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OPEN LETTER TO MR. ROSENKER FROM BRUCE ARNOLD–Mr. Rosenker:I watched and listened to the webcast of the NTSB Board Meeting you chaired this morning from 9:30 to 11:00am, the agenda for which was ostensibly “Motorcycle Safety”:
I was deeply disappointed to see that–despite having an entire year and millions of tax dollars at your disposal since the NTSB Motorcycle Safety Forum–you and your ivory tower team of detached Ph.D.’s still fail to recognize and/or blatantly disregard several key facts and issues, some of which are as follows:
FIRST, you hammered away at the fact that the number of highway motorcycle fatalities more than doubled from the historic low of 2,116 in 1997 to 4,810 in 2006. While that is an absolute increase, it does not necessarily represent an alarming trend. What really matters is NOT just the absolute number of fatalities, but more so the number of fatalities relative to (a) the number of motorcycles on the road, and/or (b) the number of miles they travel each year.
As to the first correlation, you quote NHTSA statistics claiming that in 2006 motorcycles represented only 2% of all registered vehicles but over 10% of all fatalities. That may very well be FALSE, Mr. Rosenker, because if you’d been listening to Dr. Sweeney’s presentation instead of slurping Starbucks, you would have heard her acknowledgement that THE REGISTERED MOTORCYCLE STATISTICS UPON WHICH THAT COMPARISON IS BASED MAY BE SERIOUSLY UNDERSTATED. In other words, for all we know at this point, the number of motorcycle fatalities as a percentage of the number motorcycles on the road may have actually DECREASED over the past ten years, which would be a POSITIVE trend!
As to the second correlation, you again quote NHTSA statistics suggesting that in 2006 motorcycles accounted for over 10% of all fatalities but less than [0.4%|0.34%|0.034% … you couldn’t seem to decide] of total vehicle miles traveled (VMT). And again, Mr. Rosenker, if you’d been paying attention to your own Dr. Sweeney’s warnings, you might have got a clue as to what most of us have known for some time, which is that our nation’s VMT statistics are so seriously understated as to be meaningless. So regardless of what your actual calculation was supposed to be, ANY COMPUTATION BASED ON A MEANINGLESS STATISTIC LIKE VMT IS ITSELF A MEANINGLESS STATISTIC.
SECOND, you regurgitated last year’s highly questionable computations of the “social costs” and “taxpayer burden” associated with motorcycle crash injuries, yet said nothing about the SOCIAL BENEFITS of a mode of transportation that costs less to buy and maintain, creates less of a foreign trade deficit, consumes less gasoline, and produces far less wear and tear on our roadway infrastructure than automobiles. Again, you employed flawed statistics to sell half-truths.
THIRD, you correctly assert that prevention is the solution, but you fail to see that IT IS NOT THE INJURIES WE NEED TO PREVENT, IT IS THE CRASHES THAT INFLICT THEM! In the 90 minutes I listened to your staged presentation–for which I was told by your office no written transcript will be published–not once did I hear any serious dialogue about CRASH AVOIDANCE as opposed to merely CRASH SURVIVAL. Why was there no discussion of ways to mitigate the RIGHT-OF-WAY VIOLATIONS by negligent, distracted, impaired and care-less motorists, which more often than gets reported are the REAL CAUSE OF MOTORCYCLE CRASHES and the injuries and deaths they produce?
FOURTH AND FINALLY, your Board unanimously endorsed a recommendation to the states that universal mandatory helmet laws be implemented for all motorcyclists regardless of age, yet you said nothing about the far greater number of lives that could be saved and accidents and injuries avoided by implementing universal restrictions on the use of cellphones while driving, regardless of age. Perhaps in your fervor to put a lid on every rider (why not every driver, too?), you have overlooked the fact that we have 236 million cellphone subscribers on our roadways (of all ages) … that 73% of them (of all ages) are talking while they are driving … that cellphone conversations impair their driving skills (regardless of their age) as much if they were intoxicated with alcohol … and that consequently they are four times more likely to cause or be involved in an accident (regardless of their age) than motorists who responsibly shut up and steer. The Oklahoma Highway Safety Office, for example, reports that ONE IN FOUR ACCIDENTS in Oklahoma last year occurred when a driver was talking on the phone. Can that ratio be much different nationwide?
Motorcycle casualties are a drop in the bucket compared to the increasing carnage caused by irresponsibly and unnecessarily impaired motorists who refuse to simply HANG UP AND DRIVE, Mr. Rosenker. So why don’t you tone down this tempest in a teapot you’re trying to create, and focus on a far more serious transportation safety hazard?
