OFF THE WIRE
The Hudson Valley, not far north of New York City, is becoming a popular location to test the limits of high-performance bikes. Just this past week, Police busted two riders on I-87 — one was going 166 mph, and the other was clocked at 193. Next stop, 200.
The two speeding motorcyclists were caught just yesterday, and police said they had stopped another biker doing 160+ mph earlier this month. Anthony Anderson, 28, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., was issued 14 tickets when police clocked him at 193 mph Wednesday night. The future organ donor told police, non-ironically, that he was on his way to the hospital to visit a friend. Also, it was raining.
The other two-wheeled speeder troopers nabbed yesterday didn't have much of an excuse. In fact, he actually bragged to the cop that pulled him over that his bike could easily do 190. The rider, Nikkolaus V. McCarthy, 25, of Charlton, N.Y., didn't even have a motorcycle license, so he, too, was the recipient of a mess of tickets. Troopers were also less than thrilled that they had to track him for 50 miles to make the grab.
Police said communication was key in stopping these speeders. Most police cars can't go faster than 130 or 140 mph, nor would we want them to. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's figures, high speed chases are seldom a good idea.