JCPD what a joke.

[jakesgsxr]

I cant belive it i got another ticket this morning, this one is a careless and reckless ticket, i got it because i avoided an accident by going around a car that slammed their brakes on, the officer told me that i crossed the centerline and that was reckless driving on my part. WTF?

[earz]

You realize that your bike is capable of stopping in a much faster and shorter distance than a car right? Of course this is all dependent on the speed and distance you were following though. Anyway - that sucks. BTW I'm just busting your balls because I no longer own a bike that is capable of stopping on a dime.

[jakesgsxr]

yea i know but i was following alittle close to begin with. it just sux that i am punished for avoiding an accident.

[desmo2]

Following too close is key, here. You were doing it, and therefore put yourself in a position where you had to go into accident avoidance mode.

As motorcyclists, we have to stay razor sharp and alert to traffic around us at all times, or risk meeting the asphalt monster face-to-face. You admitted you were following too close, and therefore put yourself in a dangerous spot. I'm glad you avoided the other car, but it was bad judgment on your part to be in that position to begin with.

Perhaps JCPD should have written the ticket for following too close, as that would seem to be more appropriate (although I was not there, so this is nothing but speculation). Calling JCPD "a joke" is a bit harsh. No offense, Jake, but the blame rests with you, not with the PD.

My advice would be to pay the ticket, chalk it up to a lesson learned, and be thankfull all of your shiny parts are still shiny.

[jakesgsxr]

thats my plan, and i stated to the officer that the careless and reckless ticket should have been a following to closely ticket but he thought otherwise, but i was about two car lengths away, so i did have enough time to stop if i really needed to, but there was no oncomming traffic so i chose to avoid the accident all together, i did noticed that there was a car behind me so that is why i swerved to also keep them from hitting me from behind if i had came to a abrupt stop in the middle of the road. i guess i chose the wrong way of avoiding the accident this time. but you are right im thankfull that my parts are still shiny.

[fallout]

I had a similar instance happen a few years ago. Instead of going into a clear oncoming lane though, I split between the stopped car and the car in the oncoming lane, which happened to be HIPO with another HIPO behind him. Needless to say I got pulled over pretty f'n fast.
The need to swerve was completely my fault in that scenario though, I stared off at something in a yard instead of watching the vehicle in front of me come to a stop to make a left hand turn.
Some how I didn't get a ticket for it and the officer congratulated me on wearing gear even though it was almost 100 degrees out that day.

[ryoung57]

You shoulda ran!!!!!









I kid, I kid

[T-dawg]

never just pay the ticket .... fight either with an attorney or on your own..

[desmo2]

Fighting the ticket certainly is his right. He is entitled to due process.

Here is my position on fighting tickets: one of my many little aggravations is the overwhelming inability of the general populace to claim personal responsibility for his/her actions. If I get caught doing something I know I shouldn't have been doing, then I am going to accept my lumps and pay the fine. I'm not going to cry "I didn't do it! I didn't do it!", when I know damned good and well I did.

Many will argue that due process is a right, and it should be exercised in all cases.

[ryoung57]

If you did it, take responsibility for it. But it's not always black and white. Sometimes you are put into a situation where it isn't so clear. IMHO, Jake weighed all of the options, and took the one that resulted in the best outcome for him, the other two drivers, the police, and the general public.

He was following slightly too close, but maybe because the car behind him was too close as well. You have to find a balance. Jake was aware of his motorcycle's greater maneuverability and stopping ability. When the accident occurred in front of him, he had milliseconds to react. The way I see it, there were four options:

1. Do nothing, hit the car in front of him, probably get smashed shortly thereafter by the car behind him that was following too closely. = FAIL

2. Slam on the brakes, avoid rear-ending the car in front, only to be ass pounded by the driver right behind him who has no idea Jake can stop so quickly and cannot react quick enough, nor can his 4000lb wrecking ball on wheels stop quickly enough. = FAIL

3. Swerve to the right onto the shoulder/into the ditch. Jake is probably in the left hand side of the lane, so not only is this further for him to travel to safety, but there is a great probability that he will wreck as soon as he gets there from hitting loose gravel, a ditch, or a curb. = FAIL

4. Look into the oncoming lane, realize it is the safest route and the most likely to avoid damage/injury for himself and everyone else. Gently apply the brakes, swerve to the left, and go around the accident, saving himself, the driver behind him, the driver in front of him, all of the witnesses, all of their friends and family, the general population, the healthcare system, the insurance company, and countless others from undue stress and financial burden. = WIN

Unfortunately, there is a JCPD officer who doesn't see it that way. He sees a punk sportbike rider who "technically" broke the law, so he writes him a several hundred dollar ticket that will result in points on his license, higher insurance costs, more stress, missed work to go to court, etc, etc, etc, ultimately resulting in Jake losing his job, having to sell his bike, and his children starving.