COAST TO COAST BIKER NEWS
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish,
National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM)
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 www.ON-A-BIKE.com.
BAD DRIVING IS IN THE GENES
Medical researchers say they?ve unraveled the mystery to bad drivers, and their genetic makeup may be to blame. A study recently published in the journal of Cerebral Cortex led by University of California, Irvine neuroscientists found that people with a certain gene variation performed more than 20% worse on a driving test than those without the gene and they also retained less of what they had learned.
About 30 percent of Americans have the particular gene variant, though a test to determine whether someone has the gene variant is not commercially available.
?This gene variant limits the availability of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor during activity,? according to the senior author, Dr. Steven Cramer, neurology associate professor at UCI. ?BDNF keeps memory strong by supporting communication among brain cells and keeping them functioning optimally. When a person is engaged in a particular task, BDNF is secreted in the brain area connected with that activity to help the body respond.?
Earlier research had found that in those individuals with the gene variant ?a smaller portion of the brain is stimulated when doing a task than in those with a normal BDNF gene.?
The driving test was taken by 29 people – 22 without the gene variant and seven with it. They were asked to drive 15 laps on a simulator that required them to learn the nuances of a track programmed to have difficult curves and turns. Researchers recorded how well they stayed on the course over time. Four days later, the test was repeated.
Results showed that people with the variant did worse on both tests than the other participants, and they remembered less the second time.
“I’d be curious to know the genetics of people who get into car crashes,” Cramer said. “I wonder if the accident rate is higher for drivers with the variant.”
INCREASED MOTORCYCLIST DEATHS BLAMED ON BAD ECONOMY
Since gas prices increased, experts say more inexperienced riders have hit the road — literally.
Because of the fuel efficiency of motorcycles, more drivers are switching from four wheels to two, and what used to be a symbol of freedom and adventure is now also a symbol of thriftiness. “Last year, our sales were the best we ever had for 33 years,” said Al Lamb, owner of Dallas Honda, pointing out that bike sales peaked last year before dipping and rising again this year.
But Dr. Fernando Wilson, a professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, said for every dollar increase in gas prices, 1,500 more motorcycle riders die each year nationwide.
Some say car drivers need to hang up their cell phones and pay more attention, but many bikers attribute higher crash rates to the influx of new, inexperienced riders on the road.
“If you mess up on a motorcycle, it’s probably a lot more tragic than in a vehicle,” motorcyclist Stephen Dutcher told TV-33 News, recommending that new riders should get trained beyond state testing requirements. “I would recommend everyone to take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course.”
MOTORCYCLE SALES ARE RUNNING OUT OF GAS
Last year, fuel-efficient motorcycles proved to be a viable option for motorists facing higher and higher gas prices, but following more than a decade of steadily increasing sales figures, the economic downturn has caught up to bike makers.
For 14 years, through 2006, U.S. motorcycle sales had increased every year. Sales started to drop in 2007 but still topped the 1 million mark.
A year ago, as gas prices pushed toward $5 a gallon, fuel-sipping two-wheelers got a boost. Despite the worsening economy, street bike sales were down only 3.3% in 2008 and smaller scooters enjoyed their best year ever, posting a 41.5% gain, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council.
Now, little seems to be working for motorcycle manufacturers as sales have plunged 38% in the third quarter from the same period a year ago (falling from 218,242 last year to 136,876), with the biggest drops coming in two of the industry?s biggest product lines: cruisers and sport bikes. Scooter sales are also down 62% through the first three quarters of 2009.
The only bright spot was that sales are dropping at a slower pace: The number of bikes sold in the second quarter fell 53.5 percent from the same period a year earlier. Historically, the second and third quarters are strong for the industry because the weather generally is warm and buyers are gearing up to ride, according to an article appearing in the Chicago Tribune.
Despite a federal stimulus that allows bike buyers to write off the sales tax, sagging sales have prompted bike builders to begin cutting staff and other expenses.
Last week, publicly held Harley-Davidson Inc. reported an 84% drop in quarterly earnings to $26.5 million. The company said it was getting out of the sport-bike business, shutting down the longtime Buell line and selling its MV Agusta operation, a high-end Italian brand it bought last year.
