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At least we're down 60% to only 7 THP troopers per 11 miles, plus half a dozen "Blount" county deputies. Isn't it illegal to make traffic stops in unmarked vehicles?
Sportbikes boycott Dragon as lawless cops increase crashes
With the Honda Hoot rolling into East Tennessee, the Blount County Sheriff's Office will be keeping a close eye on the infamous "Dragon."
The route along Highway 129 sees numerous motorcycle accidents each year, and sheriff's deputies are trying to keep riders as safe as possible.
Blount County Sheriff's Office Community Outreach Director Jarrod Millsaps knows the Dragon well. He travels the treacherous stretch of highway a few times each month, trying to stop motorcycle riders from taking dangerous risks on the roadway's serpentine switchbacks.
"The speed limit is 30 miles per hour until you get to the North Carolina line," Millsaps said. "It's also double yellow all the way into North Carolina, which means it's a no-passing zone."
Lawless sportbikers race on the Dragon
But many riders don't obey those rules. We saw one in action Wednesday afternoon. The driver traveled closely behind Millsaps' unmarked vehicle until oncoming traffic cleared, then sped around Millsaps, nearly clipping an oncoming motorcycle.
After being pulled over, the driver said he got wrapped up in the adrenaline rush of the ride and made a risky mistake.
"It could've been a major accident," Millsaps said.
Sgt. Randy Ailey sees similar incidents all the time.
What's wrong with this picture?
"The major factor is the speed," Ailey said. "They come up here and a lot of them think it's their personal race track. One told me this morning, 'If you're going to play the game, you'd better be prepared to pay the price,' and he said he was."
Sheriff's Deputies patrol the Dragon 7 days a week and stop between 10 and 15 drivers each day. With four accidents on Monday alone and more riders on the way this week, Millsaps is advising everyone to think twice before taking risks.
"As long as people come up here and obey the speed limits and obey the laws that are here, then they're going to have a great time and enjoy themselves," Millsaps said.
The Governor's Highway Safety Office recently approved a $120,000 tax increase grant to pay for patrols on the Dragon.
"You haven't lived until you've heard a live police chase, on a car radio in a car you're driving."
—Danny Bonnaduce, a/k/a Danny Patridge, VH1 100 Top Child Stars
"Personal liberty -- or the right to enjoyment of life and liberty -- is one of the fundamental or natural rights, which has been protected by its inclusion as a guarantee in the various constitutions, which is not derived from nor dependent on the U.S. Constitution... It is one of the most sacred and valuable rights as sacred as the right to private property...and is regarded as inalienable."
—16 C.J.S. Const. Law, Sect.202, p.987
"Personal liberty largely consists of the Right of locomotion -- to go where and when one pleases -- only so far restrained as the Rights of others may make it necessary for the welfare of all other citizens. The Right of the Citizen to travel upon the public highways and to transport his property thereon, by horse drawn carriage, wagon, or automobile, is not a mere privilege which may be permitted or prohibited at will, but the common Right which he has under his Right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Under this Constitutional guarantee one may, therefore, under normal conditions, travel at his inclination along the public highways or in public places, and while conducting himself in an orderly and decent manner, neither interfering with nor disturbing another's Rights, he will be protected, not only in his person, but in his safe conduct."
—II Am.Jur. (1st) Constitutional Law, Sect.329, p.1135
"Where rights secured by the Constitution are involved, there can be no rule making or legislation which would abrogate them."
-U.S. Supreme Court, Miranda vs. Arizona, 384 US 436, 491
"There can be no sanction or penalty imposed upon one because of this exercise of constitutional Rights."
-Snerer vs. Cullen, 481 F. 946
"The claim and exercise of a constitutional right cannot be converted into a crime."
-Miller v. US, 230 F 486, 489
"Thus, the particular phraseology of the constitution of the United States confirms and strengthens the principle, supposed to be essential to all written constitutions, that a law repugnant to the constitution is void, and that courts, as well as other departments, are bound by that instrument."
