A Vancouver man who was ticketed for doing 152 mph on a motorcycle last weekend told state troopers he didn’t realize how fast he was going.
“No idea, I just opened it up,” Matthew M. Jackson, 39, told a state trooper who gave him a ticket for $411, police said.
It happened on Sunday, April 11, on state Highway 14 near Maryhill, not far from Goldendale, according to a bulletin from the Washington State Patrol.
About 5:35 p.m., a trooper saw two radar readings of 152 mph as the 2008 Kawasaki ZX1400 approached him, and one of 151 mph on his rear-facing radar after it passed him, the bulletin said.
A trooper explained to Jackson what would happen if he hit a deer or a rock in the rural area at that speed.
Serious or fatal-injury accidents involving motorcyclists are so common these days that WSP Chief John R. Batiste, in response to the incident, said “Eighty percent of fatal motorcycle collisions are now the fault of the rider.”
He added, “Half of fatal collisions don’t even involve a second vehicle.”
Troopers advise riders to attend a motorcycle safety course, get the endorsement on their driver’s license, wear protective clothing, ride within their skill level, don’t ride after drinking and don’t speed.
John Branton: 360-735-4513 or john.branton@columbian.com.
