Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
The first paragraph of section 7 of chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2006 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following sentence:- No person operating a motorcycle shall permit any person to ride as a passenger unless such person is 16 years of age or older.
If this bill passes, it will mean that TheBoy can't go on Harley rides with his dad any more.
These bastards mean to deprive me of the pleasure of introducing my son and daughter to the joys of riding. Some bean counter, no doubt motivated by the chance to yet again deprive MA residents of a tiny bit of freedom, has gotten a burr up their butt about kids riding on motorcycles. The total number motorcycle fatalities per year is minuscule (several dozens), meaning that the number of children killed is statistically zero.
And yet, the nanny state rolls ever on, eager to seize on nonexistent dangers in order to further curtail our freedoms. Why? Because they can. Because we let them.
Please, if you live in MA, write your congressional representative and ask them to vote against this bill...
That is all.
12 comments:
i'm assuming there's already a 16-or-over limit on operating a cycle there? because otherwise that law would be hard to make sense of, as to which of the two people aboard it was limiting.
but yeah, it badly needs an "immediate family" exception. i'd guess it's aimed at boyfriend-girlfriend-fatal-crash scenarios, where there might be half a purpose for such a law, but it's too sweeping as it is.
Nomen,
Yes, you need at least a learner's permit to drive a motorcycle; and in MA you can get a learner's permit at 16.
I honestly have no idea why this is even an issue; the only thing I can think of is that some bigwig's grandkid got killed riding on a friend's bike or something...
done, both house and senate got a letter. . . we will see if they actually listen for once, this is MA after all
Do they stay up at night in Massachusetts thinking of new ways to ruin a good time?
Shootin' Buddy
Hey Jay G,
You have to watch the other hand with any of these Gov't ass-clowns, and that includes the illustrious mammaries on a fish in Concord, NH.
It's never about safety, children or public interest, it's all about $$$. Primary enforcement seat belt laws, no cell phone while driving, kids on motorcycles benefit the town, the state, and the insurance co.
A few years back, a state rep from Worcester, home of Commerce Insurance, got lit up at the 21st ammendment watering hole on Beacon Hill. When he knee walked out to his car, he left behind a paper bag full of checks from Commerce Ins. and cash. This is the same public servant that pissed on a state troopers shoes during a traffic stop.
The deck has been stacked a long time in Mass. Hope y'all can kill that bill before it gets out of committee.
Zey, VILL keep you safe, vezer or not you dezire... it iz for ze Children and YOU VILL remember that... sigh...
Route 3, exits 6,7, or even 8. Always looking for new neighbors.
Jay, sooner or later you have to admit you gave it a good fight, and throw in the towel. I did that with NJ. Vote with your feet.
11 years, 362 days...
I'm sure that this bill won't stand in the way of getting dangerous elderly drivers off the roads in Massachusetts.
Oh, wait ...
Once again, your #&$%^# elected representatives looking out for your welfare. You are probably right in how it got started - one kid was killed while riding on the back of a bike and the entire riding community is condemned.
Again, you are always welcome to ride (& carry) down here in Texas.
Jay -- i have a good friend who is into reducing his carbon footprint. i think he's a moonbat. but. he rides a harley, and rides his daughter to school pretty much daily. she is 12. he's been doing it for 5 years. since her feet could reach where they needed to be.
the bike gets amazing gas mileage, and her cool quotient is through the roof with the other kids when she comes in and puts her helmet up on the shelf above her coat and sometimes her bad weather pants. she's boss.
so if you're writing your local reps, point out the fact that bikes are a lot more environmentally friendly than big assed SUVs. parents who use their bikes to transport their kids to school, lessons, practice and games are doing good for the green.
and that rule does need a family exemption.
i have had friends who have had kids in accidents on boyfriend's bikes (one lost her leg at 15, riding her 18 yr old boyfriend's bike. he lost his life), or have had spills themselves. i wouldn't let my kid ride on the back of someone else's bike... ever. i'd get her her own first.
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