AAA PROMOTES USE OF AIR BAGS AND HELMETS FOR MOTORCYCLISTS The American Automobile Association has issued a press release urging motorcyclists to “explore new safety advances - including airbags” in an effort “to help motorcycle riders curtail the growing number of fatal crashes involving riders.”

“AAA wants all motorists to be aware that tremendous growth in the popularity of motorcycling has added millions of new motorcycles and riders to our roadways,” said AAA President, Robert L. Darbelnet. “This means drivers need to be more aware than ever of how to share the road safely with motorcycles. And motorcyclists need to take every opportunity to increase their margin of traffic safety… (and) better protect themselves by wearing protective gear, clearly illuminating their rides and looking into new technologies such as motorcycles equipped with airbags, the road can be safer for all of us,” Darbelnet said.

“Promising new safety technologies - such as a motorcycle airbag system recently tested by AAA in cooperation with its equivalent motoring organization in Germany, ADAC – demonstrate that motorcycles can be equipped to provide much more protection for riders,” AAA said.

AAA continued, “Motorcyclists owe it to themselves and their loved ones, to upgrade to a high quality helmet if they have not already done so, and to wear appropriate eye protection, footwear, gloves, and bright or reflective riding apparel.”

“Motorists too, need to play a larger role in motorcycle safety,” Darbelnet said. Approximately 50 percent all motorcycle crashes involve another vehicle, according to AAA.


AIR BAGS ON MOTORCYCLES SETTING A TREND As cyclist injuries and deaths increase, motorcycle makers are installing more safety features — such as making greater use of antilock brakes and adding air bags. Some people wonder how effective air bags will be, how much of a market exists, and how much they would save cycle owners on insurance.

Honda Motor Co. added air bags in June to its fully loaded Gold Wing, an 860-pound touring bike designed for distance driving in comfort and made near Marysville, Ohio. Honda began working on its air bag system in 1990 after determining that more than half of the motorcycle accidents that result in deaths or injuries occur when the front of the motorcycle strikes another vehicle or object. The cost of airbags adds about $1,500 on a $24,000 Gold Wing.

Yamaha Motor Corp., with U.S. headquarters in Cypress, Calif., is developing an air bag system and is using a scooter with air bags for research in Japan, according to the company's Web site.

Worldwide Riders, a Cheyenne, Wyo.-based motorcycle accessories company, sells vests with protective bladders that inflate as riders are being ejected from their motorcycles.

"The motorcycle manufacturers are engaging in a lot of R&D in the area of — some would call it safety, some would call it risk management," said Tom Lindsay, spokesman for the Ohio-based American Motorcyclist Association. "It's part of a trend."

Bob Hartwig, chief economist for the New York City-based Insurance Information Institute, said the insurance benefits of having motorcycle air bags probably would be small because the devices protect only the driver and only in frontal crashes. Air bags in cars protect drivers and passengers in front and side crashes.

Jake Balzer, an analyst with Guzman & Company, an investment banking firm, said there may be somewhat of a market for air bag-equipped motorcycles, but questioned whether Honda will sell that many unless states require motorcycles to have the devices.

Tim Buche, president of the Motorcycle Industry Council, said many motorcyclists love new features and will be attracted to air bags. But he said the market will determine whether the idea will spread. "If air bags are going to be successful, they are going to be available on other motorcycles," he said. "It remains to be seen."


GOLDEN STATE ENACTS R-O-W LEGISLATION “I decided to sign this bill after extensive consideration and thorough deliberation with proponents and opponents of this issue,” said California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in signing a bill to increase penalties against motorists convicted of a Right-of-Way violation that results in injury. “I remain committed to enhancing traffic safety in California.”

SB-1021, which was signed into law on September 30, imposes additional fines when a motorist is convicted of a traffic offense that causes "bodily injury" or "serious bodily injury" to another person. The new law also mandates that the California Driver's Handbook and the curriculum of traffic-violator schools include information about "respecting the right-of-way of others, particularly pedestrians, bicycle riders, and motorcycle riders."

The R-O-W bill was sponsored by Senator Debra Bowen (D-28) and co-sponsor Assembly Member Bonnie Garcia(R-80), worked with ABATE of California in successfully lobbying SB-1021 into law.

Sixteen states have now passed R-O-W Bills since Virginia passed the first such legislation three years ago, spearheaded by ABATE of Virginia and the Virginia Coalition of Motorcyclists (VCOM) founded by Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (AIM) Attorney Tom McGrath. They are: Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and now California.


CELEBRITY R-O-W By now you've probably read at least one report of Angelina Jolie's sideswiping of a motorcycle, and injuring the teenage girl passenger, as she supposedly fled the paparazzi in India where's she's shooting A Mighty Heart. But a version of the story from the local Indian media relays the firsthand accounts of both the accident victim and an eyewitness:

The student, Mittal Rawat (19), told Janwadi police and The Indian Express newspaper that; "Two vehicles were also proceeding towards the same direction and tried to overtake me. One of the vehicles brushed against my motorcycle and I fell down. Both the vehicles then sped away," he said. Eyewitness Nikhil George, a student, said the two vehicles had jumped the signal; "Soon after jumping the signal, one of the four-wheelers hit the motorcycle. The rider and a girl riding
pillion fell, but had a narrow escape," he said.

