CALIFORNIA:
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2013/05/16/3015958/patrols-for-motorcycle-safety.html
Patrols for motorcycle safety and DUI set for the valley
The California Highway Patrol will be conducting a Motorcycle
Safety Enforcement Operation throughout the Central Valley today in an effort to
reduce the number of deaths and injuries. Extra officers will be patrolling
areas frequented by motorcyclists and where multiple crashes have occurred. The
operation is part of Motorcycle Safety Month and is being done to try to curb
the rise in the number of motorcycle deaths seen over last few years.
Chowchilla News - Statewide motorcycle fatalities were down 37
percent from 2008 to 2010 and then began to shoot back up in 2011. CHOWCHILLA
NEWS Statewide motorcycle fatalities were down 37 percent from 2008 to 2010 and
then began to shoot back up in 2011. The numbers in Merced County have been
consistent, with an average of 71 motorcycle accidents a year and about two
deaths annually. Officers will be keeping an eye out for passenger vehicles and
motorcycles operated by those driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol,
speeding, making illegal turns or committing other dangerous acts. "It's an
operation that will be held throughout all 17 areas in the Central Valley,"
Fresno public information officer Johnny Fisher said. "We're trying to crack
down on high-risk behaviors or just motorcyclists that are in over their heads.
"We want the drivers to be more conscious of the other vehicles around them, and
for people to look out for motorcycles. A lot of these accidents aren't the
motorcyclist's fault. Passenger vehicles just don't notice they are there,"
Fisher said.
http://www.edwards.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123348402
Safety saves lives for military motorcyclists
Posted 5/15/2013
by Chris Ward Army & Air Force Exchange Service Public Affairs
- EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Army & Air Force
Exchange Service knows that safety is no accident; that's why the Exchange is
committed to providing a wide selection of Personal Protective Equipment, which
could make the difference between life and death for military motorcyclists.
According to Army and Air Force safety centers, 65 Soldiers
and Airmen lost their lives in motorcycle accidents in fiscal year 2012.
"Riding with the right safety equipment is extremely
important," said the Exchange's Senior Enlisted Advisor Chief Master Sgt. Tony
Pearson. "That's why our motorcycle safety gear consists of sturdy helmets,
gloves, vests and more, all designed to increase visibility and help protect
riders."
The Exchange PPE includes high-quality motorcycle gear and an
assortment of reflective products. Safety gear along with skills learned in
motorcycle safety training classes combine to increase survival and prevent
injuries.
Motorcycle riders can browse the Exchange's PPE selection in
store or online at www.shopmyexchange.com
http://napavalleyregister.com/calistogan/news/opinion/mailbag/calistoga-should-address-motorcycle-noise/article_e8d1585a-bdb9-11e2-9ccc-0019bb2963f4.html
Calistoga should address motorcycle noise
Calistoga should address motorcycle noise
Don Scott
May 15, 2013 4:48 pm •
I have written to you several times on this subject. In my
last letter, I said that I was encouraged by our meeting with Police Chief Mitch
Celaya where we discussed the problem of motorcycle noise.
At the meeting, we explained to Chief Celaya that the bikes
that we are hearing in town and nearby are ones that have had their exhausts
modified to make excessive noise.
Motorcycles with their original or stock replacement mufflers
are reasonably quiet. I have read estimates that most Harleys have had their
exhausts tampered with to create more noise.
Based on what I observe of the bikes visiting Calistoga, that
is certainly the case.
Now, after several weeks have passed since our meeting I would
say that I am not encouraged that anything will be done to police the noise
problem.
My last communication from Chief Celaya did not clarify if any
bikes had been cited since he became chief, or whether there are plans to begin
making an effort to quiet the town.
I was told that the police department has other priorities,
and that decibel metering of the noise would need to be done, which is beyond
the scope of the department. Also, I was told that since I live outside city
limits, the city cannot deal with the noise outside their borders.
I do not agree with either of these statements. Very loud
vehicles can be cited under CA VC 27150 based on the discretion of the officer.
If decibel meters were needed to cite any loud vehicle, it would be impossible
to ever write a ticket for this offense.
The loud bikes that are travelling on Highway 29 and on
Silverado Trail are either going to, or coming from, Calistoga. These bikes
could be cited when they are within the city limits.
I have been in contact with a retired police officer who has
had a lot of experience with citing loud bikes. I asked him about the level of
noise that he found from his own tests.
He told me this about bikes that he had stopped for excessive
noise: “On average, the idle test revealed decibel output levels around 96 to
100. The RPM test revealed decibel levels from around 96 to 115+. These bikes
were emitting at least two-to-four times the noise permitted by the EPA.”
The CA VC regulations state that the maximum noise level of
bikes made from 1985 on is limited to 80 decibels. Decibel readings are a
logarithmic measure, so when a bike is reading 110 dbA, it is perceived as three
times as loud as one that is at 80 dbA.
The noise levels are extreme from motorcycles with tampered
exhaust systems, and that is why one can hear a bike with illegal exhaust from a
distance of a mile or two away.
I just was in town on both Friday and Saturday, and had a
coffee on Lincoln Avenue. The motorcycle noise at times was uncomfortably loud,
so much so that conversation was impossible.
Other cities, such as Novato and St. Helena, do cite loud
bikes. Why can’t the City of Calistoga also address this problem?
