THE AIM/NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS SERVICE is brought to you by Aid toInjured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) and the National Coalition ofMotorcyclists (NCOM), and is sponsored by the Law Offices of RichardM. Lester. For more information, call us at 1-(800) ON-A-BIKE or visitus on our website at http://www.ON-A-BIKE.com.
NCOM BIKER NEWS BYTES
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish,
National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM)
DEPLETED LICENSE PLATES, OVERBOOKED RIDER ED COURSESAs a sign of the times, with a record number of motorcyclists on theroad and increasing numbers of motorcycle registrations, ridertraining courses in numerous locations across the country have beenbooked solid and now officials in Kansas have reported running out ofmotorcycle license plates.
The Hutchinson News reported that the problem is bad enough thatcounties with plentiful plates are being asked to share with othercounties. “We are out of motorcycle tags, and we don’t know when we’llget more,” said Reno County Treasurer Clark Miller. “We’ve begged andborrowed from other counties,” he told the newspaper, “but we can’tget more.”
When the state made its annual tag order, gas prices hadn’t reachedtheir current levels and officials didn’t anticipate the resultingdemand from motorists switching to more fuel-efficient transportation.
At least one motorcycle owner complained to the newspaper of beingsent away from the DMV office this week and advised not to drive hismotorcycle until it was properly tagged, with no promise of when tagsmight be available.
MYRTLE BEACH APPROVES HELMET LAW AND OTHER ORDINANCES TO DETER BIKERSMyrtle Beach City Council recently gave initial approval to more thana dozen city-wide ordinances specifically aimed to limit bike ralliesand dissuade bikers from coming to town.
On Tuesday, September 9, the council unanimously approved all but oneof 15 proposed new laws pertaining to two back-to-back May motorcyclerallies, though the restrictions would remain in place year round.
The proposed ordinances that were passed on first reading ranged froma ban on the operation of motor vehicles that do not have required EPA(federal) stickers on their mufflers, to prohibiting more than onevehicle parked in a single public parking space, to implementing amandatory helmet law and eye protection requirement for anyone ridinga motorcycle within city limits and authorizing authorities to impoundtheir motorcycles. The helmet ordinance also outlaws the sale or useof any non-DOT compliant helmet in the city.
In June the City Council not only passed a property-tax increasededicated to funding an anti-bike rally campaign, but also started theprocess to enact ordinances aimed at ending motorcycle-related vendingwithin city limits.
Another vote on the approved anti-rally measures is required beforethey can become law, which may take place before riders arrive inMyrtle Beach for the “Pilgrimage” fall bike rally, giving local policeagencies an opportunity to begin enforcing the new ordinances.
Former Myrtle Beach Mayor Mark McBride, who once said he’d like to usehis car to “nudge” a biker who wore an offensive T-shirt, said he’sall for the city strictly enforcing the laws and said the city shouldbring in as many police officers as it needs. “If they enforce thelaws,” McBride told the Sun News “people will not want to come back iftheir good time is curtailed.”
CAN RISING MOTORCYCLIST FATALITIES BE BLAMED ON LACK OF HELMET LAWS?–Author Jacob Sullum begs the question in his article “Hit & Run” inReason magazine’s August 20th online edition, and goes on to answerthose who blame the increase in rider fatalities on the repeal ofhelmet laws in several states.
Citing federal government data that indicate the number of fatalmotorcycle accidents rose in 2007 for the 10th consecutive year,hitting 5,154, 7 percent higher than the 2006 total, Sullum writesthat “the chief culprit recently seems to be higher gas prices, whichhave encouraged people to take advantage of motorcycles’ vastlysuperior fuel efficiency: Motorcycle ridership appears to be risingeven as the total miles for all vehicles drops….The highway safetyauthorities say that about 75 percent more motorcycles are registeredtoday than 10 years ago. They suspect each motorcycle is ridden moremiles, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says itdoes not have a reliable measurement of use. The lack of such datamakes it difficult to tell how much of an increase in fatalitiesfollowing repeal of a helmet law results from less helmet wearing andhow much results from more riding.”
“While wearing a helmet reduces the risk of certain injuries,”continues Sullum, “research suggests the overall impact on fatalitiesis modest. The unimpressive numbers are one reason motorcyclists havebeen so successful at defending their right to decide what, ifanything, to wear on their heads. ‘We are the only industrializedcountry in the world where there is an organized effort to weaken orrepeal motorcycle helmet laws,’ complains Russ Rader of the InsuranceInstitute for Highway Safety. Is that a sign of backwardness or apoint of pride?”
Meanwhile, Forbes Magazine points out that a new study releasedrecently by the U.S. Department of Transportation found that “despitethe relaxation of several state helmet laws, motorcycle helmet use infatal crashes climbed from 55% in 1997 to 57% in 2006.”
In an August 25th article titled “Expensive Gas, Dangerous Roads”,Forbes writer William Pentland says, “Although helmets are undoubtedlydecisive in some motorcycle accidents, the fact remains that thefatality rate for helmeted motorcyclists has risen more rapidly thanit has for unhelmeted motorcyclists in the past three years. Thissuggests that factors other than helmet use have fueled the rise ofmotorcycle fatalities. Enter gas prices.”
