Riding with full gears in India is a dangerous activity. Not only you can be fined by the police for wearing full protective gears but you will also be branded as an illegal street racer. All of it seems very stupid but that is the sad reality of how police operate in our country. The same problem existed in First world nation like the USA so they are trying to implement new laws which will protect a fully geared rider from the suspicion of police.American Motorcycle Association (AMA), is a non-profit organization located in Pickerington, Ohio, USA. The main function of this body is to address issues of the American motorcyclists to governing bodies in order to make sure that the riding culture is America keeps on growing and thriving. The AMA has fought for the legal rights of American riders on several occasions just like this one. AMA noticed that Motorcyclists were being targeted falsely on the basis of their protective gear and motorcycles. The riders were being wrongly accused of street racing by either highway patrol or the cops on several occasions. The high frequency of such events led to the Anna Caballero, California assembly member and Kevin Mullin, speaker to write such a bill which can end this trouble for American Motorcyclists.
The Assembly bill 2972 would prohibit the Cops from using
The fact that a person rides a motorcycle or wears motorcycle or motorcycle club-related clothing as a factor, without any individualized suspicion of the particular person, in deciding to stop and question, take enforcement action, arrest, or search a person or vehicle, with or without legal basis under the California Constitution or the United States Constitution.
With the previous situations of Motorcyclist Profiling, The AMA had released a statement which reads:
The American Motorcyclist Association has long advocated for the rights of Motorcyclists and motorcycling lifestyle. The AMA, in diligently scrutinizing government policies directed at motorcyclists, is concerned over motorcyclists profiling. This includes motorcycle-only checkpoints and what is a predisposition in many cases of law enforcement officers targeting motorcyclists solely because they are wearing motorcycle-related clothing.
AMA has strongly condemned the profiling of Motorcycle riders. The association demands that all the riders are first an American Citizen and should be treated as such, regardless of what clothes they are wearing or what motorcycle they are riding. We at BikesMedia appreciate the necessary step taken by the AMA in interests of American riders.
The situation in India is not so different, every now and then a video pops up on Youtube in which a cop is harassing a rider just on the basis of his appearance. We would also like to urge different motorcycle clubs in India to advocate for this law for the betterment of the Indian motorcycling community. Although a law like this seems highly unlikely to be implemented in India we should not give up without trying.
For everything related to Motorcycles stay tuned to BikesMedia.
By: Yetnesh Dubey