It's 1:15 in the morning and you're on your way home from the spot. You know, "the spot." You're taking the highway home and are moving at a nice clip. Not like you would if you were really ridin' but still a nice clip. And then you see it on the side of the road. You just passed it. Police car, hidden on the shoulder. Your heart pounds inside your chest like a sledgehammer slamming through prison concrete. You plead to yourself, "Why me? Man, I sure hope he wasn't paying attention." But of course, the cruiser flips on the lights and pulls out from the shoulder. Damn...
Then your mind explores the possibilities. It's that age-old question that all prey confront, from antelopes in Angola to Ron Artest in Detroit-fight or flight? We've all been there, and usually the first thought is something like this: "I've got a top speed of around 170 mph, and most police cruisers top out at around 130 mph-they'll never catch me!" Ahh, the possibilities. But (if you're lucky) your mind is likewise filled with more rational conclusions: "What if they do catch me? What if I get scared and wreck? What happens then?"
Occasionally we'll hear the story about the ones who run and get away. The police couldn't keep up, and called off the chase. But, as anyone who's ever tuned in to the "World's Wildest Police Videos" television program knows, more often than not, the outcome of a police chase isn't so rosy. In one episode a motorcycle chase ended as the biker turned down a dead end. Refusing to give up, the bike made a U-turn only to be rammed by the police car before it completed the turn.
One Chicago rider we know told us of his attempt to evade an Illinois State Trooper. Around a tight turn that fed into an expressway, the trooper cut in front of him and used his car as a blockade. Unable to stop fast enough, the rider ran into the right side of the car and flipped over the hood. Fortunately, he had no injuries. The bike, however, was another story. Another Illinois rider attempting to evade police was spared his life, but was greeted by a blockade that included tire spikes on an expressway ramp. His bike was impounded and he was arrested. He served seven days in the county jail.
Other times, the results are even more tragic. In 2003, a Benton Harbor, Michigan, rider was killed as he was evading the police. The story made national news headlines as his death sparked rioting. In New Jersey, another evading biker slammed into a glass block wall that ended the chase-and his life.
Knowing the potential consequences of engaging an officer in hot pursuit is the first step in making the right decision to pull over when you see the cherries in the rearview. We want to arm you with that information by presenting detailed answers on what happens when you choose to flee provided by officers from all around the nation. The verdict? Fleeing is never the right decision. Taking a cue from both Republican and Democratic presidents when under Senate inquiry, we must first state that we have no recollection of ever running from the police at any time and we categorically deny any involvement in any such unlawful activity. "I did not have sexual relations with that woman!" Now that that's out of the way, let's discuss what the potential consequences are in various parts of the country for riders who attempt to elude capture on a motor vehicle.
California Highway Patrolman Steve Kohler, spokesman for the California Highway Patrol Headquarters in Sacramento, reminds us of this simple fact, "No matter how fast your bike goes, our radios go 186,000 miles per second." Kohler continues by saying, "Most sportbikes can out-accelerate most police vehicles, but our strategies and deployment techniques compensate adequately for that." These techniques include ground units being dispatched to intercept points, as well as aircraft pursuit. And if you don't believe these strategies are effective, well, simply ask O.J. Simpson or download the song "Ghetto Bird" by rapper Ice Cube.