Speeding Tickets for Skateboarders?

At a time when gas prices are soaring and the costs associated with owning a car are increasing, many young adults throughout the nation are choosing to ride their skateboards to school and work.

Although this is only a relatively recent phenomenon in New York, California has been dealing with it for quite some time.

However, the Los Angeles City Council recently enacted an ordinance that authorizes the police to ticket skateboarders for speeding or reckless skateboarding.

According to the Council, the ordinance is designed to put an end to the intentional speed runs that skateboarders engage in throughoutLos Angeles.

Sometimes these “bombing hills” even involve weaving through cars and people at high speeds.

The ordinance gives police the power to ticket a skateboarder who rides “recklessly or in such a manner or at such a speed as to cause or threaten to cause injury to himself or herself or to others.”

Moreover, the new law also makes it illegal to ride a skateboard faster than 10 miles per hour through an intersection or ride while hanging on to a vehicle.

It also requires skateboarders to obey all traffic signs and signals.

Some believe that this type of law is gaining ground in other states, like New York.

However, many are concerned that this kind of ordinance treats a skateboard like a car and a boarder like a driver.

Such a result binds skateboarders to rules that they never were required to follow in the first place.

Additionally, these critics say that the Los Angeles ordinance is too broad and could encompass anything police just so happen to consider a threat to others.

Likewise, they assert that tickets for reckless driving and speeding should only be reserved for automobiles.

In contrast, others welcome such a law and hope that it will come to New Yorkrelatively soon.

These folks say that skateboarding is cropping up all over Albany and New York City, and boarders are taking risks that threaten the well-being of others.

Ultimately, no one knows for sure whether New York City or Albany will follow in the footsteps of Los Angeles.

Nevertheless, make sure to always drive or board safely and contact a New York traffic ticket attorney if you ever run into trouble with the law.