Motorcycle law is not something I usually comment on, but when I read about HB 137, proposed legislation that called for mandatory arrest of the driver and seizure of the motorcycle for any infractions of 30+ mph over the speed limit, I had to say something. Click here for my initial post.
I got a response from Rep. Lopez-Cantera that seems to suggest that he didn’t think it was such a great idea either.
Currently, it seems HB 137 has been drafted in a way that would affect all motorcycle riders. I feel that the poor actions of a few riders should not punish all riders. Subsequently, I am currently working on language that will amend the bill to clearly address the problem of motorcycle stunt riding on public roads. The amendment will clearly define what is considered stunt riding and require a motorcycle rider to maintain two wheels on the ground at all times. The speeding focuses of the bill will not stand alone but will rather be in conjunction with stunt driving. Therefore, none of the penalties would apply unless the driver of the motorcycle is guilty of the above infractions.
Carlos Lopez-Cantera
Criminalization of clearly-defined “stunt riding” on public roads is a big improvement over the first draft of the bill. Mandatory arrests and property seizure for riders who might merely find themselves traveling at 85 mph in a 55 mph zone was simply outrageous. I presume that he thought he was going to be able to score cheap political points with his condo-pygmy voter base in Miami-Dade county. A review of a few motorcyclist message boards suggests that he didn’t quite bargain for the fact that motorcyclists vote too.
I take Rep. Lopez-Cantera at his word, and I look forward to seeing the revised bill. It seems that if it takes the form he claims, it will be a do-nothing law, but he’ll be able to tell the Del Boca Vista Phase IV homeowners association that he cracked down on those damn kids and their motorcycles.
