Police muscle in on funeral cortege

[Squeak the Rat]

Not singling you out Dyna, just using this statement to further illustrate my point. As is seen on the bike racing, at the start, when a shitload of bikes are clustered togther, this is when you get your big crashes, and its never just one bike, its multiple.
The bike crash that happened just recently in Napier?, when the 4WD hit the lead biker in that group, again, multiple bikers down.
Here in Nelson last year, multiple bikers down on a black ice bridge, one killed, 3 seriously fucked up, others beat up bad.

If you shit-canned helmet laws, the "Biker down" threads in KB, would contribute to 60% of all posts. There are enough of the bloody things already. Dont have a respect for the dead, by creating more of them.

I don't think this thread is about whether helmets should be legal, a good, bad or indifferent idead, or whether they are effective. Yes you are right, they do save lives - I think the majority of people would agree, and there are plenty of threads in KB about this.

The point of this thread was the police actions in enforcing the law on a greiving father who was riding solo behind his sons hearse. Should he have been wearing a helmet? Yep, it's the law. Should he have been stopped? In my opinion no.

Police use their discretion every day deciding to enforce certain laws to the letter. I think this was the gist of DM50's post - that it needs to be in context and there will always be zealouts who use the "it's illegal and there for you should be fined/ticketed/arrested" argument. I personally think that DM showed good judgement - if something happened then he would have got roasted, but his actions make people such as myself a little more respectful of the police. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

I'm half asleep so hope this makes sense, but to conclude I ask: would you be grateful for a policeman waving at you to slow down or giving you a warning instead of ticketing you? Or should police ticket every motorist exceeding the speed limit that they encounter regardless of the situation?

[Ironman]

Ignoring the legal aspects of the Helmet law, even ignore the stupid factor required to ride without a helmet. Ignoring the guys personal reasons to rides sans helemet as a mark of respect, sic...........

Think about the fact that as Motorcyclists we pay the highest ACC levies of all road users and for that reason alone I believe helmets should be compulsory IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, even on farms, I'm sick of paying for idiots getting head injuries!

[number33]

The greenhorn cop was wrong for not pulling his head in and letting it go. The boofhead biker was wrong for shit-stirring at a funeral. ( 'Respecting the deceased by being helmetless' is such a crock of fucken shit) The squealing git who rang the newspaper is a fuckwit, and the weasel reporter is a fuckwit for turning the whole stupid fucken incident into a public drama. This country is starting to breed queer cunts at an alarming rate.

[HenryDorsetCase]

Its a funeral, it doesnt make it alright to smoke P, do 200kmph, take virgins as a sacrifice, shoot ak47's in the air or not wear a helmet on a public road.

Werent they in West Auckland?

might have been a bit hard to find a virgin to sacrifice even if they'd been inclined to........

[popelli]

Not singling you out Dyna, just using this statement to further illustrate my point. As is seen on the bike racing, at the start, when a shitload of bikes are clustered togther, this is when you get your big crashes, and its never just one bike, its multiple.
The bike crash that happened just recently in Napier?, when the 4WD hit the lead biker in that group, again, multiple bikers down.
Here in Nelson last year, multiple bikers down on a black ice bridge, one killed, 3 seriously fucked up, others beat up bad.

a safety nazi attitude

police were out of order on this one and made the wrong call, completely insensitive to the proceedings at hand and if this is the only crime they could find in west auckland then its time we had a more astute police force

[Ixion]

It is traditionally good form, and a mark of respect , for gentlemen to oncover their heads when in a cortege (whether vehicular, or on foot). Certainly, I think full face helmets would be inappropriate.

However, having said that, it was also traditional that a cortege proeeded VERY slowly, no more than 10mph. Originally, slow enough that mourners on foot could keep up. A high speed procession down the motorway is perhaps another matter.

[sunhuntin]

if the need called i wouldnt hesitate to ride lidless for a funeral....i also ride pegs down for funerals and on the anniversary of a death.

in this situation....i feel the cop was wrong for doing that at the time....a ticket or letter at a later date would have been more appropriate. i also think the father was wrong for flipping the bird. that woulda made him worse in the eyes of the cop and made his troubles worse. if it was slow speed, then i dont really see the problem [though harley at slow speed is slow to hold upright]

though i cant explain why i see it as a mark of respect, i do.

[Xman]

Cannot see how not wearing a helmet is somehow more respectful than wearing one. It is not like he was going to have to wear it at the service.
Fact is this- If someone blatently ignores or abuses a law in a very public way, putting himself or someone else at risk, then they get what they get when police enforce the law. You can't bleat about the sensitivity or lack thereof hwne the grieving father then gives the fingers to the police officer.. Thats hardly respectful behaviour in a funeral procession it it?

We all have to pay the medical bills of people that have head injuries. I would be distinctly unhappy to be paying for one where the injured party decided it was "make up your own laws day".

Could more discretion have been used by the police? Sure. Is that the main point here? I don't personally think so. The riders arrogant attitude towards the police is what caused the problems for him.

If you choose to break the law..that is your choice.. Just about everybody will at some point. Just don't go bleating about it when you get pulled up on it. This is not the same as someone being pulled over for 4km over the limit or something. This is blatantly and publicly CHOOSING to ignore the law.

[roogazza]

Firstly: I don't listen to the media, be it TV, radio or papers. They fuck up far too often !
Secondly: If it is true ? A Policeman has made a mistake and probably has a red face over it , (I mean a Funeral !!! Then get the finger and back down).
Doesn't sound like an experienced cop to me. G.

[froggyfrenchman]

I cant see how a helmet interfers with the grief process, the guy has lost a son and is in alot of pain, but not wearing the helmet wasnt about the funeral, it was just an excuse to get away with not wearing one.

To me it comes down to... its a funeral. Take your hat off.

I am going to a funeral on monday for a guy that died on his bike last weekend. There will be alot of bikes there and im sure most of us will ride without a hat.

[Skyryder]

Been intrigued by the various comments of riding with or without helmet at funerals. To be sure just uncertain how I would ride, with or without. So I'll try and work this one through.

First of all the hat thing is a mark of respect. No problem with that. But is a helmet a hat? On this score I'm not too sure. To me a hat serves two functions. Historicly it denotes your place in society and as such serves as a fashion statment of your place in it. The working class had the cloth cap, middle managment homberg and the rest bowlers. Like I said historicly. Secondly the hat serves as a protector from the elements. Protector now that's the key word. And a hat is placed on the head and so is a helmet, so in my view the helmet 'is' a hat that protects and is also a fashion statement. so to answer my question I would ride to a funeral 'hatliss' but only in cortege.

There is no excuse for riding without one after the funeral service. So unless You can carry your helmet with you...........................?????


Skyryder

[froggyfrenchman]

Yeah, lets make this clear... You wear your lid to the funeral. Take it off when you are following the herse. Then put it back on when leaving the cemetry

Its not an excuse to ride without any lid all day

[GSX-RJIM]

man if I was the cop and had to do something about it I would have gone aroud to his home later on, there are ways of dealing with stuff like that- it was a very short distance.

[GSX-RJIM]

you don't have to wear helmits to my funeral but you must be wearing undies

[Skyryder]

man if I was the cop and had to do something about it I would have gone aroud to his home later on, there are ways of dealing with stuff like that- it was a very short distance.

I think in law you would have a very good case to get off. Traditions and the values that they imply, and represent, can be used as evidence.

Any case law on this??

Skyryder