Tunnel vision

[upflying]

Another traffic stop story to share. This is like another one I recently wrote about so some of the details are similar. This intention of this post is not so much about traffic stops as it is about the mind and physical limitations that occurs when violating speed laws.

Yesterday about 0700 hrs, I am riding my fully marked, full uniform FLHP at about 65 mph in the westbound, commute direction of a busy four lane freeway. I am in the #3 lane, blending in with moderately heavy single occupant cages who are also doing the limit of 65 mph. The #1 car pool lane was two lanes to my left and relatively clear of vehicles.

Although I like to think I am acutely aware of my surroundings, I was surprised and frankly caught with my pants down when two motorcycles rapidly overtook me in the car pool lane. I would visually estimate the speed of both motorcycles at about 100 mph. The lead motorcycle was a "sport bike" (unknown make, model) and the one following about 100' behind it was a HD Road Glide. It appeared to me the motorcycles were racing and sport bike was pulling away from the HD, no surprise there of course.

I downshifted two gears and wound my poor HD up through the rev limiter. I began to decrease the lead the HD had on me but I never managed to gain on the sport bike.

After about a 1/4 mi, I began to catch the HD and then I slowed to match his speed. I looked at my speedometer and followed him at an indicated 100 mph for another 1/4 mi. The speed was over when the Road Glide was forced to slow when he caught traffic. I red bulbed him and he quickly yielded to the right shoulder. The 21 year old, motorcycle endorsed owner of the '07 Road Glide admitted he was "doing about 80" and knew the limit was 65. Asked why he was going so fast, "on my way to work" was the excuse. I asked if he had seen me when he passed me about a mile back. He said he had not.

He left with a performance award for 95 mph, mainly because my FLHP has never had a speedometer accuracy check at 100 mph. 95 is taking account any fudge factor of speedometer accuracy in the favor of the violator.

I am not sure whether the sport bike rider saw me or not. Certainly the possibility exists that he may have decided to nail it after he saw me. Clearly however the HD rider did not see me. How is it when riding very fast and very illegal that a motorcyclist isn't being being extra vigilant and aware for LEO's?

Did this HD rider, display a case of tunnel vision where you are only fixated with the road 300' in front of you? Is scanning side to side and looking behind no longer is important (or possible to do) when riding at 100 mph?

Was this HD rider allowing his mind to daydream a bit and wander away from riding concentration?

Perhaps how the eye works and it's relationship with the brain is the reason for speed limits. Is 65 mph (on a freeway) a compromise between too slow and too fast for the average driver to see, react and avoid. Do speed limits exist because people don't see when driving too fast?

In legal venues such as race tracks, has it been studied as to what a professional driver sees and doesn't see while racing?

Is limitations of visual acuity and perception the reason why I was not seen and the reason why driving at extra high speeds is so dangerous?

[motorman587]

In Florida 30 over is mandatory court appearence. I am not a big fan on the pace clock method. Just to many possiblities of errors.

 

I would've like to gone after the leader of the pack. Maybe the HD riding was attempting to keep up or catch the sportbike, and that is why he did not see you.

 

I will have people do that here in town where the speed limit is only 35 mph and people will pass me with no clue I am LEO on a marked police motor. Not sure if speed makes it any different or it is that some people just have busy lives, that safety is no the number one issue.

[upflying]

No, I don't like pacing either but that was the only method I had at the moment. There was no possibility of catching the sport bike. I was maximum warp speed just trying to catch the HD. I needed a Honda ST1300P to catch the sport bike.

[Rphoto]

I thought that "you can't outrun a radio". Seriously, thanks for sharing these stories LEO's, they are interesting and informative.

[rickmoen]

I like reading the reports from our LEO's as well. While most of us have done some things we probably regret or would like a do-over, it seems like some folks have no clue about safety or even have a death wish. Makes me want to put more of the gear on.

[ShovelStrokeEd]

As one who pretty much takes a "liberal" interpretation of the posted speed limits and spends a whole bunch of time on the highways and byways of our fair land, I can say that mostly, the reason you are not seen is you are pretty thin on the ground.

 

I have gone for hundreds of miles of interstate riding and never even seen a LEO. Ditto for state and county roads. I know you guys are out there which is what keeps me, for the most part, at only 10 or so over but, on a lonely stretch of road, or if I perceive an immediate need to move myself around a particularly dangerous looking bunch of cages, I will sneak up into the triple digits. It is only a couple of seconds of throttle away after all.

