Speed enforcement in this country is a mockery. Especially in BC. I like to use the term "selective enforcement" where special effort is made to nab a particular type of violator who presents a perceived special danger, i.e. motorcyclists.

Let me give you an example. A police patrol following a school bus while trying to catch anyone who was passing illegally, or running radar in a school zone.

Selective enforcement is the freedom of nearly unlimited choice exercised by the police officer in deciding who gets a ticket and who is let off. Police work has evolved to the point where the cops and everyone else in the system prefers that you speed. It makes their job easier. That is why we have these low speed limits that are a hold over from the horse and buggy days.

The final result is that traffic enforcement is often exercised with prejudice and bigotry by officers who see nothing wrong with their actions, i.e. against motorcycle riders.

The only logical conclusion that can then be drawn is that the members of the hierarchy actually do not want you to slow down. Despite their public service announcements to the contrary, they want you to speed so you can get a ticket.

The reason for this preference is obvious. Speeding tickets are big business. They help keep an army of civil servants and others employed.

There is one more point I want to make on this subject to put the whole thing into perspective. There are laws that can't be broken. They are the laws of physics. If you choose to become a projectile and end up looking like the nose of a spent bullet, then shame on you.  If weather, traffic or road conditions dictate a slower speed than you choose to go, please stay off the road that I am on. There is no excuse for reckless driving.

If you find yourself gripping the handle bars or steering wheel just a little
bit tighter and you are leaning a little too forward in your seat, what ever the rush, it is not worth it.  Many drivers perceive speeding as a challenging game they play with the police acting as the opposition. The fun goes away in a hurry if "the thrill of the chase" and poor judgment causes pain or death. Make all your trips safe ones, driven at a speed that is reasonable and prudent.

Ralph Woehler  ralph@motorbikerider.com