wreckwriter
10-05-2008, 05:18 AM
sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbspeed1005sboct05,0,3528935.story
South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
Not so fast: Florida institutes $1,000 fine for going 50 mph over limit
By Michael Turnbell and Sallie James
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
October 5, 2008
Brazen motorcyclists and drivers now will be clobbered with a fine in the four figures — $1,000 and up — if they get busted for excessive speeding on Florida roads.
And for the bikers, there are additional new rules, including an absolute ban on "popping wheelies," or lifting their front wheel off the pavement.
Under a Florida law that took effect this month, drivers face a $1,000 fine for going 50 mph over the speed limit.
Get caught a second time and you'll fork over $2,500 and lose your license for a year. You'll pay $5,000 for the third offense and forfeit your license for 10 years.
Previously, the harshest penalty was $250 for exceeding the speed limit by more than 30 mph. This penalty is still in effect.
On the second day the new law went into effect, and using airplanes to track traffic, officers cited 80 people for excessive speeding in a 1 1/2 -hour period Thursday evening on the southern end of the Palmetto Expressway in Miami-Dade County.
One motorcyclist was clocked at 150 mph. A Ford Mustang hit 145 mph.
"I expected we'd see two or three, but there was one right after the other," said state Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, R-Miami, who drafted the new law to deter speed demons from turning highways into a Florida version of the Le Mans racecourse.
Lopez-Cantera's bill initially targeted reckless motorcyclists on racing-style motorcycles. But the Legislature broadened it to include all motorists after motorcycle riders complained it was discriminatory.
A second part of the law requires that motorcyclists keep both wheels on the ground at all times. Bike owners must also attach their license tags horizontally.
If the plate is improperly mounted, officers can fine the rider $1,000. The intent was to penalize riders with "flip-up" tags which can be turned so the tag isn't readable — a ploy used by speeders.
But it also may hurt riders with highly-customized bikes, like certain choppers whose design may make traditional mounting impossible, said James Lesniak, president of the Southeast chapter of the local motorcycle rights group ABATE.
"You get a guy who pays $80,000 for his bike, rides it out of the shop the first day, and a few blocks away gets a $1,000 ticket," Lesniak said.
I think this is absolutely ridiculous."
"Big Ed" Youssef, president of the Outsiders Motorcycle Club, a sports bike club with about 50 members, said the law is unfair but probably necessary.
"You have a lot of independent riders going out there doing whatever they want," Youssef said. "The machines are so fast, police can't keep up with them. Unfortunately, a lot of good riders are going to get caught in the crossfire."
Michael Turnbell can be reached at mturnbell@SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4155.
Copyright © 2008, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
Not so fast: Florida institutes $1,000 fine for going 50 mph over limit
By Michael Turnbell and Sallie James
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
October 5, 2008
Brazen motorcyclists and drivers now will be clobbered with a fine in the four figures — $1,000 and up — if they get busted for excessive speeding on Florida roads.
And for the bikers, there are additional new rules, including an absolute ban on "popping wheelies," or lifting their front wheel off the pavement.
Under a Florida law that took effect this month, drivers face a $1,000 fine for going 50 mph over the speed limit.
Get caught a second time and you'll fork over $2,500 and lose your license for a year. You'll pay $5,000 for the third offense and forfeit your license for 10 years.
Previously, the harshest penalty was $250 for exceeding the speed limit by more than 30 mph. This penalty is still in effect.
On the second day the new law went into effect, and using airplanes to track traffic, officers cited 80 people for excessive speeding in a 1 1/2 -hour period Thursday evening on the southern end of the Palmetto Expressway in Miami-Dade County.
One motorcyclist was clocked at 150 mph. A Ford Mustang hit 145 mph.
"I expected we'd see two or three, but there was one right after the other," said state Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, R-Miami, who drafted the new law to deter speed demons from turning highways into a Florida version of the Le Mans racecourse.
Lopez-Cantera's bill initially targeted reckless motorcyclists on racing-style motorcycles. But the Legislature broadened it to include all motorists after motorcycle riders complained it was discriminatory.
A second part of the law requires that motorcyclists keep both wheels on the ground at all times. Bike owners must also attach their license tags horizontally.
If the plate is improperly mounted, officers can fine the rider $1,000. The intent was to penalize riders with "flip-up" tags which can be turned so the tag isn't readable — a ploy used by speeders.
But it also may hurt riders with highly-customized bikes, like certain choppers whose design may make traditional mounting impossible, said James Lesniak, president of the Southeast chapter of the local motorcycle rights group ABATE.
"You get a guy who pays $80,000 for his bike, rides it out of the shop the first day, and a few blocks away gets a $1,000 ticket," Lesniak said.
I think this is absolutely ridiculous."
"Big Ed" Youssef, president of the Outsiders Motorcycle Club, a sports bike club with about 50 members, said the law is unfair but probably necessary.
"You have a lot of independent riders going out there doing whatever they want," Youssef said. "The machines are so fast, police can't keep up with them. Unfortunately, a lot of good riders are going to get caught in the crossfire."
Michael Turnbell can be reached at mturnbell@SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4155.
Copyright © 2008, South Florida Sun-Sentinel