FL - Bill puts brakes on speeders

[StlouisX50]

Excessive speeding. Stunt riding. A disappearing license plate.

If you're a motorcyclist caught doing any of that in the near future, get ready to open your wallet. The same is true for automobile drivers caught speeding more than 50 mph over the speed limit.

Under a little-noticed bill (HB 137) overwhelmingly approved by the Legislature and headed to Gov. Charlie Crist for approval, excessive speeders would pay $1,000 for a first offense, starting Oct. 1. The penalty used to be a $250.

The legislation is the brainchild of state Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, R-Miami, who said he was inspired while riding with the Florida Highway Patrol.

He saw groups of bikes cruising at speeds as high as 136 mph. He saw a motorcyclist pull a wheelie while speeding through a SunPass lane. Another time, a speeding motorcyclist flipped up his license plate anticipating a chase after noticing that the Highway Patrol was following him.

Then Lopez-Cantera read a story about a motorcyclist who lost his life. His legislation targets not just speeders, but also requires that moped riders and motorcyclists keep both wheels on the ground at all times and requires bike owners to affix their license tags horizontally, not vertically as has become popular on some custom bikes.

"The problem is, a car that can perform at these speeds costs six figures, yet a motorcycle that costs $10,000 can do 200 mph," Lopez-Cantera said.

Under the bill, second-time speeding offenders could lose their license for one year and get a $2,500 fine. Third-time offenders would risk losing their license for 10 years and their vehicle would be confiscated.

Initially, Lopez-Cantera's bill targeted only speeding motorcyclists, drawing ire from the American Motorcyclist Association as discriminatory.

But even with the change to include speeding drivers of all types, Imer Szauter, who works for the association in Ohio, has questions: "Will the bill work as the sponsor intended it? I am not sure it will do that."

Area riders who joined a weekly gathering of 3,000 motorcyclists in Clearwater recently agreed.

Sitting outside the Quaker Steak and Lube on 49th Street N, Jeff Nuce, a former motorcycle police officer, lamented the law would require him to change his license tag. Nuce, 39, rode to the restaurant on the "Dark Knight," a $78,000 Batman-themed chopper with Batman logo mirrors, custom paint and Batman logo rims. It also has a sideways license plate — an infraction that would be worth a $1,000 fine in October.

"On a custom bike, it takes away from the aesthetic appeal of the bike," Nuce said. "I don't want to break the law, but when I take that off of there, it changes the whole look of the motorcycle."

Tim Hellijas, 38, rode in on a Kawasaki ZX-10, a sport bike with a top speed of 185 mph.

"It's justifiable to a certain extent," Hellijas said about the stringent changes aimed at speeders. "This thing does twice the speed limit in first gear." But he wondered if it might just provoke some riders.

Jeff Hieber, general manager of Barney's Motorcycle & Marine in St. Petersburg, one of the area's largest retailers, agrees with Hellijas' assessment.

"It is not set up around rehabilitation, it is set up on punishment," Hieber said. "Especially with a kid who just got his license. They are going to believe that running is the answer."

Jared Leone can be reached at jleone

@sptimes.com or (813) 269-5314.


[Last modified: May 18, 2008 11:27 AM]

[ELVATO]

"It is not set up around rehabilitation, it is set up on punishment," Hieber said. "Especially with a kid who just got his license. They are going to believe that running is the answer."

If you're already going 50 over the limit, seriously, there is very little incentive to stop, especially when they are going to fine you $1,000. Granted, there's already people who run so they don't pay the $250.

[RW'07]

Excessive speeding. Stunt riding. A disappearing license plate.

If you're a motorcyclist caught doing any of that in the near future, get ready to open your wallet. The same is true for automobile drivers caught speeding more than 50 mph over the speed limit.
Under a little-noticed bill (HB 137) overwhelmingly approved by the Legislature and headed to Gov. Charlie Crist for approval, excessive speeders would pay $1,000 for a first offense, starting Oct. 1. The penalty used to be a $250.

Ontario and Florida almost shoulder to shoulder

[ELVATO]

I thought it was 50 kph over in Ontario? Either way, when I read this law, I thought of Ontario. We're just a little more lenient.

[FlyinZX-10R]

Tim Hellijas, 38, rode in on a Kawasaki ZX-10, a sport bike with a top speed of 185 mph.

"It's justifiable to a certain extent," Hellijas said about the stringent changes aimed at speeders. "This thing does twice the speed limit in first gear." But he wondered if it might just provoke some riders.

Technically, it does 186, not 185, and thats with the limiter, it will go faster than 186 if you cut the limiter. the ZX-10 doesn't go twice the speed limit in first gear either, it ONLY does 104 mph in 1st gear. 8)

[RW'07]

I thought it was 50 kph over in Ontario? Either way, when I read this law, I thought of Ontario. We're just a little more lenient.

I meant the '50' over the local PSL, km/h in Ontario, mph down in Florida, both govs in love with this number But still you guys get to keep the vehicle, not such thing up here, towed away and stored for 7 days on your own expense!

[JDS]

They are going to believe that running is the answer.

EXACTLY what I thought.

Hell, a guaranteed $1000 vs the possibility of an ass beating? I dunno, I think I'd rather risk getting beat up.

The worst thing is that this is gonna apply to me, and I'm in a car. I don't have the option of running. And with two empty lanes and a shoulder on my left, two empty lanes and a shoulder on my right, both with guardrails, and all of this with a 55 mph speed limit...sure as hell I'm gonna be doing at least 50 mph over the limit when I don't have to deal with traffic.

[KustomEagle]

ridiculous

You'd think bikers would be left alone. Those of us who have been riding a while understand the do's and donts and have a general respect for our machines and the roads we ride on. Laws like this just build bias into the system. This will cause your average traffic revenue generator to start to think that all bikers are bad and up to no good.

Bikes are not like cars; any idiot can buy a bike or a car, but the difference is if an idiot buys a bike he's going to find himself receiving a darwin award or if he's lucky just crash bad enough to realize he needs to stay away from two wheels. While in a car the same idiot could skate by and get comfortable being an idiot then seriously hurt someone.

Luckily where i'm at the policing figures seem to understand motorcycles and not pay much attention to what i'm doing.

[edweird]

If you're already going 50 over the limit, seriously, there is very little incentive to stop, especially when they are going to fine you $1,000. Granted, there's already people who run so they don't pay the $250.

Let's see, stop, get a misdemeanor or flee and if caught get hit with a felony?

[ELVATO]

If you're already going 50 over the limit, seriously, there is very little incentive to stop, especially when they are going to fine you $1,000. Granted, there's already people who run so they don't pay the $250.

Let's see, stop, get a misdemeanor or flee and if caught get hit with a felony?

If caught. Kidding.