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A Crash Course in Keeping Streets Safer
By Ken Glassman - Spec ial to the Daily Herald
Posted Monday, October 18, 2004
As of last week, 15 motorcyclists have died in crashes in Chicago area since August 1 according to the Illinois State Trooper's office. The number may be even higher by now. That is certainly an alarming figure; but let's look into the crashes further.
According to police, many of the accidents were a result of riders on sportbikes, or self-proclaimed "Night Riders" who were driving on local expressways and highways at speeds above 100 miles per hour and weaving in and out of traffic. Others were stunt riding on city streets popping wheelies and doing stoppies. Some of this behavior may have been inspired by some recent biker movies, like "Biker Boyz," where inner city motorcycle clubs face off against each other to exhibit their manhood and vie for supremacy by street racing and stunt riding.
In response, Chicago's 14th Ward Alderman, Edward Burke, has proposed a motorcycle helmet law ordinance for the City of Chicago. Unfortunately, under current state law, the city can't do that. According to Cheryl Pearre, state legislative coordinator of ABATE of Illinois (a lobbying and education organization for motorcycle riders), a city helmet law would be illegal. This stems from a 2000 law stating, "no unit of local government, including a home-rule unit, may enact an ordinance requiring motorcycle users to wear protective headgear."
But what would a helmet law proposed by Alderman Burke do to deter those who don't think twice about facing the penalties of excessive speeding, reckless driving and probably half a dozen other laws? Crashing into a guardrail or concrete median at 120 miles per hour with or without a helmet will more than likely have the same results.
Illustrating this point, Illinois State Trouper, Brian Windle, appearing on the weekly Open Road Radio show Sunday, October 10, said five of the six crashes that they investigated showed that the rider was, in fact, wearing a helmet. In addition, all had valid motorcycle licenses, but surprisingly only one involved alcohol.
here's the rest of the article..
By Ken Glassman - Spec ial to the Daily Herald
Posted Monday, October 18, 2004
As of last week, 15 motorcyclists have died in crashes in Chicago area since August 1 according to the Illinois State Trooper's office. The number may be even higher by now. That is certainly an alarming figure; but let's look into the crashes further.
According to police, many of the accidents were a result of riders on sportbikes, or self-proclaimed "Night Riders" who were driving on local expressways and highways at speeds above 100 miles per hour and weaving in and out of traffic. Others were stunt riding on city streets popping wheelies and doing stoppies. Some of this behavior may have been inspired by some recent biker movies, like "Biker Boyz," where inner city motorcycle clubs face off against each other to exhibit their manhood and vie for supremacy by street racing and stunt riding.
In response, Chicago's 14th Ward Alderman, Edward Burke, has proposed a motorcycle helmet law ordinance for the City of Chicago. Unfortunately, under current state law, the city can't do that. According to Cheryl Pearre, state legislative coordinator of ABATE of Illinois (a lobbying and education organization for motorcycle riders), a city helmet law would be illegal. This stems from a 2000 law stating, "no unit of local government, including a home-rule unit, may enact an ordinance requiring motorcycle users to wear protective headgear."
But what would a helmet law proposed by Alderman Burke do to deter those who don't think twice about facing the penalties of excessive speeding, reckless driving and probably half a dozen other laws? Crashing into a guardrail or concrete median at 120 miles per hour with or without a helmet will more than likely have the same results.
Illustrating this point, Illinois State Trouper, Brian Windle, appearing on the weekly Open Road Radio show Sunday, October 10, said five of the six crashes that they investigated showed that the rider was, in fact, wearing a helmet. In addition, all had valid motorcycle licenses, but surprisingly only one involved alcohol.
here's the rest of the article..