Beginners' guide to runners
Okay, this is not a thread to debate the merits or otherwise of what is by all accounts a very illegal and somewhat dangerous activity. It's freedom of speech, no bugger forced you to read any of this.
Since I seem to be one of the few (and for good reason) who publicly admit they have engaged in this activity, it seems that people think I know a thing or two about the topic. And judging by some of the ill-informed bollocks I've seen floating around, I guess I just might. So here's a thread passing on the wisdom that I've gathered over the years. I'm not saying it's all from personal experience, I'm just saying it's as close to the facts as I can gather. I'm not the expert, I'm just sharing the knowledge. Take from it what you will.
Firstly, before you even think about engaging in this sort of activity - think very carefully about the consequences. Having a good story to share with the boys is one thing, but having a court appearance in your hospital bed is NOT a good story. The minimum I've had when caught was failing to stop for red and blues. $350 + court costs and 35 demerits. The most I've had was dangerous driving, failing to stop and driving while disq. I got 15 months on top of my 3 month demerit point disqualification, plus 3 months PD. It meant I had to not get caught driving for 18 months before I could resit my license again - from scratch. Now add some legal fees, imagine if I had a job riding on that license and you can easily see it adding up. And neither of those chases involved anyone getting hurt. You just wait and see what the judge will say about that.
Secondly, do you have the balls to do a runner? I'm not saying that real men do runners or anything like that. What I'm saying, is can you do what it takes to get away? You might need to run red lights, lanesplit at VERY high speed, cut into oncoming traffic, pass in some very marginal places. Do you have the bottle to do this? Many don't, and I respect those individuals. But if you're not prepared to do this, it narrows your escape options.
Now, if you've done the soul searching and still want to do this sorta thing, then read on.
The aim of a runner is to avoid getting caught for whatever it is you've done to attract the attention of the 5-0. That means you have to a) get to your "safe place", and b) not be identified. The key in doing both of these is to minimise your risks.
So smokey has lit up the red and blues in his overweight underpowered supercharged taxi, and is hoping the gixxer thou that cruised past him at 160 will pull over and the rider will have his leathers around his ankles ready for some road safety advice.
Adrenaline - a hell of a rush, but this is your enemy. Can you control your adrenaline to make sure you're gonna make the right decisions from start to finish?
Road conditions - it's 3.10pm and you're approaching school zones. The jury in your manslaughter trial won't be too interested in you trying to avoid a $400 ticket. Wind, road works up ahead, rain, pillion, traffic... the list goes on. Is now the right time to be running?
Bike - what condition is the bike in? Did you melt the pads at the last track day and you're nana-ing it until payday? Are you 5ks off reserve? Does that wheel balance get nasty at 200k? This list goes on too.
Escape route - where is your primary destination now? Can you get there? What if the main route is blocked? Do you know the side roads well enough?
You've spent the 1.3 seconds to analyse the above and your decision is to run.
1. Put the hammer down - lose the car fast. Not hard, power to weight is your friend.
2. Once you've lost 'em, slow down a bit. Leave yourself as much safety margin as you can. Chances are you will need to keep the pace high, because the pigs generally don't pull out until they've completely lost you, but crashing is an instant bust.
3. You can't outrun the radio. You can outrun the car behind you. And you can outrun any of his/her mate's that join in. But one of them might get to the mway offramp, the side street, wherever it is that you are heading, before you do. The other side to this is, there are only so many cops to go around. If they're all busy, or miles away, then they can't help out their chum.
4. Be prepared to go to Plan B. And while you're switching to plan B, make sure you've got Plan D nailed down, in case Plan B and C get blocked too.
5. Cops don't necessarily play fair. Some will follow you into oncoming traffic at 200k, they will lie to comms about your activities and the speeds involved, and they might even try and punt you off the bike if given the chance. Comms can't tell them to discontinue the pursuit if they don't know what's happening. I'm not saying all cops are like this, but at 260k you don't wanna be guessing about whether the cops will be playing by the rules or not.
6. If you're on the mway, get off it as soon as you can. Mways can be blocked easily. Mways may also have cameras.
7. You see a cop car stopped on the side of the road ahead. He's not blocking the road. Is he there to cheer you on, or is he waiting to put the spikes out in front of you? I'd try and get as far away from him as possible. If that means another side street, footpath or even u-turn.
8. If you're in Auckland, one word - EAGLE. You fancy your chances against a helicopter? Good luck, let me know how you get on. Best bet I reckon is to pray that it's not available to join in.
9. Identification. If you're running with a plate visible, just remember that cops are not the only people on the road who can read. The car you just split past at 200k can, as can the old lady you just cut up on your way through the wrong side of a roundabout. Cops aren't rocket scientists, but they can put 2+2 together. If they get a call about some biker cutting up cars 5k down the road from where they just lost another biker, hmmm... that = 4.
10. You've got away and you're now on the home stretch, into your own neighbourhood. Pretty soon the bike will be locked in the garage, your leathers will be stowed in the attic and you'll be in the shower. But as in No. 9, if you come rocking through your neighbourhood at 150k, that might be the straw that makes the young woman next door ring the cops and complain about that mad biker next door who keeps zooming up and down the street trying to run over her kids. Again, that = 4.
Another thing to the identification item. If you're running a flash coloured race replica that's instantly recognisable and very rare - do you think hiding your plate will help? Likewise if you've got a beautiful set of yellow leathers with Rossi across the back and a flouro coloured helmet. Think about that.
Scanners can help, but they can also hinder. I did a runner from a delta unit years ago. I flew up to the roundabout knowing I'd dealt to delta, and there were no units anywhere between where I was and my home a few kays away. As I came into the roundabout I checked left, and there was the crime car - detectives in a mufti falcon. They hadn't called in their position. So I had little choice but to sit and wait for the wrath of the dog handler.
Some people have suggested carrying items of clothing or tape to alter the appearance of your gear. Some even tell me they've used footpaths, alleys, parks, etc. Most of which probably suit dirt bikes more than road. Each to their own. But each of these comes with a greater risk. You go blatting down some alley and mum walks around the corner pushing a pram?
At the end of the day I personally keep this in the perspective of this - my license and my money. How important is my license and my money to me? Neither of which will help me out much when I'm dead or sitting in a prison cell. If you can do a quick and dirty runner, get outta dodge and it's all over rover with no damage to you, your bike or anyone else - sweet. But if any of those three do get damaged, what was the point of the runner?
Overall, my advice if you're going to do a runner... think carefully. They only need to get lucky once, you need to get lucky EVERY TIME.
Now let the PC brigade bring on the red rep
"You, Madboy, are the Uncooked Pork Sausage of Sausage Beasts. With extra herbs."
- Jim2 c2006
Bookmarks