self-driving cars ny bans children baby boomers at risk bY : bILL bISH , ncom
self-driving cars ny bans children baby boomers at risk bY : bILL bISH , ncom
THE AIM / NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS SERVICE is brought to you by Aid to Injured Motorcyclists ( A . I . M .) and the National Coalition of Motorcyclists ( NCOM ), and is sponsored by the Law Offices of Richard M . Lester . If you ’ ve been involved in any kind of accident , call us at 1- ( 800 ) ON-A-BIKE or visit www . ON-A-BIKE . com .
FIRST TWIN PEAKS CASE GOES TO TRIAL IN WACO
Following more than two years of examining trials , hearings , motions to recuse judges and to disqualify prosecutors , appeals court rulings and a host of speedy trial demands , the first case in the Twin Peaks melee has finally gone to trial in Waco , Texas .
Jacob Carrizal , President of the Dallas chapter of the Bandidos , appears before Judge Matt Johnson of Waco ’ s 54th State District Court on charges of directing the activities of a criminal street gang and two counts of engaging in organized criminal activity .
Carrizal is the first to stand trial of the 154 bikers indicted in the Twin Peaks shootout that left nine bikers dead and dozens injured while attending a Saturday , May 17 , 2015 meeting of the Coalition of Clubs and Independents , an affiliation of motorcycle groups .
Many questions will hopefully be answered , at long last , including how much of the bloodshed was due to a biker turf war and how much resulted from law enforcement actions .
Authorities tightened security measures around the McLennan County Courthouse , including a metal fence around the 115-year old building , and black curtains over the windows , while attorneys have whittled down a jury pool from nearly 150 prospective jurists to 11 men and three women , with two serving as alternates .
“ LOWEST FIGURES ON RECORD ” FOR U . K . MOTORCYCLE FATALITIES
In a promising message for motorcyclists , statistics recently released by England ’ s Department for Transport ( DfT ) show that U . K . motorcycle deaths are down by 13 %, the lowest figure since records began in 2006 , despite an overall increase in motorcycle traffic last year and amidst the highest total of overall road deaths since 2011 .
In fact , statistics from the DfT ’ s “ Reported road casualties in Great Britain : 2016 annual report ” reveal
that motorcyclists were the only road user to see a decrease in fatalities from 2015-16 , even though they rode 2 % more to cover 2.8 billion miles .
AAA CLAIMS BABY BOOMERS AT HIGHER
RISK ON A BIKE
A new report from AAA claims that the baby boomer generation that made motorcycles cool are now more likely to sustain life-threatening or fatal injuries in a crash than younger riders .
The organization , analyzing federal crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ( NHTSA ), says older riders make up a disproportionate number of motorcycle fatalities . The mortality rate for riders who are 60 or older is more than four times the overall increase in motorcycle deaths for 2015-16 , says AAA , with motorcycle fatalities rising 5.1 % while deaths among older baby boomers increased 22 %.
Important to note , the increase in overall motorcycle fatalities is partially the byproduct of a corresponding rise in the number of motorcycles on the road , increasing to 8.6 million motorcycles in 2015 compared with 8.4 million in 2014 , according to Federal Highway Administration ( FHWA ) data cited by the organization . LIFE SENTENCES PROPOSED FOR KILLER DRIVERS
U . K . drivers or riders convicted of causing death by dangerous driving could face life imprisonment if new Government proposals are adopted to increase maximum penalties .
The move follows a public consultation in which 70 % of respondents believed that the maximum penalty for causing death by dangerous driving should be increased to life -- the top penalty that British law offers .
Under the same proposal , the crime of causing death by careless driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs will also be increased to life . Currently , both offenses carry a maximum term of 14 years imprisonment , while the average sentence imposed is four years .
The Government also proposes the creation of a new offense of causing serious injury by careless driving , with a prison sentence up to five years , a measure supported by 90 % of those surveyed .
The punishment for cases that involve mobile phones , street racing or speeding would carry a sentence equivalent to manslaughter . THE FUTURE OF THE ENGINE IN QUESTION Some world governments are already acting to curtail or eliminate gasoline-powered engines , and now the Governor of California , Jerry Brown , has announced that he is also considering ways to ban the sale of vehicles with internal combustion engines .
During a recent public meeting on U . S . Climate Alliance in New York , Brown stated ; “ We ’ re doing something in the face of inaction .”
BIKER NE
“ Eventually , Washington will join with us , because you can ’ t deny science forever , you can ’ t deny reality . And the reality is climate change is occurring .”
With a zero-emissions mandate currently in place , California is one of the U . S . states that is fully committed to carrying out the objectives of the Paris Agreement -- which is an ambitious project from the United Nations aiming to tackle the problems caused global climate change .
Gov . Brown ’ s announcement follows a similar diktat from the British and French Governments , reflecting plans to move to electrically-powered vehicles within the next few decades .
SELF-DRIVING CARS CLOSER TO HOME
The U . S . House of Representatives unanimously approved a bipartisan bill called the SELF-DRIVE act , the first of its kind to drive the unmanned market forward by putting federal regulators in charge and barring states from blocking autonomous vehicles or setting performance standards .
This legislation would supersede state-by-state rules , making it possible for autonomous testing to proceed on a level playing field across the U . S .
If it becomes law ( which still requires it to pass the Senate ), then it would make it possible for companies working on self-driving to field a lot more vehicles per year – as many as 100,000 autonomous test cars annually , in fact .
The proposal would make it possible for car companies such as Ford , GM and others to bypass certain safety standards that currently apply to human piloted cars , including equipment and controls .
The Senate has also been working on its own self-driving bill , which may cover trucking as well . CALIFORNIA MEASURE WILL ENSURE TRAFFIC LIGHTS DETECT CYCLES
Two-wheelers will be detected by all newly installed and replacement traffic signals throughout California , as recently passed Senate Bill 672 will “ ensure that local transportation agencies will replace current traffic-actuated signals during the course of regular maintenance and upgrade cycles to adopt motorcycle-and bicycle-sensitive signals .”
Existing law due to sunset provides that , in due course of maintaining or replacing traffic control devices , local governments ensure that the systems are set at a level to that can detect cyclists and motorcycles , thus this bill indefinitely extends these provisions without a specific mandate from Sacramento .
“ Since I authored the original law ten years ago , this common sense measure has proven to be effective at making our roads safer ,” said Senator Jean Fuller ( R-Bakersfield ).
30 Thunder Roads Magazine Louisiana / Mississippi | November 2017 | www . thunderroadslams . com