AMA Rights News & Notes

July 2005

The US Senate has voted down a provision that would have forced states to impose mandatory helmet laws or risk losing federal money for their highway and trail projects.

Action by American Motorcyclist Association members, many of them using AMADirectlink.com's Rapid Response Center , helped defeat the amendment.

Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), along with Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), had offered the amendment to a six-year, $294 billion transportation bill currently being debated in the Senate. The amendment was voted down 69-28 on Wednesday, May 11.

The AMA first learned of the impending amendment when the Senate was out of session and quickly alerted AMA members and others to the impending action. Based on feedback by Congressional staff, AMA Government Relations Department staff believes that motorcyclists voiced their personal opinions on the issue in great numbers.

The amendment would have penalized any state without a mandatory motorcycle helmet law for all riders by denying the state the ability to determine how their federal transportation dollars were spent.

The AMA believes that states should be able to determine their respective helmet policies free from the threat of federal sanctions. Congress affirmed this as recently as 1995 in the National Highway System Act, when it removed federal penalties placed on states without mandatory helmet laws.

While victory was achieved by this latest action, this is still not the end of the transportation reauthorization process. Check AMADirectlink.com and the Rapid Response Center to watch for future “Action Alerts” related to this important piece of federal legislation as it moves toward final passage and signing by the president.

American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Board of Directors Chairman Rick Gray topped the Democratic ticket in the May 17^th primary for Mayor of Lancaster, PA.  Gray received 44 percent of the vote and now faces Republican incumbent Charlie Smithgall in the November general election. More information can be found at Gray for Mayor, PO Box 278 , Lancaster , PA 17608 or http://www.grayformayor.org/. 

The Second National Summit on Motorcycle Sound was held on Saturday, May 14 in Columbus , Ohio , and the group has published its recommendations for addressing the issue.

The recommendations, released as a document called Sound Advice, is the product of two years of effort by the Motorcycle Sound Working Group, which was formed after the first summit conference in May of 2003. Contributors included representatives of the street and off-road motorcycling communities, as well as motorcycle manufacturers, aftermarket companies, event organizers, law enforcement, municipal government, and research institutions and regulatory agencies. Sound Advice is available at http://www.ama-cycle.org/legisltn/Sound_Advice.asp.

  Missouri Governor Matt Blunt recently responded to a statement made by Missouri Department of Transportation Director (MODOT) Pete Rahn that appeared in the May 23, 2005 edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

        Referring to Missouri ’s Freedom of the Road Riders, Rahn noted that motorcyclists who supported a helmet rights bill seemed like "they hadn't bathed in two weeks." 

Governor Blunt, clearly taking issue with Rahn’s insult, issued the following public statement, "The Freedom of the Road Riders is a fine group of hard-working Missouri taxpayers who are active participants in our democracy and proponents for a cause they believe in strongly.  They deserve the same level of respect as every other citizen who takes valuable time to share their concerns with their government officials. MODOT just got a tremendous amount of new money from the people of this state to build new roads.  I encourage them to remain focused on this vitally important directive from the people and to avoid picking fights with law-abiding citizens who are paying their bills."

The San Miguel County (Colorado) Commissioners unanimously adopted a resolution opening Imogene and Black Bear passes to off-highway vehicles, resolving a conflict with the US Forest Service, whose travel management plan permits OHVs on the two roads.

In addition to recommending that Imogene and Black Bear passes be opened to OHVs, the task force recommended that Ophir Pass be closed to them. The reason, staff explained, is that Ophir Pass is not as popular with OHV users as the other two passes, and because Ophir residents have strongly opposed allowing OHVs to pass through the town.

Other aspects of the management plan that were embraced include the stationing of a Forest Service ranger on each of the three passes to enforce regulations and monitor usage, an educational effort to ensure that OHVs do not leave the designated roads, closure of side roads, and new local licensing requirements for OHV users. Black Bear and Imogene passes would be posted with signs identifying the two roads as “intended for motorized uses.”

The plan also envisions monitoring traffic of all kinds and its environmental and noise impacts so that access could be limited in the future if the road capacity is exceeded, and so that new regulations might be formulated based on observed data.

OHV users dominated public comment at the meeting expressing their gratitude to the county and Forest Service for reaching a resolution that keeps the two passes open to them. They pledged to raise money for building the Marshall Basin bypass and promised to abide by the rules, specifically by keeping to the designated roads. But they expressed doubt that future restrictions on traffic levels would be needed or enforceable by the Forest Service, and some observed that congestion, to the extent it is a problem, is largely caused by limiting OHVs to only a few roads.

The strongest opposition to OHVs has been centered in Ophir, where some residents have been outspoken in their desire to see OHVs banned, the debate will now move to the Ophir Town Meeting. There, the residents of the town will likely debate whether banning OHVs on Ophir Pass is worth risking the transfer of the Pauls’ land to the public domain, a cornerstone of Ophir’s Open Space Plan.  (The Telluride Watch)

The Motorcycle Technical Committee of SAE International recently reissued SAE Recommended Practice J47, Maximum Sound Level Potential for Motorcycles, which establishes the test procedure, environment, and instrumentation for determining the maximum sound level potential for motorcycles under wide open throttle acceleration and closed throttle deceleration. SAE J1287, Measurement of Exhaust Sound Levels of Stationary Motorcycles, establishes the test procedure, environment, and instrumentation for determining the sound levels of motorcycles under stationary conditions. This test will measure primarily exhaust noise and does not represent the optimum procedure for evaluating total vehicle noise, as achieved by J47.

