupid things in airplanes they do in cars. Light plane injury/fatality rate is about the same as motorcycle safety on a miles-traveled basis... and very very few of the accidents are mechanical failures. Mostly it is pilots landing on top of another plane (I've seen that happen), getting in way over their heads in bad weather. They cut each other off. They wander out onto a runway while another plane is taking off. They lose control in mild conditions and run into things. They run them out of gas! And that's in an environment where everyone is trained (and legally required) to preflight the plane and plan fuel and route, where there is very little traffic (there really aren't that many planes flying in most places), where almost everyone has a radio so if you see another plane you can just call them up and ask them their intentions! The worst air disaster in history was caused when a 747 driver decided to ignore the control tower and take off while another 747 was still on the runway ahead of them... the two planes struck on the ground killing hundreds of people.

[kosmic klown]

Chris is right, at least in NJ, if you break a traffic law (even speeding) and it leads to the death of someone they are almost always charged with Vehicular Manslaughter. Most states have specific laws to address deaths caused by drivers, in fact I think the only ones that don't have laws specifically for Vehicular Homicide/Manslaughter are Alaska, Montana, Oregon, and Arizona. Yet Chris is also right, underage drivers, as well as underage kids in general, tend to get away with things, and will most likely get off with probation…if they are even charged! If enough noise is made it becomes hard for the DA/Prosecutors office to overlook such crimes, after all they are elected and need to keep constituency happy, and so that is about only recourse available when things like this happen…get as many people as you can find to complain and then maybe someone might take notice. Even still these types of events just seem to fall through the cracks!

[skinnyjoint]

ok lets takea time out here first off

why was it illegal to make a right on red? was this intersection specific? and y arnt u guys putting more blame on the guy that did the u turn. the boys prolly looked, saw the bikers in the far lane and began to turn. if any fault its the uturn cigarette.

next - when is this law in florida suppose to pass?

and driving pass midnight until your 21... ummm sorry that wont fly if your 18 you should be able to drive pass midnight, just my opinion.

i think they just need to be stricter in evalutations of drivers. and maybe do it a couple times instead of just 1 5 min test.

[Apitoxin]

I dont think raising the driving age to 18 is going to help. Instead of 16 year old inexperienced drivers, we now have 18 year old inexperienced drivers.

What we NEED is manditory driving courses. Permits that only allow kids to drive when there is a certified trainer in the car (parents can feel free to get their certification by taking a similar training course - half the adults cant drive well enough to be teaching their kids to do it anyway).

Then we need manditory testing and license renewals every 5 years. Teens should not be able to drive after midnight until they are 21. Any infraction by a teen, speeding in excess of 10mph, running red lights, etc, should result in immediate revoking of their license until they repeat the training course.

The training courses should also involve tests, so that every 5 years when a person eventually becomes too OLD to drive they will also be removed from the road.

What say you all?

I say wait five years so i'm not still sixteen.