Touring - Stopped by a Cop?!?

Ever been stopped and/or ticketed by a cop while on tour?

I was pulled-over by a state trooper in Cape Cod, Mass... for riding on the 10' wide shoulder of a 2-lane highway [Rt 28 North]. The "Mass-hole" called it the "breakdown" lane. :mad: BTW: It was NOT an Interstate highway.... I did no wrong! :confused:

I was told to detour to Rt 28A, (which I did, smitten with fustration). Anyhoo, only time I've ever been stopped by an oinker. :irritated

P.S. I still love cops...and Mass citizens
P.S. Anyone know which Interstates are legal to ride?

At least we're not stuck with the Yankees!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't even go there... "1918"

Actually yeah...
Spent the summer in GNP. One of the rangers made both my wife and I get both headlights and taillights. He had a good point but was a real ass about it.
I spoke with another ranger and she said that he was a dickhead.
Admittedly he probably was looking out for our well being but some people, as soon as they get the badge and gun, think they own the road.
I have my degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Law Enforcement and can't tell you how many times I've seen good people turn into asses as soon as they took their oath.
Doug

I just remembered... I was riding out of Wisdom, Montana with a Belgian guy... we were riding side by side on this deserted highway when a cop (driving toward us in opposite lane) stopped and told us to ride single file and not "2 abreast"....... talk about nuthin' to do!

So, I've been stopped 2x...

I wonder if you would have still been written up had you been changing a flat in his "breakdown lane?"

got a ticket cycling the wrong way in a one way street.... really pissed me off. It was only one way street for about 100 meters and those cops were just waiting between the parked cars to get money from nice girls like me.
stopped me several times because my lights didnot work, but no fines.........
this was in holland

Just got stopped the other day on my commute home. I usually make it home just before dusk, but got a flat and was riding in the dark w/no headlight. I did have my "blinky" light on, and I think that's what got his attention. Luckily, I explain my situation and was let off with a warning!

L8R

I got stopped a few years ago (10?) in Louisiana. My friend and I rolled into town, fully loaded headed towards a friend's house, around dusk. We stopped at a burger joint to grab a meal and the cops pulled up. They said we had to have lights on our bikes to ride in town (we had reflectors on the bikes, our clothing, and helmets - but it wasn't even dark yet). They didn't give up tickets, but they loaded all our bikes into a pickup and took us to a shelter of some sort. The cops and the people at the shelter were extremely rude. Fortunately, the shelter was across the river - officially in another town - the one our friend lived in. I asked the cops if the same rules applied in that town, and he said he didn't know. So we hopped on our bikes and rode off to our friend's house - the cops couldn't do anything at that point!

i was stopped... i was hammering down a big descent getting ready to attack the next big hill... and i hear this whoooop whoooooooop... couldn't believe it.. had to unclip fast to stop... and all i could think about is.. just how i was going to make it up that hill later...:(
the cop said i was doing 74km/ph in a 60.. so.. i said? it's five freakin thirty in the morning!..and in the middle of nowhere!
he pulled out his billet and started writing something.. smiled and gave it to me...
i think my mouth was hanging open.. i didn't expect a speeding ticket ... and as he drove away.. i looked down.. and that son of a gun..
his number was written on it..
hehe

So did you call him? ;)

If a cop stops you on a bike, what do you show him for ID? I've heard that since a bike does not require a license, that you should never show him the one that the state makes you get to drive.

I never will.

Peace y'all
Lou

Lou --- No need to show any ID. As far as I know there's no law that says you need to carry ID when you are riding/walking/hiking/etc. That said, I do keep a handwritten card in my seat pack that has my name, address, telephone no, and emergency contact in case I get into an accident.

No need to show any ID. As far as I know there's no law that says you need to carry ID when you are riding/walking/hiking/etc.

No, but the cops can hold you until they are really, really sure they know who you are. Could be days in a place like Louisiana.....

D* is right. You are required to show a cop proof of identification if they ask for it. I've been pulled over many times on my bikes - small town cops stink. I'm not an ACLU member (don't wish to argue with anyone), but their "bust card" is a cool little resource.

http://www.aclu.org/Files/OpenFile.cfm?id=10042

Jeff -

The ACLU "bust card" states:

"You do not have to answer a police officer's questions, but you must
show your drivers license when stopped in a car. In other situations,
you cannot legally be arrested for refusing to identify yourself to a
police officer."

There are words in the CA Vehicle Code that say that you must show some form of identification. There does not appear to be a definition of what constitutes a valid ID.

If I ever get arrested while out riding my bike for failure to identify myself properly because the police officer refused to acknowledge my "custom" ID card, I will take it to court.

I know you can ride interstates in the Dakotas and Wyoming, but not in Minnesota.

you cannot legally be arrested for refusing to identify yourself to a police officer

No, you can't. If they want to find out who you are, they don't arrest you, they simply hold you pending identification. Since a person can't be arrested until the police know who they are, this makes perfect legal sense, and has been upheld by the courts. Also, the police can hold anybody for 72 hours without charge, pending investigation.

End result-you refuse to give ID, they can hold you for a couple of days until your fingerprints get through the FBI, then if they can come up with some pretense, you can be held for another 3 days, without ever being arrested. Now we've lost most of a week. If you wish to play that game, these are the rules.......

Originally posted by D*Alex
No, you can't. If they want to find out who you are, they don't arrest you, they simply hold you pending identification. Since a person can't be arrested until the police know who they are, this makes perfect legal sense, and has been upheld by the courts. Also, the police can hold anybody for 72 hours without charge, pending investigation.

End result-you refuse to give ID, they can hold you for a couple of days until your fingerprints get through the FBI, then if they can come up with some pretense, you can be held for another 3 days, without ever being arrested. Now we've lost most of a week. If you wish to play that game, these are the rules.......


And an "oh by the way" if they find anything in your past that they can charge you with, get ready to be charged. True, you may not technically have to show ID, but you'll just piss them off more and they will mess with you more. To me, and this is JMHO, you can just play their game and move along, or you can piss them off and be inconvienced that much more. It's not worth fighting for in my opinion. They are there to protect and serve the community and stopping somebody out of place (in their minds) makes sense... if to at least find out an identity. Cops are trained to find out who is on their beat and that makes sense to me.

Course, I ride a lot without my drivers license if I'm close to home. If I'm going far away or if I'm on a long ride, I bring both a DL and a credit card, plus a little cash.

Ride safe.

PBW

In the UK, if you have broken the law on a bike and show your Driving License as ID, this can lead to endorsement points on your DL.
There are plenty of alternate forms of ID to show.
I was busted by a cop once for riding through a red light (I anticipated the change by observing all the other lights, and I did stop, I just started early).
On another occasion I was blasted by some cops with a radar speed gun. They just shouted out my speed (17mph) , and waved.

Well, I'm aware that the law is different in various states, municipalities and countries. In Washington, a bike is - legally - the same as a motorized vehicle, therefore, you better have proof of identity when you are pulled over. And they can always find a reason to pull you over and/or write a ticket. I've told this story before ... but, the last time I was pulled over here (a couple of months ago) I had know idea why he had done so. When I asked, he said " It looked like you were running from me.". Uh, running from him? I was riding down the street - fast - but I was wearing full cycling gear, a bit obvious as to my purpose. He did a full stop, siren, lights - the works. Oh, and he ran my license, which i happened to have.