Arizona military veteran riders will soon be able to have veterans' plates for motorcycles. The legislature approved the plates during the 2004 session and the plates will go on sale June of 2005. Each plate costs $25, the same as any other Arizona plate, and $17 of each sale goes to the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services. For more information contact the Arizona Dept. of Veterans Services at http://www.azdvs.gov/ or the Dept. of Motor Vehicles at www.azdot.gov/mvd.

Georgia residents who see state employees driving recklessly now can go online and file a formal complaint.

Governor Sonny Perdue announced the launch of reportmydriving.ga.gov — a web site that allows people to report the good and bad driving practices of state employees. All state vehicles except for law enforcement cars will have a reportmydriving.ga.gov bumper sticker.

The governor also hopes the web site will save Georgia taxpayers money. The Department of Administrative Services reports that the state has paid for more than 5,800 accident claims involving state vehicles, at a cost of $10.5 million. The primary causes of accidents were failure to yield, backing into another vehicle and being rear-ended or rear-ending other vehicles.

Department of Administrative Services Commissioner Dana Russell said that until now, there had been no clearly defined method to report, respond to or track complaints.

An employee can dispute a claim, but Perdue said that someone who is driving state vehicles and receives multiple complaints likely is doing something wrong. Employee managers will come up with appropriate penalties.

TREAD LIGHTLY!, in an effort to utilize the World Wide Web to spread outdoor ethics, has created a series of web banner public service announcements (PSA).

The PSAs remind outdoor enthusiasts that “Your Impression Lasts a Lifetime” and motivates them to “Maintain the Magnificence” of their favorite play places.  Many of the PSAs provide a quick tip to minimizing impact on the environment.

Each PSA is directed towards a certain group of recreationists including mountain bikers, ATV riders, 4-wheel drivers, personal watercraft users, boaters, fishermen, campers, off-highway motorcycle riders, horseback riders, hunters and snowmobilers.

The web banners can be used only with approval from Tread Lightly!..  In an effort to encourage responsible web content, Tread Lightly! will only give approval to sites displaying images and words that are environmentally and socially responsible.  To request approval, email monica@treadlightly.org.

Banners are available in both animated and unanimated formats. To view the banners, go to www.treadlightly.org/banners.mv.

The world's foremost two-wheel experts will convene at a special forum to review and discuss the latest research in motorcycle safety. The 2006 International Motorcycle Safety Conference, coming to Southern California in March, will feature presentations from a variety of research perspectives related to motorcycle safety. Presentations and poster sessions will feature representatives from notable public and private agencies and institutions, such as traffic safety organizations, research laboratories, university research programs, education and training entities, enforcement and engineering communities, as well as the industry itself. Highlighted will be the critically important research efforts, countermeasures and initiatives that contribute to improving motorcycle safety.

The conference, titled "The Human Element," is sponsored by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation and co-sponsored by the German Institute for Motorcycle Safety (ifz, Institut fur Zweiradsicherheit). This is the first of two international conferences slated for 2006 and will focus on the human factors involved in motorcycle safety. The first gathering will be held the week of March 26 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Long Beach , Calif. , with exact dates still to be announced. The agenda will be based on the number of proposals selected for presentation.

Topical areas for "The Human Element" include: Research and Studies, Motorcycle Crash Analysis, Injury and Fatality Statistics, Legislative Updates, Rider Education Statistics, Impaired Rider Research, Human Factors, Motorcycle Rider Safety Attitudes on Training/Education, Impaired Riding, Conspicuity or Protective Apparel, Vision/Hazard Perception, Rider Demographics, Countermeasures, Motorcycle Rider Training and Education, Motorcycle Rider Training Program - Management and Customer Service, Evaluation and Quality Assurance, Protective Gear, Motorcycle Operator Licensing - Graduated or Tiered Licensing Programs and Evaluation, Public Information and Education - Motorist Awareness, and Law Enforcement,

Other important matters to be addressed include a review of initiatives related to the "National Agenda for Motorcycle Safety" (a cooperative project sponsored by the MSF and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), and an update on MSF Rider Training Curricula and other Training Techniques.

The MSF has announced a call for papers for presentation at the Long Beach conference. The MSF is reaching out to the motorcycle industry, universities, local, national and international government agencies, rider organizations, and professionals from the traffic safety and rider education and training communities. Abstracts up to 500 words are due at the MSF by July 15 and authors will be notified of acceptance by Sept. 15. Completed papers will be due by January 9, 2006 . The Call for Papers brochure and application form are available online at http://www.msf-usa.org/.

The All-Terrain Vehicle Association (ATVA) has asked the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to deny a petition to ban the sale of full-sized ATVs for use by children under 16.

ATVA Director Doug Morris and American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Legislative Affairs Specialist Royce Wood , along with representatives of the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America, the ATV Safety Institute, and others, testified at a public meeting in Bethesda , Maryland , asking the commission to follow a recommendation of the CPSC staff to reject the petition. The full text of the testimony is available at www.ATVAonline.com.

AMA Government Relations News & Notes is a monthly service compiled and edited by the AMA
Government Relations Staff to keep motorcyclists informed of happenings around the world. We welcome
your news & views. Please submit all material to Terry Lee Cook, Grassroots Manager,
13515 Yarmouth Drive, Pickerington, OH 43147; fax 614-856-1920 or e-mail to tcook@ama-cycle.org.