Quote:
Originally Posted by Berlin
Surely to pull a decent wheelie you have to be in supreme control of your vehicle? Likewise with a power slide etc.
Surely someone who is very good at wheelying is a better and more controlled rider that one that can't? They are more aware of the limits and function of the vehicle and able to control it to an extremely high degree.
On the Law's logic, a stunt rider is the most dangerous and out of control person on a bike when it could be argued the exact opposite. Jenson Button is more dangerous in a car because he can do more things with that car. Likewise Valentino Rossi on a bike.
Sometimes the law is donkey shaped. And lets not forget that the law is in place to protect the thickest members of our society and the law *should* apply less the more inteligence that a person has.
A blanket speed limit is in place because the powers that be deem 30mph to be a safe speed for the most utterly useless driver in the UK to travel at in a built up area. The more able the driver the higher technically they could be travelling to achieve the same end result (the avoidance of an accident). Nigel mansel has sharper reaction times and better car control than a mong that shops at iceland and read heat magazine and punches her friend on X factor.
Oh, slap me, I'm controvertial! 
C |
The whole 'proper control' point is a bit of a layman's term when it comes to careless driving. The two are actually separate offences. So yes, you can argue that the stunt rider is demonstrating immense skill and control of his vehicle but by performing his stunts on a public road his standard of driving would be below that expected of a careful and competent driver - which is what careless driving is actually about. I'd argue it was FAR below the standard expected and therefore dangerous, but the Criminal Protection Society wouldn't listen to that for very long.
Just ask yourself, would you have done it on your test, deliberately or accidentally, and expect to pass?
As for the speed limit thing, you haven't mentioned observation and anticipation whatsoever - they're the true skills of a great driver ON THE ROAD. Nigel Mansell et al might have great skills on a track but they don't transfer to the road as far as safe driving is concerned. 30 is 30 because even at that speed accidents can happen that are completely unavoidable from the driver/rider's side of things, regardless of skill/intelligence/choice of frozen food retailer etc but at least at those speeds there's a chance of whoever dropped a b0llock surviving to live another day. Whether that's a good thing or us getting in the way of natural selection is a different debate all together!