Pentland’s research shows that since at least the 1970s, motorcycleregistrations have tracked the rise and fall of gas prices. As pricesrose in the 1970s, registrations followed. Similarly, in the 1980s,as gas prices fell, motorcycle registrations did too. During the1990s, motorcycle registrations remained low and only began rising in2000 and 2001.
“Last year, the number of licensed motorcyclists hit an all time highof 6,227,146,” says Pentland, “While the total number of milestraveled for passenger cars fell in 2007 for the first time since1994, the total number of miles traveled for motorcycles not onlyincreased, but reached a new record high.”
LOUD PIPES SAVE LIVES!Silent but deadly, a California lawmaker says electric and hybrid carsand motorcycles may be good for the environment, but they’re bad newsfor the blind.
State Sen. Alan Lowenthal, a Long Beach Democrat, has pushed a billthrough the legislature to ensure that vehicles make enough noise tobe heard by the blind and visually impaired when they’re about tocross a street.
The state Senate approved the bill on August 20 on a 23-12 vote andsent it to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who according to the SanFrancisco Chronicle has not taken a position.
FIGHTER DIES AFTER RUNNING OUT OF GASUFC Star Evan Tanner whose body was found in California’s MojaveDesert appears to have died from heat exhaustion after his off-roadmotorcycle ran out of gas. The 37-year-old former Ultimate Fightingmiddleweight champion was on a “cleansing” excursion and set out onfoot in the scorching heat of the after his bike lost steam.
“What we were told is that (sheriff’s officials who found him) believehis motorcycle had run out of gas, so he went to walk out in, like,115- to 118-degree heat,” said Douglas Vincitorio a member of EvanTanner’s management team at Driving Sports Force. “He was miles awayfrom his camp. That’s where the helicopter found him. Right now, theyjust think that he succumbed to the heat.”
WEIRD NEWS: BIKER KILLED FOR HAULING HAMBURGER ON HIS HOGLuckily, most bikers do not have to worry about being mobbed andkilled over carrying some hamburger on their bike, but in India it isa different story.
An angry mob lynched a man in an Uttar Pradesh village in May onsuspicion that he was transporting cow meat on his motorcycle, apolice officer told Thaindian newspaper.
Riding a motorcycle in different countries carries different risks,but it appears that in India, surviving a bike accident is nothingcompared to residents finding out that you are carrying cow meat,which is sacred. This type of incident shows that you should alwaysresearch the laws or religious practices before you go biking aroundin other countries.
TOUGHER IN ALASKA — JUNEAU BIKER CULTURE SUBJECT OF MUSEUMJuneau has more motorcycles per capita than most places in the UnitedStates even though there are only 91 miles of road in the city sharedby over a thousand motorcyclists, and is the only capital notaccessible by road.
“That’s pretty interesting,” said Sarah Asper-Smith, guest curator ofa museum exhibit on local biker culture, adding there were 1,025registered motorcycles in 2006 in Juneau.
“That’s something that runsthrough the exhibit, is why do we have so many motorcycles in townwhen you can’t drive out of town? I think it’s that sense of freedomthat Alaskans have in common.”
“91 Miles to Ride: Juneau’s Biker Culture” at the Juneau-Douglas CityMuseum highlights Juneau biker culture with memorabilia andphotographs, some of which date to the 1930s, when there were a lotfewer roads. Also on display are four classic motorcycles, includinga 1924 Henderson Inline IV, a 1936 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead, a 1946Indian Chief, and a 9-foot-long 1975 customized chopper, all on loanfrom local bikers.
“The weather never really bothers us,” said Craig “Oz” Rasmussen, whohas ridden his ’36 Harley from Dawson City, Yukon to Tijuana, Mexicoand is a member of the Southeast Alaska Panhandlers Motorcycle Club,which is prominently featured in the exhibit along with the SoutheastAlaska Tongass Chapter of H.O.G. (Harley Owners Group), Juneau AlaskaBikers Advocating Training and Education (ABATE), and other groups.
NEW ZEALAND BARS BIKER PATCHESBiker patches are not welcome in central Timaru and club members willhave to remove their colors before entering some businesses.
“Businesses can now place stickers on their front doors stating thatgang patches and colours are not permitted to be worn on thepremises,” reports the Timaru Herald. Increasing gang activityprompted the joint initiative from Safer Communities and the SouthCanterbury Chamber of Commerce, says the newspaper.
All businesses have the right to refuse entry as long as it is notseen as discrimination, and the stickers are not classed asdiscrimination, say officials.
The Chamber of Commerce designed and paid for the printing of 100stickers and is assisting in the distribution. Chamber manager DaveJack said more stickers will be printed if needed.
Timaru mayor Janie Annear said the stickers were just another tool tostamp out gang activity, adding that they weren’t naive enough tothink the gang problem was over and were always thinking of newinitiatives; “The battle is never totally won.”
QUOTABLE QUOTE: “A government big enough to give you everything youwant, is big enough to take away everything you have.”
–Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) Patriot and 3rd President of the UnitedStates
