THE AIM/NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS SERVICE is brought to you by Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) and the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM), and is sponsored by the Law Offices of Richard M. Lester. For more information, call us at 1-(800) ON-A-BIKE or visit us on our website at http://www.ON-A-BIKE.com
COAST TO COAST BIKER NEWS
Compiled & Edited by BILL BISH,
National Coalition of Motorcyclists
CONGRESS ACTS TO PROTECT MEDICAL BENEFITS FOR BIKERS An important step toward protecting medical benefits for motorcyclists was achieved on October 29, 2003, when the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted unanimously to approve S. 423, “The Health Care Parity for Legal Transportation and Recreational Activities Act,” co-authored by U.S. Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Susan Collins (R-ME). The bipartisan act would eliminate a loophole that allows insurance companies to deny medical benefits to persons injured while participating in so-called “risky activities,” including riding a motorcycle or ATV.
The measure will now move to the Senate floor for consideration, while a similar bill in the House of Representatives, HR 1749, awaits committee action.
Motorcyclists across the country successfully lobbied Congress in 1996 to enact the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which prohibited insurers from denying health care coverage to insureds based on their participation in activities such as motorcycling, skiing and horseback riding, but the legislation was later misinterpreted to require insurance companies to provide coverage, but still allowing them to deny benefits if a person was hurt as a result of such involvement.
Help close this discriminatory loophole by contacting your U.S. Senators and Congressman today and urge their support of S. 423 and HR 1749!
LOUISIANA GOVERNOR LAMBASTS NHTSA Just hours after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a report to the national press indicating that fatalities had increased dramatically in Arkansas and Louisiana following the repeal of those states’ mandatory helmet laws, Louisiana Governor Mike Foster called NHTSA’s numbers into question and accused the federal agency of misleading the public regarding the facts.
“You can make statistics say anything you want,” lectured Foster in a press release issued October 30, 2003 to counteract the NHTSA disinformation campaign. “The NHTSA wanted to hear that fatal crashes have doubled, and they looked for statistics that supported that. It’s true that the number of accidents has increased, but the report leaves a lot out of the picture, like the increasing number of motorcycle riders.”
Foster pointed out that NHTSA looked merely at raw numbers and not at the circumstances of the crashes. The number of registered motorcycles rose by over 12,000 in the years covered by the NHTSA study, according to the governor’s press release. In 1998, there were 60,000 registered motorbike operators in Louisiana; two years later, 72,445 were registered with the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles.
According to a 2001 report by the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, “Traffic Crashes Involving Bicycles or Motorcycles,” fatalities per 100 crashes only rose by 0.2 percent from 1998 to 2000, and in 2001 that percentage actually went down to 3.8 percent. In 1998, 3.9 percent of every 100 crashes resulted in deaths. During that time, the number of crashes in general rose from 889 to 1,410, a fact that cannot be attributed to helmet usage rates.
“Bottom line, it’s a matter of personal choice. No one is forcing or encouraging motorcycle riders to ride without helmets,” said Foster. “But the NHTSA says that there were twice as many fatal crashes, but doesn’t want us to know how many of those riders were wearing helmets. There are times where helmets are protective and times when they actually can do harm.”
WORLDWIDE MOTORCYCLE SALES TO EXCEED 35 MILLION Forecasting worldwide demand for motorcycles to advance 5.2% annually to more than 35 million units in the year 2007, The Freedonia Group, an international business research company based in Cleveland, Ohio, says the global motorcycle industry will likely go through a restructuring phase in coming years, driven by increased income levels in emerging markets, continued strong sales in the U.S. and Western Europe, and advancements in technology.
In a new study titled “World Motorcycles,” the research group says there are two separate motorcycle markets. One centered in the industrialized Triad (i.e., the U.S., Japan and Western Europe), where motorcycles are seen as pleasure vehicles by consumers who already have one or more automobiles. These motorcycles tend to be large, powerful machines that cost on average about $4,000 to $7,000 in the U.S. and Europe, and somewhat less in Japan.
The research firm says the market for the larger displacement motorcycles will likely remain strong, but says some concerns regarding future demand have emerged due to the aging of the customer base, especially in the U.S. and Western Europe.
The other, much larger market in unit terms is in the emerging economies of the Asia/Pacific region, where motorcycles are seen as primary family and work vehicles. According to the study, demand for scooters, mopeds and light motorcycles will remain relatively robust in emerging markets such as India, China and Southeast Asia, due to increased income levels.
The third influence on the worldwide motorcycle industry, according to the study, is a transition in technology driven by a confluence of factors, most noticeably exhaust emission regulation. Motorcycle regulations have been increasing worldwide, as developed nations seek emissions parity with automobiles and as developing nations fight to reduce pollution levels in large urban areas.
MOTORCYCLES ARE “SMART GROWTH” Carter, a full service real estate company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia has recently put the finishing touches on a pioneering mixed-use development that has been heralded as the premiere Transit Oriented Development in the country. Lindbergh City Center, which will eventually incorporate 4.8 million square feet of office, retail and residential facilities is located on top of the second busiest transit station in Atlanta.
Michael Hoath, director of real estate development for the project, is an avid two-wheel enthusiast who rides and races. “I ride to work regularly and often notice how many urban environments discourage motorcycle use. We felt it was important to encourage all smart growth principles — motorcycles as commuter transportation is smart growth. They are a frequently overlooked ingredient in providing solutions to urban sprawl and traffic congestion.”
