Reap What is Sown

Back on 14 July, we wrote a post about this ATV versus SUV accident:

The woman driving the ATV on the sidewalk t-boned an SUV, disregarding the traffic signal (and the law about ATV's on city streets) and died. Darwin wins again.

And on 10 June, we had this item, asking if this was legal:

Of course it isn't, but we were being sarcastic.

Because CPD isn't supposed to chase for traffic, isn't supposed to pursue over misdemeanors, and has been restricted from even following fleeing motorcycles for any pretty much any any reason whatsoever lest there be a crash.

End result? 

• no pursuit is interpreted as no consequences, 
• no fear of being stopped leads to more law breaking

And now, Chicagoans reap the whirlwind:

• A woman riding her bike on the Lakefront Trail suffered catastrophic injuries after a man on a motorized dirt bike crashed into her in the Gold Coast, according to Chicago police, who are now trying to track him down.

  The crash happened around 3:47 p.m. on July 20, when the 45-year-old woman was riding along the trail just south of North Avenue. Police said a man wearing a black ski mask and dark clothing was riding a yellow dirt bike recklessly when he struck her.

  The woman’s injuries were serious enough that Chicago police turned the investigation over to the department’s Major Accident Investigation Unit, which handles the most severe crashes.

Who should society blame (besides the guy wearing a ski mask in the middle of summer)?

• The crash is a flashpoint in what’s become a growing complaint from regulars on the 18-mile trail: motorized vehicles speeding along a path where they don’t belong. The trail was built for walkers, joggers, and bicyclists moving under their own power. But those users increasingly find themselves on the lookout as people riding motorized bikes and skateboard-style devices zip along at breakneck speeds.

  Pedal-assist e-bikes get some of the blame, particularly when riders strip out the devices that are supposed to cap how fast they can go. But the bigger worry, according to those who use the trail regularly, is heavier, faster machines that don’t belong on a bike path at all: gas-powered minibikes, electric dirt bikes, mopeds and electric motorcycles built to look like bicycles — some of which exceed 40 mph. Those devices also accelerate faster and weigh more than standard bikes, raising the stakes when something goes wrong, as it did on July 20.

Until someone invents something that disables these types of vehicles (ATVs, cycles, scooters, e-bikes, etc) expect more of it with proportional body counts.

In the meantime, maybe a clothesline at neck level would discourage this behavior? 

New Meaning to "Tree Police"

They never had this job around when we were rookies:

• Drivers could not beat around the bush when it came to being charged with distracted driving in a New Jersey suburb this week as a cop disguised himself as a shrub to spot motorists on their phones while behind the wheel.

  The Dunellen police officer camouflaged himself and employed a pair of binoculars to covertly execute  the distracted-driving enforcement operation in the town of 8,000 about 30 miles from New York City.

There's even a picture:

We'd agree with arguments that this is nothing more than a money grab by the Dunellen, New Jersey PD and local government (the fines start at $200 and escalate from there). But we've also seen more than enough distracted drivers hitting, injuring and killing people to say something ought to be done.

Shoot-a-Palooza

How many? 

Rain has come and gone for Friday and temps are expected to be reasonable.

Five and twelve? 

Let's use 1700 hours Friday until 0500 hours Monday - a sixty hour stretch.