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Having worked in off-road LE, and being an off-roader (I own an XL 650, a CR500 and Unimog), I can say that the general sentiment expressed in this thread is completely accurate. Don't be an ass and stick out in the crowd. Don't irritate others or put yourself or anyone else in unreasonable danger. Off-roading is inherently dangerous and case law has supported that a certain amount of risk is an essential element of wheeling or riding dirt bikes. The California Vehicle Code allows for some degree of acceptable risk. The line has been drawn in the 38000 section of the Vehicle Code and I think its leinent. The most pertinent section of the VC off-road is 38316(a) and 38317 It reads:38316. (a) It is unlawful for any person to drive any off-highwaymotor vehicle with a willful and wanton disregard for the safety ofother persons or property. (b) Any person who violates this section shall, upon convictionthereof, be punished by imprisonment in the county jail for not lessthan five days nor more than 90 days or by fine of not less thanfifty dollars ($50) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500) or byboth such fine and imprisonment, except as provided in Section 38317.38317. Whenever reckless driving of an off-highway motor vehicleproximately causes bodily injury to any person, the person drivingthe vehicle shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished byimprisonment in the county jail for not less than 30 days nor morethan six months or by fine of not less than one hundred dollars($100) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) or by both suchfine and imprisonment.You should all glance through the whole 38000 section here: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/.html/veh_table_of_contents.html At least look at the sections and read the things that you find relevant to you. Dangerous and unacceptable behavior is obvious. DUI drivers are obvious. For some reason drinking and off-roading seem to go hand in hand. From an LE perspective I have seen the products of DUI's off-road and I only needed to see it once to become convinced that DUI off road is equally as dangerous as on the highway. (I have requested about 150 Mercy Air helicopters for OHV collisions and saved 2 lives)Having said that, I firmly believe that people should be allowed to go out and have a great time. If you want to run the Sluice with no pants, go for it. But when someone comes by, put the sideshow away. The Sheriff deputies who you will find out there won't hassle you. What they will probably do is make consentual contacts and react to dangerous behavior. That's what I do. When you see them, smile and say hi. Thank them for keeping the place in order. I have walked the crowd amongst several hundred off-roaders gathered at a hill climb many times. On one occasion I was assaulted with a broken beer bottle, (was that bull crap or what?) that put a fast end to everything, but he was only one idiot out of thousands. After a few minutes, I would typically have a number of people thank me and complain about ceratin drivers. People frequently told me about dangerous behavior and their help resulted in many arrests. The vast majority of this community wants to see the jackass get arrested, and they also want to let loose a little without causing a problem.I'm almost done ranting. I just want the Rubicon to be safe and friendly. If you want to drink on the Con, do it in camp or on foot and watch someone else break his . It's way cheaper.
Started by 46&2 California
Started by Rocksurfer Trails & Land Use
Started by jeff94runner « 1 2 » Chit Chat Camp
