Dear Dr. Gridlock:
In response to your request for additional information concerning sport motorcycles and reckless driving, I can offer the following recent examples of Fairfax County Police Department enforcement efforts.
• In August, an officer driving an unmarked police cruiser observed a sport bike being driven wildly on Fairfax County Parkway. The operator, with a passenger on the back of the bike, was doing nearly 80 mph in a posted 50 mph zone. After slowing for approaching traffic, he rose the bike up on its rear wheel and traveled approximately two-tenths of a mile in that manner.
When finished with that circus maneuver, he began to drive in between the lanes of vehicles and to weave in and out of the lanes.
The officer followed. Several miles on, the officer saw that the bike was stopped ahead in traffic. The officer was able to walk up and grab the key from the ignition, turning the bike off.
The driver was subsequently charged with reckless driving and found guilty in court. He received a $1,000 fine, a one-year suspension of his license and two months in the county jail. The Department of Motor Vehicles assigned his record six demerit points for his performance.
• In late September, during the evening hours, an officer tried to stop a sport bike on the Beltway, and it sped away in excess of 100 mph.
The officer quickly and wisely surmised that it was not worth pursuing and broke off a chase. Our police helicopter happened upon the scene and followed the bike until it pulled into a 7-Eleven store several miles away.
When the driver exited the 7-Eleven, he was met by the original officer, who promptly arrested him for attempting to elude police, which can be a felony offense in Virginia. The bike was towed away, and the case is pending a court hearing.
• Earlier this month, an officer in a neighboring jurisdiction tried to stop two reckless sport bike drivers. Both immediately fled at high speeds. Before turning on his emergency lights, the officer radioed in the tag number of one of the bikes. Rather then engage in a dangerous chase, the officer asked our police department to go to the registered owner's house.
Officers did, and after about an hour, the errant driver pulled his sport bike into the driveway. The officers made a positive identification of the driver, and an arrest warrant was issued for attempting to elude police.
• Two years ago, one of our motorcycle officers was issuing a ticket along Fairfax County Parkway while another officer in a cruiser was pursuing a reckless sport bike driver on the parkway. The officer alongside the roadway stepped out into the roadway to stop traffic.
The sport bike driver sped past the stopped traffic and, according to witnesses' accounts, accelerated wildly and struck the officer.
The officer sustained serious injuries and underwent multiple surgeries to repair broken legs and a shoulder. He was out of work for nearly a year and still has some lingering medical problems from the event. The sport bike driver died on impact.
My unofficial count so far this year of apprehended reckless sport bike drivers is 21. I'll have an official count after year's end, including how many got away.
We have noticed that a few sport bike operators have a wire attached to the bottom of their vehicle's license plate. The wire runs up into their jacket and out a sleeve. When pulled, the wire lifts the attached tag up so it cannot be read. We are onto this trick, and when we see it, we charge the operators with improperly mounted license plates, even if they are not engaged in other traffic violations.
