biker doing 129mph cleared of reckless driving...

[nrs421]

A US motorcyclist who zoomed through Nebraska at over 128mph (205kph) has been cleared of reckless driving.

Judge John Steinheider reluctantly ruled that speed alone was not enough to prove reckless driving under Nebraska law.

Biker Jacob Carman accelerated away from a traffic policeman after he was clocked at 82mph (131kph).

But Judge Steinheider acquitted him of reckless driving, fining Mr Carman only for having out of date documents.

"As much as it pains me to do it, speed and speed alone is not sufficient to establish reckless driving," the judge said.

Deer danger

Highway patrolman Tim Salmon told the court in Nebraska City that he gave chase after seeing two motorcycles speeding east of Highway 43.


It would have been an awful scene if a motorcycle would have struck a deer
Tim Salmon
Nebraska state trooper

While one biker turned away towards the nearby town of Palmyra, and was never intercepted, Mr Salmon pursued Jacob Carman, who accelerated away from him.

Mr Carman was eventually stopped and had his keys confiscated while Mr Salmon headed off to try and catch the second biker.

"It would have been an awful scene if a motorcycle would have struck a deer," he told the court.

Acquitting Mr Carman, Judge Steinheider said: "If you had had a passenger, there would be no question of conviction.

"If there had been other cars on the roadway, if you would've went into the wrong lane or anything, I would have convicted you.

"In my street mind it's reckless driving, in my legal mind it's not."

State prosecutors admitted that they could have won a conviction for speeding, but had opted to pursue a charge of reckless driving.

Jacob Carman was fined $300 (£171) for driving without insurance and other infringements.

I think i'll visit nebraska.....

[Son Goku]

Kinda reminds me of this classmate of mine, who said he used to travel between Sacoro (sp?) and here on his motorcycle at about 140 mph, when it wasn't that busy on the interstate (which has a 75 mph speed limit there). The cops didn't do anything, but give him the finger as he passed by. I'm gathering (best I can hearing it all second hand) that the cops didn't have cars fast enough to catch up with him; and perhaps that annoyed them all the more

[Mr. Hunt]

Lol... there for a second I thought you were talking about on a bicycle (when I read the title)... I was thinking that has to be one STEEP mountain lol :\.

[betterdan]

I was doing 85 in a 45 on a motorcycle (racing a car) back in Oklahoma when I was around 17. I got a speeding ticket along with a reckless driving ticket because I was speeding past a bar they said. They ended up dropping the reckless driving.

[Peoples-Agent]

I have to say, my uncle goes to America every year to take his 1800cc motorbike out onto the back roads and such of Texas just so he can do more than 70mph on it. We got so many damn speed cameras everywhere, most days....the way the traffic moves I can actually walk faster than the cars on my way to work, no wonder they make it stupidly hard for the motorist here.

[zoomy942]

i regularly do about 110mph when i go to boise idaho.. this info was pretty good to know. and i am about to drive to visit some family for the holidays, and i cruise control at about 115 across all of wyoming.

[DaveW]

Damn, I live in the wrong fricken state (PA). I heard in Ohio they are introducing those speed cameras, like those the UK has had for years now. They are just a cash cow for the government.

[schuey74]

I got clocked @ 162 mph a couple of years ago and was let go with a warning after the trooper checked out my docs. I've never received a ticket when stopped for going well over a 100 mph, but I've had plenty for speeds in 80s. Go figure?!