Stupid Laws; Stupid People
I live in Maryland, just outside of Baltimore. It is a big city, with big city crime. But basically, I like where I live.
We have this group of people in Baltimore that ride dirt bikes all over the city. It is not a "biker gang" simply a mode of transportation. They are cheep, require little gas and are handy in tight places. Which makes dirt bikes a great get-away car. They can go places cars can't. They are faster than foot or bicycles.
I don't know what the statistics are for dirt bike involved crime but it is probably high. Especially since they should not even be riding around on our streets.
Now, we have helmet laws, but the dirt bike kids don't care. They never wear helmets. Hell, we have laws against dirt bikes. They are not street bikes. But those laws are never followed by these people. In fact, our PD is told not to engage in them. There is a "no chase" law in effect. The cops can't chase them because it is likely that they (or someone else) will get injured in a chase. I understand that. No one wants to scrape up dirt bikers from the pavement. But I have to say (and God, I feel like a mean old woman) There would be no dirt bike accidents on our streets, if there were no dirt bikes on our streets.
Still, my husband has seen "packs of thirty" dirt bikers zooming their way through traffic. Up and down side walks, terrorizing motorist and pedestrians alike. I have not seen that many, but certainly 15 or so. It is very disconcerting to see a group of kids in your rear view mirror zipping up behind you, around you and then ignoring every traffic rule and vrooming off into the city.
It has gotten progressively worse.
Now our city has decided that the best way to address these hoodlums (may be they all are not hoodlums, but they are all BREAKING THE LAW) is to make it illegal to fill up the gas tank of a dirt bike. In other words, it is the gas station attendant's responsibility to stop a person from filling up his gas tank of his dirt bike. So, call the cops on these kids? Refuse to allow them to fill it up? How in the hell are they going to do that? What gas station attendant, making minimum wage is going to take his life in his hands to stop the sale of gasoline. That is their job. To sell gasoline. WTF?
I mean, when does it stop? Why can't people's be held responsible for their own actions? Why do the gas stations have to be the bad guys and stop filling up gas tanks. THAT IS NOT A CRIME. No, go after the kids who are snubbing their noses at the laws of our state. I know I sound like an old fart but if my husband was to hop on a motorcycle sans helmet and drive to the Inner Harbor. (A 12 min ride from my house) he would get pulled over and ticketed for not having a helmet on. If he was to drive down the side walk, same thing. Why is it that other people can flip the bird at all of us and not be held responsible for that.
*grouses*
We have this group of people in Baltimore that ride dirt bikes all over the city. It is not a "biker gang" simply a mode of transportation. They are cheep, require little gas and are handy in tight places. Which makes dirt bikes a great get-away car. They can go places cars can't. They are faster than foot or bicycles.
I don't know what the statistics are for dirt bike involved crime but it is probably high. Especially since they should not even be riding around on our streets.
Now, we have helmet laws, but the dirt bike kids don't care. They never wear helmets. Hell, we have laws against dirt bikes. They are not street bikes. But those laws are never followed by these people. In fact, our PD is told not to engage in them. There is a "no chase" law in effect. The cops can't chase them because it is likely that they (or someone else) will get injured in a chase. I understand that. No one wants to scrape up dirt bikers from the pavement. But I have to say (and God, I feel like a mean old woman) There would be no dirt bike accidents on our streets, if there were no dirt bikes on our streets.
Still, my husband has seen "packs of thirty" dirt bikers zooming their way through traffic. Up and down side walks, terrorizing motorist and pedestrians alike. I have not seen that many, but certainly 15 or so. It is very disconcerting to see a group of kids in your rear view mirror zipping up behind you, around you and then ignoring every traffic rule and vrooming off into the city.
It has gotten progressively worse.
Now our city has decided that the best way to address these hoodlums (may be they all are not hoodlums, but they are all BREAKING THE LAW) is to make it illegal to fill up the gas tank of a dirt bike. In other words, it is the gas station attendant's responsibility to stop a person from filling up his gas tank of his dirt bike. So, call the cops on these kids? Refuse to allow them to fill it up? How in the hell are they going to do that? What gas station attendant, making minimum wage is going to take his life in his hands to stop the sale of gasoline. That is their job. To sell gasoline. WTF?
I mean, when does it stop? Why can't people's be held responsible for their own actions? Why do the gas stations have to be the bad guys and stop filling up gas tanks. THAT IS NOT A CRIME. No, go after the kids who are snubbing their noses at the laws of our state. I know I sound like an old fart but if my husband was to hop on a motorcycle sans helmet and drive to the Inner Harbor. (A 12 min ride from my house) he would get pulled over and ticketed for not having a helmet on. If he was to drive down the side walk, same thing. Why is it that other people can flip the bird at all of us and not be held responsible for that.
*grouses*