Speaking strictly for myself and no other individuals or organizations,
–Bruce Arnold
Bruce@LdrLongDistanceRider.com
Author and Publisher, LdrLongDistanceRider.com
Co-Moderator, Bruce-n-Ray’s Biker Forum
Premier Member, Iron Butt Association
Sustaining Member, Motorcycle Riders Foundation
WIRE PLUS INTRODUCES THEIR NEW ROUND DIGITAL INSTRUMENT PANELS–Winfield, KS- Wire Plus Powersports Electronics is proud to introduce their new, state-of-the-art Round Digital Instrument Panels. These new round digital instruments provide speedometer, tachometer, trip, odometer and all indicator light functions and new flat panel construction that measures 2.5″ round with all electronics onboard. (No external brain box) The unit features super bright display technology for true daylight readability with a light sensor for auto-dimming at night.
Also features backlit graphic overlay with axe design and available in four colors (violet – blue – red – yellow) with electro-luminescent lighting to glow the selected color at night. Color and mounting applications are selected by part numbers. Various riser and T-bar mounting options are available. Suggested Retail $498.51.
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FALL FLOOD RUN–Just a quickie reminder that this Saturday, Sept. 15th is the Annual Fall Flood run and we’ll be having FREE coffee and donuts from 9 until 11 AM. (Thats when we’re leaving)
As usual this is NOT an organized ride so you can come and go as you please – no obligation to ride as a group, no specific route, no assigned watering hole stops – no rules – just ride! Its our way of showing our gratitude to all of our loyal clients for their continued patronage!
It sounds like some of our buds from S&S will be joining us so I’m guessing there may be a few demonstrations of horsepower along the way!
Have a great week and a safe ride on Saturday. Hope to see you!
Doug Wozney
DOUGZ Custom Paint & Fabrication LLC
2323 Palace St. La Crosse, Wi. 54603
(608) 783-3684
BIKERNET/JOHN COVINGTON DOO-RAG ARTICLE–Thank you for your irreverant & informative article about doorag tying, which we found via Google. My husband, Allen, works at Univ of Calif, Irvine, in lovely Orange County, CA. Every year, the employees are treated to a Staff Picnic. This year’s theme was “pirates”. It was determined among Allen’s staff members (who clearly had too much time on their hands) that the best way to tie their bandanas would be to do a motorcycle doorag thing, but tilted to the side. Since none of them had done this before, they went online (logical, since they work in computing at UCI), where they accessed your fabulous entry. It was chockfull of terrific tips (especially the big head stuff), and the photos were fantastic. Slap on a fake eye patch and a cutout parrot, and they were good to go. Their department even won a prize for best decorations & costuming! I’m sorry I don’t have any motorcycle topic ideas for you, but with Halloween coming up; maybe you could rework your doorag article to fit the season. You never know who might find your info helpful! Thanks, again, MHT CLEAR WHEEL A REALITY–Check this out. MHT has just announced the release of what has to be the most revolutionary, unique and crowd stopping custom wheel design in the history of custom wheels. MHT CLEAR WHEELS feature a multi-piece design. A pair of 6061T forged aluminum outer hoops are secured to a center piece crafted from hard coated polycarbonate composite with a glass like finish. The center hub is also forged billet. With hoops and hub available in a variety of finishes and a clear center section, calling these wheels, head turners, would be an under statement. Looking from the side there appears to be a hub, outer rim and no center piece! As strong and durable as they are eye catching CLEAR WHEELS are SAE tested and certified. Front wheel shown here is fit with the optional Baldwin Wilson 360 internal brake which is also offered separately. Available in 18″-26″diameters and standard and custom widths. MHT CLEAR WHEELS are patented and available from MHT or their dealers only. For all a the details on these amazing rims call MHT direct at 800-574-1284 or catch their complete lineup at HARLEY-DAVIDSON CUTS SHIPMENTS FORECASTS–IN a press release issued Friday September 7th Harley-Davidson announced a revised motorcycle shipment forecast of between 86,000 and 88,000 motorcycles in the third quarter of 2007. The company says that “shipments of between 91,000 units and 95,000 units were originally planned for the quarter, and shipments for the full year are expected to be in the range of 328,000 to 332,000.” Initial reports about our 2008 model year motorcycles from our dealers and the media have been excellent, but this is a difficult time for the U.S. consumer,” said Jim Ziemer, Chief Executive Officer of Harley-Davidson, Inc. “Coming off a negative U.S. retail sales trend in the first six months of the year, we ran an effective promotion in July that increased retail sales and reduced inventories of 2007 model motorcycles. However, our U.S. dealers’ retail sales fell sharply during August. Against the current economic background, we no longer expect worldwide dealer retail sales to increase during the second half of 2007. As a result, the Company has decided to reduce its planned shipments of motorcycles to its dealers for the remainder of 2007. The Company expects its actions will result in fewer wholesale motorcycle shipments than dealer retail sales during 2007,” said Ziemer. “The release went on to say that “the Company now expects a modest decline in revenue for 2007. Diluted earnings per share (EPS) for the full year 2007 are expected to be down 4 to 6 percent, in the range of $3.69- $3.77, compared to 2006 EPS of $3.93”. “Looking ahead to 