HELMET FREEDOM, WHO'S NEXT? A storm is brewing over the mid-Atlantic states, a storm of Freedom Fighters that is, as statehouses in Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia have all been besieged with helmet repeal legislation.

In West Virginia, House Delegate Greg Butcher, a long time biker and member of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) Legislative Task Force, has introduced a bill to allow motorcyclists and their passengers to ride without a helmet if they are older than 21 with at least two years of experience. On January 23, HB-2156 passed out of the Roads & Transportation Committee with only one dissenting vote. Next it goes to the House Judicial Committee.

Maryland's motorcycle helmet bill, SB-167 would eliminate mandatory helmet use by adult riders, and was given a first reading in the State Senate on January 16, 2002. The first vote on this bill will be in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.

Meanwhile, the Commonwealth of Virginia has introduced not just one helmet repeal bill, but FOUR, each with a different twist. Two of the bills were recently voted down by slim margins.

Thirty other states have modified their helmet laws to exempt adult riders, and several other states are hoping to be the next to win their Freedom of Choice.

 

NHTSA NUMBERS CALLED INTO QUESTION Despite being barred by Congress from lobbying for helmet laws, every time a state considers modifying their helmet law, the federal National Highway Traffic Safety Administration pokes their nose into the state's business and tries to dissuade legislators with bogus statistics. None of that is new to those in the front lines, but a recently released NHTSA "study" has come under fire from the insurance industry, normally one of NHTSA's allies!

The USAA, Taillights column printed the NHTSA report on increases in deaths in Arkansas and Texas since their helmet law repeals (USAA is one of the nation's largest insurance companies.)

A Louisiana rider wrote to USAA to challenge the validity of the statistics and asked whether the report took into consideration the increased number of motorcycles and number of miles ridden. He also asked whether any effort had been made to determine whether a helmet could have saved any of those lives.

Here is the response he got from the editor;

"Editor's Note: We reprinted statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on increases in the fatality rates of motorcyclists following the repeal of helmet laws in Texas and Arkansas. After receiving member feedback questioning these statistics, we took a closer look at the NHTSA study results and found the statistics we reported had not been adjusted for increases in registrations and miles traveled. When registrations are factored in, fatality rates in Arkansas dropped from 11.54 percent per 10,000 motorcycles in 1996 to 10.92 in 1998. In Texas, the fatality rate increased from 6.99 per 10,000 motorcycles to 8.85 per 10,000. The NHTSA study does not attempt to determine whether wearing a helmet would have prevented any reported fatalities."

In defending against the NHTSA study, Sputnik, founder of the Texas Motorcycle Rights Association and member of the NCOM Legislative Task Force, reported that "In 1997, prior to the Texas helmet law repeal, there were 115 people who died in motorcycle accidents, and registrations had dropped to 143,000. By 1999, after the helmet law was repealed, deaths had risen to 181, but registrations had increased to 253,000. Given these figures, which NHTSA ignored, it would show that while fatalities increased by 58 percent during this 2-year period, registrations increased by 77 percent!"

 

BIKERS DUEL WITH FALLEN WTC COP'S FAMILY OVER VEST The family of a New Jersey Port Authority police officer killed in the World Trade Center attack and the motorcycle club he belonged to are sparring over his black leather riding vest, and the dispute may wind up in court.

According to the Associated Press, Officer Paul Laszczynski was a member of the Renegade Pigs, a motorcycle club for police officers, who was killed after being called to the trade center on September 11 from his post at Jersey City's Journal Square PATH station.

His white and blue Harley-Davidson motorcycle and vest were proudly displayed at a memorial service since no body was recovered from the WTC wreckage, and now the officer's family wants the vest as a keepsake, but the club refuses to turn it over, claiming it is rightfully theirs because club rules clearly state that members' "colors" are the property of the club.

Although Laszczynski was divorced from their mother, his two daughters have retained a lawyer and are preparing for a court battle to get the vest back. They already have claimed their father's motorcycle, his car, his big-screen TV, his jewelry, clothes, papers, medals and citations, not to mention his shore house in Manahawkin, but they claim they need the vest to remember their dad. Meanwhile, the club wants to frame the vest and display it.

Neither side is budging, so it may take a judge and jury to sort things out.

 

BIKERS FIGHT AGAINST COURTHOUSE DISCRIMINATION A dozen leather-clad bikers had no problems entering the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco recently to argue their case for blocking a Carson City, Nevada courthouse dress code that prohibits biker "colors," under which they were arrested or cited last year.

Bikers from the Hells Angels, Branded Few, Vietnam Veterans and His Royal Priesthood motorcycle clubs have asked the appeals court to at least temporarily stop Carson City from enforcing the dress code until their civil-rights lawsuit on the rules can be heard. The bikers say it infringes on their constitutional rights of free speech.

Rick Eckhardt, a member of the Christian motorcycle club His Royal Priesthood, told the Reno Gazette-Journal that the dress code discriminates against motorcycle riders by limiting what they can wear in a public building.

"It's very important that we're able to enter the federal building and the courthouse, especially if we have a hearing to go to or need to go to court in support of one of our friends," said Eckhardt. "We just want the same rights everyone else has to go in the court and be heard."

Eckhardt and nine other bikers were cited for trespassing at the Carson City courthouse last March 26 for refusing an order from court security officers to either remove their motorcycle jackets or leave the public building. They were among the 35 or more motorcycle riders who showed up at the courthouse that day in support of two Branded Few M/C members who had been arrested two weeks earlier on the same charge.

The initial incident involved bikers Scot Banks and Steve Dominguez of Reno, who went to the courthouse March 9 to contest a traffic violation but were told by security officers that they couldn't wear their swastika-decorated club colors inside. They were arrested and their vests were confiscated after they refused to remove their vests or leave.

