CALIFORNIA - Patrols for motorcycle safety and DUI set for the valley

CALIFORNIA:


http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2013/05/16/3015958/patrols-for-motorcycle-safety.html
Patrols for motorcycle safety and DUI set for the valley

The California Highway Patrol will be conducting a Motorcycle Safety Enforcement Operation throughout the Central Valley today in an effort to reduce the number of deaths and injuries. Extra officers will be patrolling areas frequented by motorcyclists and where multiple crashes have occurred. The operation is part of Motorcycle Safety Month and is being done to try to curb the rise in the number of motorcycle deaths seen over last few years.
Chowchilla News - Statewide motorcycle fatalities were down 37 percent from 2008 to 2010 and then began to shoot back up in 2011. CHOWCHILLA NEWS Statewide motorcycle fatalities were down 37 percent from 2008 to 2010 and then began to shoot back up in 2011. The numbers in Merced County have been consistent, with an average of 71 motorcycle accidents a year and about two deaths annually. Officers will be keeping an eye out for passenger vehicles and motorcycles operated by those driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, speeding, making illegal turns or committing other dangerous acts. "It's an operation that will be held throughout all 17 areas in the Central Valley," Fresno public information officer Johnny Fisher said. "We're trying to crack down on high-risk behaviors or just motorcyclists that are in over their heads. "We want the drivers to be more conscious of the other vehicles around them, and for people to look out for motorcycles. A lot of these accidents aren't the motorcyclist's fault. Passenger vehicles just don't notice they are there," Fisher said.

http://www.edwards.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123348402
Safety saves lives for military motorcyclists

Posted 5/15/2013
by Chris Ward Army & Air Force Exchange Service Public Affairs

- EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Army & Air Force Exchange Service knows that safety is no accident; that's why the Exchange is committed to providing a wide selection of Personal Protective Equipment, which could make the difference between life and death for military motorcyclists.
According to Army and Air Force safety centers, 65 Soldiers and Airmen lost their lives in motorcycle accidents in fiscal year 2012.
"Riding with the right safety equipment is extremely important," said the Exchange's Senior Enlisted Advisor Chief Master Sgt. Tony Pearson. "That's why our motorcycle safety gear consists of sturdy helmets, gloves, vests and more, all designed to increase visibility and help protect riders."
The Exchange PPE includes high-quality motorcycle gear and an assortment of reflective products. Safety gear along with skills learned in motorcycle safety training classes combine to increase survival and prevent injuries.
Motorcycle riders can browse the Exchange's PPE selection in store or online at www.shopmyexchange.com

http://napavalleyregister.com/calistogan/news/opinion/mailbag/calistoga-should-address-motorcycle-noise/article_e8d1585a-bdb9-11e2-9ccc-0019bb2963f4.html
Calistoga should address motorcycle noise

Calistoga should address motorcycle noise
Don Scott
May 15, 2013 4:48 pm •

I have written to you several times on this subject. In my last letter, I said that I was encouraged by our meeting with Police Chief Mitch Celaya where we discussed the problem of motorcycle noise.
At the meeting, we explained to Chief Celaya that the bikes that we are hearing in town and nearby are ones that have had their exhausts modified to make excessive noise.
Motorcycles with their original or stock replacement mufflers are reasonably quiet. I have read estimates that most Harleys have had their exhausts tampered with to create more noise.
Based on what I observe of the bikes visiting Calistoga, that is certainly the case.
Now, after several weeks have passed since our meeting I would say that I am not encouraged that anything will be done to police the noise problem.
My last communication from Chief Celaya did not clarify if any bikes had been cited since he became chief, or whether there are plans to begin making an effort to quiet the town.
I was told that the police department has other priorities, and that decibel metering of the noise would need to be done, which is beyond the scope of the department. Also, I was told that since I live outside city limits, the city cannot deal with the noise outside their borders.
I do not agree with either of these statements. Very loud vehicles can be cited under CA VC 27150 based on the discretion of the officer. If decibel meters were needed to cite any loud vehicle, it would be impossible to ever write a ticket for this offense.
The loud bikes that are travelling on Highway 29 and on Silverado Trail are either going to, or coming from, Calistoga. These bikes could be cited when they are within the city limits.
I have been in contact with a retired police officer who has had a lot of experience with citing loud bikes. I asked him about the level of noise that he found from his own tests.
He told me this about bikes that he had stopped for excessive noise: “On average, the idle test revealed decibel output levels around 96 to 100. The RPM test revealed decibel levels from around 96 to 115+. These bikes were emitting at least two-to-four times the noise permitted by the EPA.”
The CA VC regulations state that the maximum noise level of bikes made from 1985 on is limited to 80 decibels. Decibel readings are a logarithmic measure, so when a bike is reading 110 dbA, it is perceived as three times as loud as one that is at 80 dbA.
The noise levels are extreme from motorcycles with tampered exhaust systems, and that is why one can hear a bike with illegal exhaust from a distance of a mile or two away.
I just was in town on both Friday and Saturday, and had a coffee on Lincoln Avenue. The motorcycle noise at times was uncomfortably loud, so much so that conversation was impossible.
Other cities, such as Novato and St. Helena, do cite loud bikes. Why can’t the City of Calistoga also address this problem?