2008, the Company anticipates the U.S. retail motorcycle environment will continue to be challenging. We expect moderate revenue growth, lower operating margins and EPS growth of between 4 and 7 percent.” “Although this is a challenging time, Harley-Davidson is the worldwide heavyweight motorcycle market leader,” said Ziemer. “We enjoy an enviable position of financial strength, with a solid balance sheet, strong cash-flow and a history of returning value to shareholders. While a decision to reduce shipments and expectations is never easy, it is clearly the right thing to do for the long-term health of the brand and the business,” said Ziemer. –www.harley-davidson.com CELEBRATE HARLEY’S NATIONAL OPEN HOUSE WITH CITY LIMITS ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15TH– It’s a Full Metal Attraction! Come in to City Limits H-D on Saturday September 15th to celebrate Harley’s National Open House.We’re throwing a HUGE party and sale with: FREE Food & Drinks Chicagoland’s All New City Limits Harley-Davidson MAJOR 5-BALL RACING SPONSOR SPEAKS OUT–Finally able to have a few minute of time to read the great news from the Salt Flats!! WAY TO GO Bandit, Valerie and the rest of the team!!! Guess the salt over the shoulder and sweet talking to the Iron Maiden in the sky worked!! Damn proud to hear of the new record y’all hold. –Jester REPORT FROM BUBS BONNEVILLE AND 5-BALL RACING–Holy SHIT! Those few days were probably the best time I had in recent memory. I cannot thank you two enough for allowing us to be a part of the 5-Ball Racing Team!!!! I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but I would have paid to do that (maybe not very much, but I would have paid SOMETHING). So, I’m sitting here thinking about all the cool stuff that happened, and the cool people we met, but the best times I had were hanging out in the pit, talking to everyone, and especially when I was getting my fingers burnt, bruised, and otherwise abused at the elbows of Berry and Bandit. I realized about half-way through the day at one point that there are people out there in bikerland that would have given body parts to trade places with me… I wouldn’t have made that trade, unless maybe it was Angelina Jolie, and all she wanted to do was “lend” me body parts for my use for a while…. I hope you got (or are getting) more runs in to hit that magical 200. Wish I could have stayed to see it done. My biggest regret was having to leave this morning. FUCK! Marc and I rode hard. Left the hotel at 6:00, and flew right into the jaws of a monster storm. Dark, cold, and throwing everything it had at us, including hail, for a short period. About sunrise, the storm gave up trying to stop us, and after a short stop for fuel in some gawdawful little desert town with a forgotten name, and a future well behind it, we motored west. After a couple more fuel stops, we stopped in Winnemucca for fuel and a sumptuous breakfast at Big Mac’s Steakhouse. We choked the material, which only vaguely resembled anything digestible, down, while reminiscing about Nyla’s yogurt breakfasts….. On we went, ballasted by gawd only knows what, until we rolled through Reno. On the east side of Reno we met a wall of orange air, and the temps went up a good 40 degrees (they’d been hovering in the high 50s for a hundred miles or so). It got hotter and smokier (forest fires somewhere up north) as we continued on. I dropped Marc in Auburn, where he split to roll to his house in Grass Valley. I continued on west, hoping for cool air as I neared the coast. It was not to happen. My hard charge to Novato was met with 100+ temps all the way to my garage. When I swung my leg off my bike, Rose was a bit standoffish for some reason. Wrinkling her nose, she said, “All clothes directly into the washer, mister, and if you don’t get in the shower in 30 seconds, I’m chasing you around the yard with a hose.” In the old days, she would have said she loved the “smell of the road”. We’ve been married too long. Now she wants me to pay attention to hygiene, for some odd reason. Thanks again, cats. The past few days were, lessee, how can I put this correctly? Fuckin’ awesome!!!! Peace Out (whatever the hell that means). –HIWAYMAN TERRY NESBITT JOINS ADLY MOTO AS VICE PRESIDENT SALES/MARKETING–ADLY MOTO LLC announced today that Terry Nesbitt will serve in the newly created position of Vice President Sales and Marketing. Nesbitt brings 30 years of experience in the Powersports industry having previously worked as a Sales Manager at Kawasaki Motors, the National Sales Manager of Polaris Industries, Victory Motorcycles and the President of Viper Motorcycle Company. According to Nesbitt, “it is my responsibility to develop and maintain a strong dealer network, enhance the value of the ADLY brand and introduce new key products that will allow us to continue our growth in the US market. The ADLY brand has only been in the US market for 2 years and we already have a great presence based on the efforts of our dealers and a very high quality Taiwanese product. With a great team, great products and the support of an established and well respected Taiwanese OEM, our goals of developing ADLY MOTO into a viable player in this industry become visible and assured. I welcome the challenges and look forward to this opportunity.” ADLY MOTO LLC is the US division of Her Chee Industrial, a Taiwanese OEM with 30 years experience manufacturing quality motorcycles, gas and electric scooters, ATV’s, parts and accessories. Adly products are designed and manufactured in-house utilizing unique and sophisticated engineering techniques such as CAD design, state-of-the-art CNC machining and single-line engine production. Corporate website is usa.adlymoto.com.
–Valerie S. 
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