 

Normally, it is pretty easy for me to spot a LEO, car or bike, on the highway. The traffic in his immediate vicinity will be acting strangely. LEO or not, that is an indicator to slow down and find out what's going on. Of course, I've been riding for more than twice as long as that kid has been on this earth. Experience does count.

[Motors]

No, I don't like pacing either but that was the only method I had at the moment. There was no possibility of catching the sport bike. I was maximum warp speed just trying to catch the HD. I needed a Honda ST1300P to catch the sport bike.

 

Sorry, but I don't think you would have caught the sport bike with the ST. The STP is limited to 120 mph!

 

Motors

[steve2]

First let me say 65mph is correct today for reason #1 There is just too much traffic, #2 Most riders do not have any experience at 90-100MPH. Auto-bons today have speed restrictions at congested areas.

I drove a bike in Germany and France 3 years ago. I have to say they are better riders there then here in the USA. #1 reason is it is much more demanding driving there then in the US.

I knew a man in CA. that was a test rider for BMW and mechanic when they tested the orginal K100. They would ride 100MPH 24hrs 7 days a week till the bike had 100,000 miles on it. There is more to that story but he had lectured a few times about riding at speed. You just do not get on a bike and run at 100MPH without experience and a bike built for that kind of speed.

How many of us have that experience on a track or lonely road to drive like that taking into account if you do not do it almost every day you loose it.

This same man would ride from LA to Phoenix with his girl on the back at 180MPH. That was 20 years ago and he said he felt very safe doing it. He was running a turbo BMW.

If I could only run a tally of how many of us say SANE or say CRAZY.

[Huzband]

How is it when riding very fast and very illegal that a motorcyclist isn't being being extra vigilant and aware for LEO's?

 

Stupid, that's how.

 

Example. When I was eighteen, I did a burn-out across the intersection from a red light late on a Saturday night in my '73 Challenger. A couple miles down the road, I see red lights in my mirror. Long story short, I failed to look to my right at the previously mentioned intersection, where two cops were conversing in the parking lot. They both saw the whole of my stupidity.

 

I'll not go into the consequenses, except to say I learned from it.

 

A LOT!

[vizhip]

First let me say 65mph is correct today for reason #1 There is just too much traffic, #2 Most riders do not have any experience at 90-100MPH. Auto-bons today have speed restrictions at congested areas.

 

It definitely is more congested now than it was in the 70's... I can remember constantly running at 100MPH across I-40 from Nashville to Knoxville... and topped out over 150MPH... close to 160MPH per the radar gun...

 

Back then I drove with a pack of cars set up a little better than standard street... and we would be the only ones on the roads at that time of day...

 

Now days you can't find a section of road that doesn't have a tiny bit of traffic on it... even if it is only 1 or 2 cars... plus my reaction time isn't near what it used to be... so while I have a car that will do well over 100MPG... I haven't gotten close to triple digits yet... and I have had the car over 10 years... and the car before that would barely hit 95... and then the revolutions were fairly high... so... has been a good 25 or 30 years since I have driven 100MPG...

 

Regards -

-Bob

[Matts_12GS]

 

Example. When I was eighteen, I did a burn-out across the intersection from a red light

 

Remind me... I have a great story about a girl, a '68 Road Runner and a Christmas parade...

 

I assure you, it was very, very dumb!

[David13]

I don't think he saw you, because he wasn't looking for you. He was trying to catch and keep up with the sport bike.

I think there are few riders in this country who understand the extra skill and vigilance needed at 100, rather than 65.

I can drive or ride across all of Los Angeles, 20 or 40 miles or more, and never see a leo. But, of course I will see from 5 or 10 up to 100 violations in that same span.

Last week I rode out to Laughlin, 200 mile loop around the river, and back, 850 miles over 3 days, and 99% of the time saw no law enforcement presence whatsoever.

The sport bike, tomorrow morning, same time, same direction, same lane, will be back at his usual speed.

dc

[hANNAbONE]

No, I don't like pacing either but that was the only method I had at the moment. There was no possibility of catching the sport bike. I was maximum warp speed just trying to catch the HD. I needed a Honda ST1300P to catch the sport bike.

 

hEY bOB...why not radio another LEO to aid you up the road? It would seem that the sport biker may of had to jockey with positioning his ride if another (2x) LEO's were involved.

 

your thoughts??

[Tim Wilson]

Personally, I'm much too busy watching out for inattentive cagers to worry about looking for LEO's.

[upflying]

No, I don't like pacing either but that was the only method I had at the moment. There was no possibility of catching the sport bike. I was maximum warp speed just trying to catch the HD. I needed a Honda ST1300P to catch the sport bike.