The development incorporates a mix of Smart Growth design principles such as pedestrian access, transit access, and reduced parking. One of the most important design principles is free parking on Main Street for motorcycles. Whereas other vehicles pay for parking, the prime street locations are reserved for free motorcycle parking. Additionally, the project incorporated concrete parking pads to prevent bikes from tipping over due to melting asphalt on hot summer days.
BROWN OUT A recent print advertisement by UPS, seeking Christmas help, features a glaring, stereotypical leather-clad biker, with the following parody to a familiar holiday tune:
“Oh, the leather on Clyde is FRIGHTFUL.
And not paying him back is painful!
Before holiday bills make you sob,
Part-time job, part-time job, part-time job!!”
The ad goes on to say, “Borrowing money from someone like Clyde to cover holiday expenses is a very bad idea. Wouldn’t it be better to get a part-time job at UPS?”
The ad appeared in the Sunday, October 5 edition of the Delaware County Times in Pennsylvania, and was brought to the attention of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists board of directors during the NCOM Regional Meeting in Philadelphia on November 1st by past board member William “Moon” Laber.
If you have a better idea on how UPS could be spending their advertising money, give ’em a holler at UPS Corporate Headquarters, 55 Glenlake Parkway NE, Atlanta , GA 30328.
MICHIGAN MOTORCYCLE NEWS Michigan motorcyclists are making headway in their fight to repeal the state’s mandatory helmet law, but in the meantime bikers are busy supporting and opposing other pieces of legislation that impact riders, and celebrating some other important victories. Due to bikers writing and calling their legislators when the governor tried to remove the Motorcycle Safety Program from the state budget, the Michigan MSP has been removed from the Department of Education and placed with the Secretary of State to protect the program’s funding from being raided to make up for other budget shortfalls. The safety program is, and has been, a self-funded program using biker money to operate.
Concerned Michigan riders are also fighting House Bill 4337, which would amend the Michigan Vehicle Code to revise the permissible noise level for a new motorcycle or moped. Currently the law prohibits a dealer from selling a new motorcycle or a moped that produces a maximum noise in excess of 83 DBA, but the bill would lower that level to 80 DBA, which is significantly quieter.
Also of concern is a No-Fault insurance proposal, SB 0392, that is generally unfair to those who choose a 2-wheeled mode of transportation.
As if that’s not enough on their plate, they are also supporting a bill, HB 5008, to change the renewal date on motorcycle registrations to your birth date, instead of March 31, and also includes options to purchase more than one year at a time.
They also have a biker anti-discrimination bill in the works. Good job, and good luck!
INTERNET SCAMS USE MOTORCYCLES AS BAIT If you’re shopping for a new motorcycle, beware of a new Internet scam that may take your wallet for a ride. In an October 21 “Problem Solvers” report on Local 6 News in central Florida, commentator Mike Holfeld uncovered Internet scam artists who are pirating legitimate eBay accounts and are reportedly using Harley-Davidson motorcycles as bait to rip off users.
In his report, Holfeld interviews a woman who wired $4,600 to a man in Berlin, Germany to purchase a Harley Fatboy in an online auction. The money was picked up 24 hours later, but then the bike and the imposter disappeared.
Now, it appears phony auctions are being set up by account imposters, some using Harley-Davidson motorcycles as the bait, according to the news report. Holfeld reported that more and more eBay members are discovering their accounts have been hijacked, and industry insiders say 30 or more bogus auctions are running at the same time. Buyer Beware!
MOTORCYCLE TRIVIA: NEW YORK TO L.A. The record for traveling from New York to Los Angeles by motorcycle is 45 hours, 41 minutes. It was set in 1968 by Tibor Sarossy, riding a BMW Model R69S. Sarossy made four fuel stops, never slept, fainted twice and averaged 58.7 mph all the way across.
WEIRD NEWS OF THE MONTH: FOR A BUCK, NAKED When a Rappahannock County Deputy Sheriff was dispatched to a rural Virginia residence to investigate a noise complaint about a motorcycle blasting up and down the street at 7:30 in the morning, he was shocked to find 54-year old Peter Kreyling, a county building contractor, roaring along on his Harley buck naked, except for his shoes.
The rookie officer, who just started the day before, stopped the motorcyclist, took a moment to size up the situation, and then calmly asked Kreyling, “Where’s your helmet?”
The deputy soon found out that Kreyling was involved in a photo shoot for a calendar being put together by his wife to raise money for a new track at Rappahannock County High School, and is now the hottest topic in this rural and picturesque county. It features more than a dozen local men–some as old as 80–parading around–tastefully, of course–in their birthday suits. Besides the naked motorcyclist, there are nude apple pickers, a daring beekeeper and a 70-year-old blacksmith presenting the bare facts.
The most famous of the calendar models is former “Dukes of Hazzard” star and ex-U.S. Rep. Ben “Cooter” Jones. The Rappahannock resident has no regrets or apologies.
“This is the best argument for clothes there ever was,” he jokes. “It gives nudity a bad name.”
QUOTABLE QUOTE: “If you think you can, you can. If you think you can’t, you’re right.”Irving Berlin, American composer 1888-1989
