Jarrad's Law, what does it mean for motorcycling in America.

[Matt]

I read about Jarrad's Law which went into effect in CA on the 2nd.
i blogged about it here...http://boxerworks.com/main/blog/
if you haven't heard about it yet you will.
it's a law that requires all new riders under 21 to take 15 hours of on bike training before they can be issued a permit in CA. CA leads in this kind of stuff so other states will quickly follow suit.
just curious what y'all think about it....
matt

[Zombie Master]

I read about Jarrad's Law which went into effect in CA on the 2nd.
i blogged about it here...http://boxerworks.com/main/blog/
if you haven't heard about it yet you will.
it's a law that requires all new riders under 21 to take 15 hours of on bike training before they can be issued a permit in CA. CA leads in this kind of stuff so other states will quickly follow suit.
just curious what y'all think about it....
matt

I hate legislation, but this is a a good idea. They should also spend that much time trail riding before they get on the street.

[vanzen]

I hate legislation, but this is a a good idea. They should also spend that much time trail riding before they get on the street.

Agree with ZM 80%.
Trail teaches quicker, faster ... but lessons can also be learned elsewhere.

Now what about the cagers ?
Anyone with a heartbeat gets a freakin' license to drive on the street !

Any law that addresses the issue of driver / rider competence & ability -
ie: you gotta have a certain set of real world skills to get a license ... will be a PLUS !
Too many assholes on the road to think otherwise.

[Matt]

yes, trail riding is a great way to gain experience, if your lucky enough to live out in the country or next to these "trails" but nothing compares to some solid instruction first hand. consider the aviation world. you have to jump through flaming hoops before they will turn you loose in an Airplane. I think motorcycles can compare, in the aviation world they almost never use words like accident...except maybe in a report for instance "shortly before the plane crashed the pilot had an accident in his pants".
Coming from the motorcycle safety and rider training community AND being a self taught rider with a pile of miles under my belt there is simply no two ways about it, quality instruction is the fastest, shortest and safest path when it comes to learning to ride a motorcycle. & i mean for beginners and experienced riders. Ive seen riders with decades of experience and after all that experience they make it into an MSF course & discover that they forgot to teach themselves a couple things....
& forget about the cagers. My moto is "catch me if you can". Lets not forget the crash statistics, many(maybe most) motorcycle crashes are single vehicle accidents, people who can't ride.

& as far as cagers go they keep making new laws, more air bags, crumple zones, blind spot camera's? there is no fixing stupid....

[Deleted User 287]

I think it is about time we caught up with Europe.

[Major Softie]

Lets not forget the crash statistics, many(maybe most) motorcycle crashes are single vehicle accidents, people who can't ride.

Yeah, that's a big change. Back in the Hurt Report days, the large majority of motorcycle accidents were car vs. bike, and the car was almost always at fault. The irony was that, although the huge majority of accidents were caused by cars, the huge majority of bike riders involved had been riding less than a year. It was a big lesson in how experienced riders learn to drive defensively and expect cars to try to kill them.

Since the Harley resurgence, with all the middle-aged re-entry or first-time riders on 800 lb. motorcycles, the stats changed dramatically to the majority of bike accidents being single vehicle, rider error, accidents. Even though the old stats were also mostly beginning riders, the difference seems to be the kind of bikes being ridden by beginners, and, perhaps, inexperienced riders trying to keep up with groups of experienced riders. Nobody was riding in packs on their CB350s back in '69.

Edit: note that the enormous increase in motorcycle accidents in the past decade has been closely connected to an enormous increase in the average age of new riders, and thus the average age of the rider in an accident, and this new law doesn't do a damn thing to influence that.

[Deleted User 287]

When I was young & early in my relationship, my SO was enthusiastic about getting her own bike. (Now, after 30 years, I understand why! )
I insisted she take the MSF course (I was a seasoned veteran of 5 years!). She said no way, unless I did, too.
Ever since, I have always considered it to be the best accessory I ever bought for my motorcycle.

[Major Softie]

Ever since, I have always considered it to be the best accessory I ever bought for my motorcycle.

Your SO?

[Deleted User 287]

Ever since, I have always considered it to be the best accessory I ever bought for my motorcycle.

Your SO?

Significant Other?

[Chuey]

As I was reading that blog post, most of what I was thinking has already been posted here.

I thought about England and how they have a graduated system for licensing riders and more time on bikes leading to the legal use of larger displacement bikes. Even though it is a law, and even though it is popular to bemoan new laws, I think it has the potential to do some good. As in most traffic laws and how I feel about them, that leads me to my next point (and pet peeve).

Vanzen touched on this. If the intention is to make it safer for cyclists, motorized and pedaled, safer, the first place I will look is at the drivers of cars. If I was to be able to influence traffic laws, I would make it more serious of a matter to get a driver license. There would be questions on the test that directly address the bike/car issue. The issue of tailgating would be studied and new strategies put in place to avoid that dangerous practice. I would make it illegal to hurt or kill other people with cars. As it is now, that practice is not taken seriously. It is almost as if you can do whatever you want as long as you are in a car and there will be no significant consequences. I'm kind of wandering from this subject but the point is, it would do more good, overall, to make attempts to clean up how people drive the two ton make-up mirror/phone booths.

The age question is something I wouldn't have thought about without having read what Matt wrote. It is a good point.

I'm wondering how accessible the fifteen hours of training will be. Is there enough instruction in place to meet the demand?

To address one thing Major Softie said, when looking at single bike accidents it can't be ignored that bikes are much faster nowadays. I live near a Marine base and there are all kinds of young Marines who ride big displacement sports bikes. You can kind of tell the noobies by the way they ride. Groups of four are common. I think that's dangerous; big time. There will always be one who isn't as naturally talented or one who is exceptionally talented and the "need" to keep up will..............I guess I'm talking about natural selection.

Chuey