 

hEY bOB...why not radio another LEO to aid you up the road? It would seem that the sport biker may of had to jockey with positioning his ride if another (2x) LEO's were involved.

 

your thoughts??

I thought of that but the other LEO's were behind me. Remember, I'm a semi-retired city motor cop, not CHP. I was leaving my jurisdiction, not entering it. My primary enforcement responsibility is not on the freeway. City LEO's have no direct radio communication with CHP. My dispatch could have called them via land line..after waiting 5 minutes to get through the recordings and phone tree. Shame on those who think the California LEO communication system is an efficient system. LEO's communicate with other LEO's much faster just by using a cell phone.

[Matts_12GS]

My dispatch could have called them via land line..after waiting 5 minutes to get through the recordings and phone tree. Shame on those who think the California LEO communication system is an efficient system. LEO's communicate with other LEO's much faster just by using a cell phone.

 

Not to hijack, but isn't that kind of communicative disorder part of the issues surrounding 9/11? I seem to recall that NYPD and NYFD couldn't communicate directly for some reason.

[upflying]

My dispatch could have called them via land line..after waiting 5 minutes to get through the recordings and phone tree. Shame on those who think the California LEO communication system is an efficient system. LEO's communicate with other LEO's much faster just by using a cell phone.

 

Not to hijack, but isn't that kind of communicative disorder part of the issues surrounding 9/11? I seem to recall that NYPD and NYFD couldn't communicate directly for some reason.

Communication disorder is a kind word. Not to hijack further but California is a confusing patchwork of various official agencies each with their own comm system that is not (or seldom) shared by the other. There have been attempts to get a common county wide communication system running but I would be optimistic if I said it would work right after a major disaster such as an earthquake.

I was a LEO on-duty when the last big one hit ('89 Loma Prieta) and dispatch was down for hours after that. We received calls through battery operated hand held portable radios.

[RandyBailey]

I'm a Deputy Sheriff and while it may be true you can't outrun a Motorola...I patrol in an area with a couple hundred square miles and my backup may be 15-to-20 minutes away. So, calling "ahead" to have a vehicle that got away from me stopped is a non-issue. Additionally, since we switched from 400Mh analog to 800Mh digital radios, there are dead spots with no radio coverage on the fringes of the county where I patrol. Cell phones generally are more reliable than the radios.

 

About a year ago I was heading to the district office in a fully-marked patrol vehicle on a controlled access highway outside the city. I was in lane 2 of 5 when a sport bike (unknown make) came flying down the on ramp along side me. The rider (obscured by his or her riding gear) sliced across all lanes to the HOV lane and punched it. The rider was moving at 100+mph. Luckiy, traffic was light.

 

I had my radar switched off so I dropped into the HOV lane and wound out the Crown Vic. It took me a few miles to catch and pace him. I was amazed that he had not seen me when he blew by my vehicle entering the freeway or when I approached him in the HOV lane. He maintained around 25mph+ over the posted. I lit him up, made the stop. He was wearing full leathers, racing boots, gloves and a full-face helmet. I cut him a coupon for criminal speed and set a court date.

 

In court, the rider admitted to speeding but told the judge he should not be found guilty since I had singled him out because he is African-American. He was found responsible for his actions.

[Haynes]

I don't think there's much time for looking anywhere other than straight ahead if you're going 100mph. This is especially true if you're young and stupid. I'm speaking from experience.

[Green RT]

Re the question about not noticing the LEO. I too can address that from first hand experience. A decade or so ago, I was traveling on I-5 between Los Angeles and San Francisco. It was a bright sunny day with very little traffic. This stretch of I-5 is straight for hundreds of miles with just an exit ramp every 20 miles or so. I was traveling steadily at 3 digit speeds, mostly around 110 indicated. I didn't have GPS in those days. Eventually, a highway patrol car came up behind me and pulled me over. The first thing she asked me was how come I hadn't seen her. She said she had been following me for about 10 miles. The only answer I could give her was that at that speed I was mostly focused on what was in front of me. I was staying out of the left lane so my main concern about someone running even faster coming up behind me wasn't a big concern. She very generously wrote the ticket for 95. Either that or my speedometer had a bigger error than I thought.

[DieselDave]

 

Example. When I was eighteen, I did a burn-out across the intersection from a red light

 

Remind me... I have a great story about a girl, a '68 Road Runner and a Christmas parade...

 

I assure you, it was very, very dumb!

 

You can't just drop a teaser like that on us and move on! Inquiring minds want to know about this stuff!!