-Chief Justice John Marshall, U.S. Supreme Court, Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137 (1803)
"Government control of communication and transportation."
-Communist Manifesto, 6th Plank
"There is no speed limit on the Autobahn. Before pulling into the left lane to pass, check the rear view mirror very carefully as far back as you can see. Cars traveling at 130 miles per hour approach suddenly, so when passing (überholen), do so quickly and then quickly return to the right lane. WARNING: Do NOT admit any guilt. Do NOT sign anything unless you know exactly what you are signing."
—US Embassy in Germany
"The MAINTAIN TOP SAFE SPEED sign may be used on highways where conditions are such that it is prudent to evacuate or traverse an area as quickly as possible."
—USDOT, FHA, Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, Chapter 2I. Emergency Management Signing, 2003 Ed
"travel at his inclination along the public highways or in public places, and while conducting himself in an orderly and decent manner, neither interfering with nor disturbing another's Rights"
—II Am.Jur. (1st) Constitutional Law, Sect.329, p.1135
It means follow the laws and you wont get shit on!
__________________ Gear: Cortech HRX Jacket, Cortech HRX Pants, AGV Forza 1pc Suit, Joe Rocket Blaster 4.0 Gloves, Oxtar SS Performance 2 Racing Boots, HJC CL-SP Pheonix Helmet Bike: Buell RaceKit, Heli Top Tripple, Firebolt Tank Bra, Frame Pucks, Zero Gravity Dark Smoke Double Bubble Are you Biker Friendly?
Deputy was also illegally driving 75 mph in a 45 zone without emergency lights and siren as required by law
Quote:
Originally Posted by Randomchaos
"travel at his inclination along the public highways or in public places, and while conducting himself in an orderly and decent manner, neither interfering with nor disturbing another's Rights"
—II Am.Jur. (1st) Constitutional Law, Sect.329, p.1135
It means follow the laws and you wont get shit on!
I'm just standing up for that Buell rider who passed the cop. The cop was driving extremely slowly (entrapment), illegally holding up traffic, which is a violation of TN Code. Passing is not unsafe on the Dragon, unless it's done on blind curves, or riders don't know how to countersteer. The problem is slow drivers who refuse to pull over in the dozens of parking areas, causing frustration for riders.
Driving safely without crashing is never a crime (no victim). Laws that conflict with the US Constitution are null and void (Marbury v Madison).
The Law already requires slower drivers to pull over to let faster drivers pass on the Dragon, without having to cross the centerline, but many drivers are idiots who illegally drive slow and cause crashes.
Eliminating speed limits makes all drivers pay more attention and act more responsibly. Even USDOT and Ralph Nader admit that speeding is SIX TIMES SAFER than driving a posted speed limit. SPEEDING SAVES LIVES!
Speed limit on the Dragon was illegally reduced to 30 mph without a required Traffic Engineering Survey of the 85th-Percentile Speed of average traffic.
The speed limit used to be a reasonable 55 mph on that rural US highway. Now cops allege the speed limit is 20 mph in the 318 curves on the Dragon, with 18 cops and 150 tickets per 11 miles.
Commercial trucks on US129 have virtual immunity when driving in the wrong lane in every curve, hitting cars and decapitating riders, and rolling over at 5 mph.
Truck crashes are VERY profitable for TDOT contractors and towtruckers, so no ban for trucks on the Dragon. Commercials trucks are already banned on US441 in the Smoky Mountains National Park, and Foothills Parkway which hits the Dragon.
Last edited by dealsgapdragon : 06-19-2008 at 01:11 PM.
