Are law enforcement officers more forgiving of speeding motorcyclists than of speeding cars/trucks?

Answer 1

It depends. Some officers are unforgiving of any vehicle type. Others forgive everyone. Personally, I tend to be a little bit more lenient with motorcycle riders unless they are doing something blatantly stupid. The only ones that get an automatic ticket from me are the riders who do not have a motorcycle endorsement or no insurance. The rest of the riders have to "earn" a ticket from me.

Oh, by the way, RADAR picks up a motorcycle just fine if the officer knows how to properly operate and interpret the return. And LIDAR (laser) can pick out a motorcycle specifically in the heaviest of traffic since it is a narrow beam aimed instrument.

Answer 2

I don't think there would be any correlation between the two. I think it really depends on the officer and the speeder. Attitude can make a big difference. Sure motorcycles are fast, but so are cars like mustangs. I think that a sports car with tinted windows is just as likely to be given a ticket as a speeding motorcyclist. As long as your not driving reckless, respect will go a long way.

Answer 3

No, not really. Some officers are more forgiving, knowing how easy it is to speed on a bike. Some are less forgiving, having seen too many dumb kids on sport bikes break every traffic law that exists within a block.

Answer 4

yanno, if more riders were to start riding with some sense in their head instead of acting like the street is their 'private' track, maybe cops wouldnt put down the kind of heat to prime mc roads; cases in point.......tail of the dragon and cherohola skyway by tn highway patrol. word from my bud's close by there have said their 'road blocks' are on par with a dwi checkpoints. but they didnt stop at just 1, they had the entire strip with wall to wall cops. hmmm, could it be from having too many idiots causing problems from riding at triple digit speeds? naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

tell ya what.....get stopped when u were in the triple digits, and u tell us first hand. in some states, going 20 mph over the limit is grounds for a reckless operation ticket. say the limit is 65, and u get popped for doing 105....that's 40 mph over. u wont just get a ticket, u are taking a ride with them back to the station, and the bike will be impounded. ever see how some of these trucks handle a bike? its downright horrifying. guess u'd like to see yer scoot swingin back and forth off a sling eh?
u wont have to find out if u do the limit.

Answer 5

I got pulled over in my car and when the cop saw my helmet in the back seat, we started talking about bikes. He was a rider and he let me off 70 in a 55. If the cop is a rider I think he'll have more sympathy. Most state boys and hwy patrol are hard nose so it all depends.

Answer 6

Depends, I got stopped 3 times.

One advised me to slow down.
One suggested that I might have been riding a little to aggressively.
And the 3rd wanted to know what the hell I was thinking to be going that fast. I got a ticket from him.

Maybe it's not the motorcycle, it's the demeanor of the rider that might make a difference.

Answer 7

how about asking some of the riders that happened to come up on tn's rolling speed traps on the dragon and the cherohala skyway last season if they'll cut u slack? try to run and it will be guarenteed u will have to cough up more cash. btw, if u think the cops are being tough, wait till the insurance company gets done.......ur rates will rise so much, u'll need the shuttle to get to the top of it.

Answer 8

I think they look the other way for bikes. I have only been pulled over for speeding once on a bike and that time I passed a whole line of cars doing about a buck twenty when I noticed the second from the last car was a cop, since I was in my hometown I decided to pull over (they most likely would have known who has the yellow rocket) and the officer let me off with a warning say and I quote "Thanks for stopping, there is no way I would have caught up to you with the head of steam you had going" and that he "had no choice but to pull me over or the department would have received phone calls if he would have just let it go". I have sped past cops and been caught riding wheelies before and since where the only thing they did was flash their lights at me to warn me. In the same town I got a speeding ticket for doing 7 miles over the limit while I was returning the moving van the night I bought my house so I would have to say you can get away with alot more on a bike.

Answer 9

I'm 1 for 2 on a cycle.

Answer 10

That statement is inaccurate. It depends entirely on the officer. Many officers ride, and many are sympathetic to other riders, especially those that carry insurance, have a valid registration and motorcycle endorsement, and appear to serious and safety conscious. But to say all officers are forgiving isn't correct. They won't cut a rider any slack for stunting, riding recklessly, or under the influence. If it's simple speeding, and I'm not talking doing 90 in a 55 mph zone, I'd say you stand a better than average chance of walking away with a warning. That said, it all boils down to the attitude of the officer that pulls you over. Maybe he didn't get any last night, or his wife left him. You never know.