Agressive Motorpatrol's move passing a rider

[VEGASRIDER]

This has been a very popular thread on one of our local forums here in Boise. The OP submitted this to the news and it made it on several local channels and possibly CNN.

Video: Is Meridian Police officer driving reckless on traffic stop? | Local & Regional | Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell, Idaho News, Weather, Sports and Breaking News - KBOI 2

Let the discussion begin. Essentially both are at fault. Rider should have yielded to an approaching emergency vehicle with their lights activated, but after a certain point and given the situation, the rider made the correct decision and maintained his line and possibly move a bit more to the left. As a motorcyclist, it is considered bad etiquette and considered very dangerous to pass on the right within the same lane when not expecting it, especially at such a high rate of speed and new rider's have been known to get "Spooked" and have crashed on their own as a result of it.

 

[P. Fisher]

I had a rider do this same thing to me on my commute back home today. Definitely a startling moment. I feel like the rider did the right thing. If I was in that situation, I wouldn't want to get over onto the shoulder unless I had to. Passing at a speed much faster than the traffic is quite dangerous.

 

[ShoopCE]

Argh......

 

[Lefty]

Technically that isn't lane splitting ( or sharing) at least here in California, it was passing on the shoulder and illegal here. At least the LEO was ATGATT as he passed on the right. :thumbup:

 

[dbldutch02]

I don't see the problem? The rider is way left in his lane already, the police rider goes down the middle of the rest of the space available, keeping himself off the rumble strip and getting off the (no doubt dirty) hard shoulder. Sure, it would have been more considerate if he had gone round both bike and car on the left, but is what he did worth getting a fellow biker in trouble for??

Poor ickle wider had an ickle fwight...aaah, diddums

 

[Carlos840]

I don't see the problem? The rider is way left in his lane already, the police rider goes down the middle of the rest of the space available, keeping himself off the rumble strip and getting off the (no doubt dirty) hard shoulder. Sure, it would have been more considerate if he had gone round both bike and car on the left, but is what he did worth getting a fellow biker in trouble for??

Poor ickle wider had an ickle fwight...aaah, diddums

I agree with this, although technically probably illegal i don't see how he put anyone in danger. The filming rider is being a drama queen...

 

[Cloggy]

I agree with the last 2 posts, IMO it may have been illegal but not totally inconsiderate, and as for "undertaking" the biker with the helmet cam "undertakes" the car in the outer lane anyway.

 

[ctbandit]

People ****ing love attention. :spank:
What a douche nozzle. You got buzzed on the highway, big deal. Just be glad he wasn't pulling you over.

 

[hoot]

OMG! Reckless! The policeman passed the other motorcycle on the SAME lane! The other car on the left lane is at fault here too. EVERYBODY is supposed to drive on the right-most lane. The left lane is far passing & emergency vehicles ONLY!

 

[PFD023]

if emergency services waited for every vehicle to pull to the right before passing them most of us would be moaning at lengthy response times. The fact is sometimes we have to pass on the right when there is no other option.....but you better have lights and sirens on be prepared for the idiot....errr ummm....driver to make a sudden veer to the right when they finally hear the sirens right behind them The driver of the emerg vehicle needs to position themselves accordingly. As for the officer on the bike....he seems to be putting himself through some unnecessary risk in order to catch a speeder (?). Not sure if it's illegal what he did but don't think I'd be doing that in order to issue a ticket. Sirens on ambulances are weak at best....on police bikes they are brutal....lucky we have air horns on our trucks......most people can barely hear the approaching emerg vehicle unless it's right on their arse.

For the biker wearing the gopro while driving on a bloody boring stretch of flat and straight highway....I'm kinda thinking he got on film exactly what he intended.....some sort of driving related controversy......or does he just like watching himself riding on flat straight highways at home on the big screen?

 

[aclayonb]

Honestly, I don't see the problem here. I usually think of normal lanes in term of multiple lanes anyway (2 for motorcycles, 1 for car). I pass other bikers (and cars) the same way depending on my mood. Lane splitting isn't legal in Indiana but I don't really care most of the time.

He gave the rider plenty of room. I have to agree with the other posters (dbldutch02, ctbandit) - This guy has a go-pro for the attention, not safety.

 

[Red Wazp]

I disagree, the leo made a very unsafe move, he was hauling ass and for what? to write another ticket? Had the rider moved the right side of his lane that motor officer would have plowed into the back of him. Any of us do something like that around a cop and we would be busted in a heartbeat.

Typical cop, do as I say not as I do.

Rant over.

 

[FZ09Bandit]

if emergency services waited for every vehicle to pull to the right before passing them most of us would be moaning at lengthy response times. The fact is sometimes we have to pass on the right when there is no other option.....but you better have lights and sirens on be prepared for the idiot....errr ummm....driver to make a sudden veer to the right when they finally hear the sirens right behind them The driver of the emerg vehicle needs to position themselves accordingly. As for the officer on the bike....he seems to be putting himself through some unnecessary risk in order to catch a speeder (?). Not sure if it's illegal what he did but don't think I'd be doing that in order to issue a ticket. Sirens on ambulances are weak at best....on police bikes they are brutal....lucky we have air horns on our trucks......most people can barely hear the approaching emerg vehicle unless it's right on their arse.

For the biker wearing the gopro while driving on a bloody boring stretch of flat and straight highway....I'm kinda thinking he got on film exactly what he intended.....some sort of driving related controversy......or does he just like watching himself riding on flat straight highways at home on the big screen?

By that same ticket they have to show "due regard" to other motorist. Just because we take short cuts doesn't mean we wont be liable if something happens.

He didn't have to go 40mph over the speed limit to catch a dodge stratus.

Anyone else think its funny that the one guy who was all about safety sported absolutely no gear on his bike LOL LOL

 

[2nd childhood]

The way I look at this is you shouldn't be "suddenly" overtaken from someone coming up behind you in your lane, as you should be monitoring your mirrors. I mean, they do serve a purpose other than something to hang your helmet on.

 

[marke14]

Par for the course - I have seen LEOs do worse than that in cars/SUVs.

I agree that it was an unnecessarily unsafe pass given that he was trying to (presumably) catch a speeder. It's unnerving when another bike passes you at such a higher rate of speed relative to your own.

All that said, in all likelihood the motor cop was probably an accomplished rider - strictly from working as a motor officer if nothing else, those guys can RIDE - and it was a judgement call on his part. I'd be a little POed as well but wouldn't call my local TV news station to try to sell them the footage or story.

Sh!t happens - no one injured and not really that close of a call. Not excusing an unsafe pass (IMO) on the officer's part, just making an observation.

Now, if he had gone by like that up on one wheel ... :rockon:

 

[motojoe122]

By that same ticket they have to show "due regard" to other motorist. Just because we take short cuts doesn't mean we wont be liable if something happens.

He didn't have to go 40mph over the speed limit to catch a dodge stratus.

Anyone else think its funny that the one guy who was all about safety sported absolutely no gear on his bike LOL LOL

Yeah, I caught that too!
He brags about safety, then the video clip plays and he isn't wearing any PPE

 

[pookamatic]

I'm surprised at the reactions here. What the officer did was absolutely unsafe. Had the rider done what he was supposed to do by law and got over to the right, it could have ended very very badly. Moving at that clip, buy the time the rider could see the officer and move over, it may have been too late for him to adjust his line.

The speed alone was egregious but the pass on the right is even worse. To top it all off, there appears to be minimal traffic and an open left lane.