Already this year, the Milwaukee manufacturer joined the likes of Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Suzuki and Victory in laying off employees, reducing production and dropping prices to help dealers shrink swollen inventories.
Mark Blackwell, vice president of Victory Motorcycles, which suffered a 56% decline in the July-September period, told the Los Angeles Times ?We haven?t laid everybody off. We haven?t totally stopped advertising. We?ve kept up the product development because we?re positioning this business for when the market stabilizes and grows.?
Harley-Davidson and Victory, a division of Polaris in Minnesota, hope to stem U.S. losses, in part, by growing overseas sales. Harley is pursuing emerging markets such as India and China; Victory is going after Europe.
But with the riding season over for much of the country, summer 2010 can?t come fast enough for the industry.
NEW MOTORCYCLE EMISSIONS STANDARDS TAKING EFFECT
As 2010 motorcycles hit dealer showrooms, new EPA emissions standards will be making them greener?both environmentally and economically.
Starting next year when stricter Environmental Protection Agency guidelines on motorcycle emissions come into effect for all new two- and three-wheelers built or sold in the U.S., the EPA projects a 50% reduction in pollutants emitted at their tailpipes — but such drastic reductions come with a bigger price tag: According to a 2003 EPA report, the average estimated cost per highway motorcycle to meet the 2010 standards is $45, which is likely passed along to consumers. At the same time, motorcyclists are likely to save money at the pump as the new technology brings with it better fuel efficiency.
Increased use of technologies demonstrated as effective in 4-stroke motorcycle engines, such as the catalytic converters, secondary air injection and electronic fuel inject systems, are expected to decrease harmful emissions, according to a 2003 EPA report. The report also reads, however, that the standards will not result in universal use of catalytic converters.
Catalytic converters are pollution control devices that reduce nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide, and while not specifically required by the EPA rules, catalytic converters will have a hand in reducing emissions in the new standards.
“We already have the 2010 models coming in, and they all have the catalytic converters on them,” Steve Tuchschmidt Sr., owner of Mid-America Harley Davidson, told the Columbia Missourian newspaper. “That’s new.”
The more stringent EPA standards won’t affect existing motorcycles. The emissions limits will only apply to motorcycles and scooters manufactured after the effective date.
PHOENIX SEEKS EXEMPTION FROM MOTORCYLCLE EMISSIONS TESTING
The state of Arizona is asking the federal government to lift emissions testing requirements for motorcycles in the Phoenix metro area.
Following prolonged and extensive lobbying by statewide motorcycle rights organizations, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to exempt motorcycles from such testing.
According to lobbyists for ABATE of Arizona, the Modified Motorcycle Association (MMA) of Arizona and the Arizona Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs (ACMC), Phoenix is the only major metro area in the U.S. where motorcycles are required to be tested for emissions. The biker advocacy groups have already fought successfully to exempt motorcycles from emissions testing in the Flagstaff area, and several years ago the Kentucky Motorcycle Association succeeded in exempting motorcycles from such testing.
According to the Phoenix Business Journal, the ADEQ said motorcycles make up only 3.5 percent of vehicles tested in the Valley and not only are emissions failure rates among motorcycles down, repairs to put them in compliance do not substantially help air quality.
The EPA requires metro areas and regions of the U.S. with air pollution and air quality problems to test cars, trucks and other vehicles for emissions. EPA would need to approve an exemption before next July for it to take effect.
NYC MAYOR CONTRIBUTES TO GLOBAL ROAD SAFETY
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is donating $125 million to road safety programs in middle and low income countries.
Bloomberg gave $9 million in 2007 to a pilot program on road safety in Vietnam and Mexico, and his latest gift expands the effort to a 5-year program in eight other countries that have high numbers of traffic injuries and fatalities.
His philanthropic foundation announced that the donation will help efforts to reduce speeding and drunken driving, and increase the use of motorcycle helmets, child seats and seatbelts.
QUOTABLE QUOTE: ?For years governments have been promising more than they can deliver, and delivering more than they can afford.?
–Paul Martin (1938 – ?), 21st Prime Minister of Canada
