John Cichowski, writing for The Record, is calling for mandatory motorcycle training in the wake Clooney's accident, and in the wake of rising motorcycle fatalities...

http://www.northjersey.com/....jcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk5

I disagree with him.

First, he points out that the State of New Jersey currently does not track people riding motorcycles, they apparently only have estimates...

State Motor Vehicle Commission computers don't regularly track bikers with motorcycle endorsements -- the $5 authorizations required to drive bikes.

However, he admits that the problem is not mandatory training, it's people who don't have endorsement...

But an audit under way by the state Division of Highway Traffic Safety is showing that a surprising number of bikers killed over the years did not have endorsements. Estimates made by safety experts assisting in the study range from 35 percent to 50 percent.

My opinion on this is that Cichowski is mixing apples and oranges. Mandatory training does not encourage a rider to get an endorsement. In fact, it won't encourage a rider to take training at all.

Go back to what Chichowski pointed out, that "35-50 percent of riders in New Jersey don't have endorsements". If an endorsement is already required by law, and that many people are flaunting the law, then requiring training is not going help ONE DAMN BIT.

Laws are only respected by good citizens, and good citizens are not the problem. This is just like that old saying about guns, "If you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns". New Jersey has 35-50 percent of riders who disrespect the law. How will another law address that?

As it stands now, police regularly schedule sobriety checkpoints in Southern California, but only at night. These are not just for catching drunk drivers, but people without licenses and registration. That's the only way to catch bikers without endorsements. Maybe Chichowski wants more sobriety checkpoints, but then again, he won't appreciate being checked out everytime he runs an errand.

Labels: Motorcycle Endorsements