The bikers cited two weeks later wore jackets that carried a variety of symbols, including an angel over the background of a Christian cross and the American flag.

All have pleaded innocent and are waiting for a hearing date in state court to argue the constitutionality of the rules before going to trial on the trespassing charges, said lawyer Kevin Karp, who is representing the bikers on the criminal charges. Karp is the Northern Nevada A.I.M. Attorney, and serves as legal counsel to the Northern Nevada Confederation of Clubs.

The 9th Circuit panel took the case under advisement and set no date for a ruling.

 

NCOM ANNOUNCES SILVER SPOKE AWARD WINNERS Every year since 1988, the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) has capped off their annual NCOM Convention with the Silver Spoke Awards Banquet to honor outstanding members of the motorcycling community for their contributions to our sport and life style.

Honorees are selected for their efforts on behalf of motorcyclists in four primary areas: Government, Commerce, Media and Entertainment. Past recipients have included Malcolm Forbes (Commerce - 1988), Peter Fonda (Entertainment - 1991), U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (Government - 1993 and Lifetime Achievement - 2000) and Lou Kimzey of Easyriders Magazine who founded ABATE (Media - 1989).

The Ron Roloff Lifetime Achievement Award, named in memory the late California freedom fighter and NCOM Legislative Advocate, is bestowed in recognition of the tireless efforts of those staunch individuals who have given "above and beyond" for America's motorcyclists over the years. This year's 2002 Ron Roloff Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Bill Bish, former NCOM Executive Director and bikers' rights activist for over 15 years.

Likewise, the Fred Hill International Award memorializes the British helmet law protester who died in prison because of his dedication to fighting the helmet law, and is presented to a bikers' rights activist from foreign soil who has furthered our cause internationally. First awarded posthumously to Fred Hill in 1994, this year's International Award will be presented to Lloyd "Animal" Rector, Director of the Organization of Responsible Bikers (ORB) of Nova Scotia, Canada.

Other Silver Spoke Award winners include GOVERNMENT - West Virginia State Delegate Greg Butcher; COMMERCE - John Paliwoda, Director of the California Motorcycle Dealers Association; MEDIA - Keith Ball, founder of Bikernet.com website; LEGAL - Ohio A.I.M. Attorney Ralph C. Buss; and SPECIAL RECOGNITION - Harold "Gunny" Hutcheson, Oregon A.I.M. Chief of Staff; Curtis Clements, Christian Motorcyclists Association (CMA); and John Randolph, A.I.M. Chief of Staff (posthumously).

The NCOM Convention will also feature nationally and internationally known speakers, workshops and seminars, NCOM Legislative Task Force strategy meeting, anti-discrimination panel, regional meetings and Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) Attorney Conference. The bi-annual International Coalition of Motorcyclists (ICOM) meeting will be held during this year's Convention, with representatives from other countries from around the globe sharing information and networking strategies.

The 16th Annual NCOM Convention will be held May 9-11, 2002, in New Orleans, Louisiana at the Downtown Radisson, 1500 Canal Street. Call (800) 333-3333 for room reservations, and mention NCOM for a special rate of $79.00 per night for Single or Double occupancy. Special parking fee of $5.00 per day. Convention registration fee is $75.00, or $40.00 without the Silver Spoke Awards Banquet.

Pre-Registration is encouraged to ensure space at the banquet. ABATE of Louisiana will host a Freedom Fighters Social on Friday night featuring a crawfish boil. For further information, or to Pre-Register, call NCOM at (800) 525-5355.

Lassiez les bon temps roullez! (Let The Good Times Roll!)

 

MARK YOUR CALENDARRUN DATES TO REMEMBER:

03-01 thru 10..Daytona Bike Week, Daytona Beach, FL
04-05 thru 15..Arizona Bike Week, Phoenix, AZ
04-24 thru 28..Laughlin River Run, Laughlin, NV
05-09 thru 11..17th Annual NCOM Convention, New Orleans, Louisiana
05-10 thru 19..SC/NC Dealers' Association Rally, Myrtle Beach, SC
05-27...Rolling Thunder XII, Washington, DC
06-03 thru 08..Americade, Lake George, NY
06-08 thru 16..Laconia Bike Week, Laconia, NH
08-05 thru 11..Black Hills Motor Classic, Sturgis, SD
08-29 thru 09-02 Four Corners Iron Horse Rally, Ignacio, CO
09-18 thru 22..Golden Aspen Rally, Ruiodoso, NM
10-17 thru 20..Biketoberfest, Daytona Beach, FL
11-10...Love Ride, Castaic Lake, CA

 

NEWS OF THE WEIRD:
WIFE DUMPS BIKER HUBBY ON VALENTINE'S DAY RADIO SHOW A British wife who dumped her husband on live radio on Valentine's Day because he didn't get her a card, even though she bought him a $1,300 set of motorcycle leathers, said she has no regrets and vows never to take him back.

Emma Sprague, 23, told listeners to Vibe FM that, "David, if you're listening, we're through, I've had enough. Goodbye."

She made the announcement after winning a trip for two to Amsterdam in a radio contest about unromantic partners. Her husband says he is planning to use his charm and is hoping for a reconciliation.

David, 31, rushed to the station and went on air live to plead with his wife to change her mind. "I'm guilty of everything she said and a lot worse. I didn't get her a Valentine's card - why does she need a card when she has the love of a good man?"

The couple from Acton, U.K. have been married for 20 months.

 

QUOTABLE QUOTE: "Ten people who speak make more noise than ten thousand who are silent."
NAPOLEON BONAPARTE, 1769-1821
Emperor of France