Bad news for Florida riders, as of October 1st, anyone caught doing 30 over in that state faces confiscation of their vehicle, five to ten years in prison and a ten-year license suspension. We say ‘anyone’ because bill HB 137, which was originally targeted at motorcyclists, was amended to apply to all vehicles.

State Representative Carlos Lopez-Cantera introduced the bill to the Florida State Legislature last November after witnessing motorcycle riders wheelying and cutting through traffic on a ride-along with Miami police. The bill has understandably created an uproar in the motorcycle community, but has experienced little opposition from the motorcycle industry and lobby groups.

A lobbyist representing ABATE did express concerns that the bill unfairly targeted motorcyclists, arguing that penalties for motorists who violate motorcycle rider’s right of way, injuring or killing them, are substantially lower.

While the bill was altered to include all vehicles, the anti-motorcycle language remains, specifically that which discusses the revocation of the motorcycle endorsement.

Source: Hell for Leather Magazine

Police have arrested a motorist they say had a 24-pack of beer strapped in with a seat belt but had a 16-month-old girl unrestrained in the back seat with the toddler's mother. Tina D. Williams was pulled over in St. Augustine on Sunday for allegedly running a red light.

A 24-pack of Busch beer was strapped in with the passenger-side seat belt, according to an arrest report. The girl was in the back seat with 20-year-old Amber Tedrick, who is the toddler's mother. Williams, 46, said she didn't know why the child wasn't restrained.

Source: Yahoo

Legislature let Florida's no-fault auto insurance law slip through the cracks and expire which means on October 1st, auto insurance will not be required.

The end of mandatory auto insurance in Florida, home to more than 12 million drivers, could boost insurance rates 25 percent to 30 percent as the risk of colliding with an uninsured motorist climbs, said Gunars Mansons, vice president of the Specialty Agents Association of Florida, a trade group representing small independent insurance agents.

Only three states - Tennessee, Wisconsin and Iowa - do not require drivers to carry some form of auto insurance.

"Nobody believed this would really happen. Nobody believed it would really go this far," Mansons said. "Mandatory insurance is going away, and rates for responsible individuals will have to go up."

Good drivers, it'd be wise to stop at a store and purchase some lube because Florida is sticking it to you!