TX Police use cameras to combat motorcycle menace

OFF THE WIRE
Geez... talk about Big Brother, no holes barred, etc.... the more I read each morning, the more disgusted I get that we're being singled out and persecuted!
If the younger generation doesn't "GET WITH THE PROGRAM"... we're going to see more and more restrictions on motorcycle usage, until they're outlawed! Sad....

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Police-Use-cameras-to-combat-the-motorcycle-menace---96230034.htmlPolice: Use cameras to combat the motorcycle menace by JANET ST. JAMES
WFAA

Motorcycles can get up to 55 miles a gallon, which makes them an economical ride. But groups of cyclists getting cheap thrills on North Texas highways are becoming a public menace.
While the wheelies and weaving through traffic might be thrilling enough for the motorcyclists to brag about it on YouTube, the crazy stunts are terrorizing North Texas drivers.
"I'd say there were 20 or 30, going 90 to 100 mph," says one witness.
"They'd pass and then the next one and then the next cluster and the next cluster and the next cluster. And at some point, I called 911," said another witness. "It just makes you think that you're a split-second away from either killing somebody or being killed.”
The two friends were taking children home from Six Flags recently when they were surrounded by buzzing bikes. The women have asked not to be identified. News 8 has since heard from hundreds of viewers reporting similar dangerous encounters with motorcyclists on North Texas freeways.
Law enforcement authorities call them motorcycle gangs. While their numbers might not be growing, their boldness is -- perhaps because new toll roads make for enticingly long stretches of open highway.
Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Lonnie Haschel calls them a menace, and -- unfortunately -- nearly impossible to catch.
"They really do present a safety hazard -- to themselves as well as the motoring public," Haschel said.
Police cruisers can't go as fast as most motorcycles, where speeds can easily reach 150 mph. Haschel also says police chases of motorcycles only further endanger innocent motorists.
"It's not designed to drive 150 miles per hour,” says Haschel of squad cars. “And at the same time, our concern is the safety of the folks out there. And if we make a mistake, we're really going to pay for it."
Authorities say the public’s best response is defensive driving.
They're also asking passengers in the car (not drivers) to do a little video-taping of their own, with cell phones or digital cameras. Authorities can specifically use close-ups of license plates, so a legal case can be made for reckless driving.
Bikers who have contacted News 8 say not all motorcyclists are dangerous. Some stunt bikers also say they have no choice but to use North Texas freeways because there is not a designated location for them to drive fast and pop wheelies. Both are illegal on public roadways.
"I wonder how many of those motorcyclists have family on the road at that time and how they would feel about it if somebody they knew was made quadriplegic from this action? How would that live with that? That would be pretty devastating," says one witness, who reports feeling lucky to escape the motorcycle onslaught without crashing.