Tail of the Dragon Website Snaps Back at Law Enforcement Clampdown
Autoblog has reported that Tail of the Dragon-- the notorious 318-curves-in-11-mile stretch of twisting highway-- has been the recipient of an unfair amount of attention from Tennessee's finest. Their blog sites TailoftheDragon.com's complaints, which include photos of numerous shots of police cruisers doing exactly what they've been ticketing motorcyclists and motorists for doing: crossing the double yellow line.
Anybody who's traversed that sinewy stretch knows the temptations (and potential perils) of giving it a little too much throttle and cutting across the double yellows, but turning the tables on the fuzz adds another layer of intrigue to this rapidly escalating battle between civilian thrillseekers and local law enforcement.
Is this standard issue police behavior, or are would-be Dragon slayers getting undue Highway Patrol attention?
Sound off with comments on this increasingly controversial rollercoaster of a road.
Photo © TailoftheDragon.com
Comments
I was there last month and huge police presence.I saw a huge double standard because they would write up bikes and ignore the 18 wheelers crossing the line
Those wacky cops will do anything to get you. Last night here in NYC I saw an under cover cruiser disguised as a taxi. The only thing that gave it away was the all the flashing lights behind the grill because he was in pursuit with several other fully dressed police cars.
As a biker for over forty years who has seen the weekend “Dragon Circus,” I must say that the law enforcement crackdown was inevitable. We have only ourselves to blame. Speeding and reckless driving have caused numerous injuries and deaths and the good people of Tennessee are tired of paying the bill! The cost of law enforcement, emergency medical/rescue services, including air evac and hospital treatment have reached an all time high. We Tennesseans welcome you to our beautiful state as long as you respect and obey our laws. If you have other ideas, please go elsewhere.
I’ve ridden RT 129 and had a blast and went fast and did not cross the double line. If you ride as fast as you can AND stay in your lane you will still be breaking the speed limits, dragging whatever touches down first, hitting apexes, using all of your tire & breaks, oh yeah… and NOT entering the lane of oncoming traffic. If you can’t stick to a visualized lane 12 inches wide then you need to work on your technique not use more of the road. If you really must use both sides of the road then take it to one of the many track days and start recording lap times.
Having been a regular “tourist” up to this region frequently. I don’t think “some” police presence is bad at all, and I would have to agree with it. However, when there is more than 2-3 cruisers, my and your tax money can be better used elsewhere to monitor “other lawlessness”. Let’s face it, anything above this number is very much overkill and the money could have been used to fund other programs that are in need much greater than putting a presence on an 11 mile stretch of road. If I do remember correctly, the individual has to cover the cost of the air evac as well. Which we all know his insurance normally ends up doing this, thus jacking up our rates.
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