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2003 Built Ford Lightning 600hp- sold
2003 Lexus IS300 Turbo 87mm 650hp- current car
2005 GSXR 600- sold
2007 RM250Z - dirtbike
08 GSXR1000- coming soon...
"Will there ever be a rural American interstate with no speed limit? The answer is abolutely yes. Or it could be absolutely no, depending on what direction we choose to take as a nation. When it comes down to the options before us. Only three possibilities remain: The first is to do nothing, maintaining a status quo that all but guarantees that 40,000 people will die this year and every year afterwards. The second is to make a true commitment to the Slow-is-Always-Safer credo by allowing safety experts and Washington bureaucrats to determine what constitutes a slow enough, 'safe' speed, and then enforcing this limit by retrofitting every vehicle on the road with mandatory speed governors. The third, and final, option is to work to minimize the accident risk of higher-speed driving and to integrate this Fast-and-Safe philosophy into our highway safety network."
—Mark Rask, AMERICAN AUTOBAHN, as seen on History Channel at a LEGAL 212 mph on a public highway
"For decades, speed was the subject of the most widespread slogans drummed into the public. 'Speed kills' and 'slow down and live' are familiar ones peddled by the National Safety Council. The findings showed a more complex picture of the role of speed than had ever been assumed before. Accident involvement rates are at a minimum at speeds between fifty and seventy five miles per hour. Although obviously the severity of accidents is greater at higher speeds, the study revealed that considering accident frequency rates and severity, the number of injuries per vehicle miles traveled is at its minimum [up to six times lower]. The law embodies an invincible rationale: 'He had an accident; therefore he violated the law.' No distinction is made between responsibility for the accident and responsibility for the injury due to unsafe vehicle design or construction. Manslaughter charges are filed routinely against drivers; there is yet to be recorded any similar charges against the manufacturers for vehicle defects. A typical police traffic accident report has a list of 'contributing circumstances' which the officer is to check off: 'Speed too fast; failed to yield right of way; drove left of center; improper overtaking; passed stop sign; ran traffic signal; improper lights; had been drinking; and other improper driving.' Thus the driver is heir to all the dangers created by the automobile designers, not only in terms of bodily injury but also in terms of legal exposure. The result of this drastic imbalance in the law is the very poor quality of accident investigation in this country. Consequently, enforcement of the law brings no pressure on the car makers to increase the safety of their vehicles."
-Ralph Nader, attorney at law and current presidential candidate, from Unsafe at Any Speed - The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile, quoting David Soloman in "Accidents on Main Rural Highways Related to Speed, Driver and Vehicle," FHwA (1964) . Nader forced GM and VW to start using CV joints, anti-sway bars and proper independent suspensions that don't roll over at 20 mph.
I think your on the wrong forum dude. Many of us respect the police here.
I think we have heard enough of your propaganda.
__________________ Gear: Cortech HRX Jacket, Cortech HRX Pants, AGV Forza 1pc Suit, Joe Rocket Blaster 4.0 Gloves, Oxtar SS Performance 2 Racing Boots, HJC CL-SP Pheonix Helmet Bike: Buell RaceKit, Heli Top Tripple, Firebolt Tank Bra, Frame Pucks, Zero Gravity Dark Smoke Double Bubble Are you Biker Friendly?
+1^^^ and also just because a helmet is shaped like an old nazi helmet doesnt make it a Nazi helmet... unless it was used by a nazi back in the 1930s-1940s... did you happen to ever think that the reason swat helmets and helmets similar where shaped similar due to their protection they offer the wearer... but you wouldnt consider something like that because your the type of person who doesnt give a fuck about the safety of the police and the people protecting our country... oh and ps our current Armed forces helmets are shaped similar... so does that make them nazis?
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Drifting is a lifestyle, so live it sideways!
Quote:
Originally Posted by OFFICER737
gotta 7 way party bong at the sheriff's dept.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ivan_markII
When I treat the street as a racetrack I just pretend the cops are cornerworkers giving me the meatball.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lawson
ok, here is what you do you ready for this ok lets get down to business you gotta get a bunch of stuff for this you go to the grocery store get a jar of pickles some mayonnaise cheeze wizz crackers some milk and a thing of ketchup you bring all of that to your friends girlfriends house then u bend her over and fuck her in the ass as hard and fast as you can.
Video: Don't pass a cop on the Dragon