This Indian outlet's version of events exemplifies their apparent disinterest in milking the accident story because of a celebrity's involvement; while young Rawat's statement that "immediately following the incident, Jolie's vehicle pulled up beside me and my damaged motorcycle, rolled down a window, and she asked how old I was. When I told her 19, she said to the driver, 'No, he's way too old to take home to Maddy and Shiloh. Let's get out of here,' and they drove off. I'm not sure what she meant by that," would have set off a week of cover stories in the sensationalist American tabloid media, The Indian Express let it pass without further exploitation.

But NCOM News Bytes won’t.


CALIFORNIA GOES HANDS-FREE California lawmakers have joined New York and New Jersey in requiring drivers to use hands-free headsets, earbuds or speaker phones.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the ban on handheld cell phone use while driving, and the new law goes into effect in July 2008. Violators face a whopping $20 base penalty - local fees can be added in - that rises to $50 for subsequent offenses.


LAW OF NATURAL SELECTION: “2 Killed In Motorcycle Crash; Police Say Rider Was On Phone. On October 9, a man and his wife were killed when the motorcycle they were riding missed a curve and ran into a concrete median in Ellettsville, Indiana, and police report that the driver was simultaneously talking on a cell phone and operating the motorcycle when the crash happened. Neither was wearing a helmet.”

This newspaper report was sent to us by Tiger Mike Revere, State Director of ABATE of Oklahoma and member of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) board of directors. He has this to add as editorial:

“This is one heck of a shame, especially when so many of us are actively campaigning to reduce the number of motorcyclist deaths and injuries associated with OTHERS yakking on cell phones! We certainly don't need to contribute to these totals ourselves by violating the Law Of Natural Selection, which is always out there to weed out the stupid,” said Tiger Mike, adding “Of course, the idiot media had to address that they weren't wearing a helmet, but I don't think it would've mattered in this case. The most important piece of safety equipment that needed to be used wasn't, and that is what's UNDER the helmet, not the helmet itself!”


MONTANA FACES HELMET LAW THREAT In a request sent to NCOM News Bytes from AMA Chairman Dal Smilie; “The MT Head Injury group is having a state Senator draft a helmet bill. First one they have tried in Montana since the early '90s,” going on to explain that ABATE of Montana is an NCOM Member Group that may need assistance “since we have not had a helmet law in a long time. So, let the folks out there know.”

Glen Fengstad, one of the leaders of ABATE of Montana, and Vice Chairman of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) board of directors, reported during the 2006 NCOM Convention that “Montana was vulnerable, and it seems to be coming to pass. We have a new State Board, which seems to be very ‘gung-Ho’ and hopefully with guidance of Dal and myself and a few other ‘old hands’ we will again stave off this threat.”


IMPLEMENTING THE NATIONAL AGENDA FOR MOTORCYCLE SAFETY ImplementNAMS.org is a new website introduced by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation to focus on improving rider safety and to help stem the rise in motorcyclist crashes by implementing the National Agenda for Motorcycle Safety.

Released in November 2000 as a joint, two-year effort of NHTSA and the MSF, NAMS is a comprehensive blueprint and strategic vision for the future of motorcyclist safety. Intended to provide direction to the safety community for a decade or more, the plan addresses safety countermeasures on a variety of fronts. NAMS outlines 82 specific recommended actions to improve motorcyclist safety, categorized in five major areas: research and information, and human, social, vehicle and environmental factors.

The National Agenda for Motorcycle Safety was always intended to inspire the mobilization of efforts to promote and improve motorcycle safety on all levels. Dr. Sue Bailey, Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration referred to the NAMS document in her Forward Letter as "…a blueprint for the future."

The Administrator also mentioned in the NHTSA NAMS Forward Letter, "My challenge to you, the motorcycling and traffic safety communities is to take action on those parts of the National Agenda that you can support so the recommendations become reality and motorcycle safety is enhanced." She goes on to add, "I believe there is something in the National Agenda for Motorcycle Safety for everyone o work toward. The motorcycling and traffic safety communities must give it life."

The MSF has established a NAMS Grant Program available for those who wish to implement innovative projects based upon the recommendations provided in NAMS. This small-award grant program targets a broad range of grassroots efforts to improve motorcyclist safety. The grants, up to $10,000 each, may be used to jumpstart new programs or to support ongoing efforts that complement NAMS recommendations.


CELEBRITY BIKE BUILDER FACES DUI MANSLAUGHTER CHARGES IN FATAL ACCIDENT Billy Lane turned himself in to face DUI manslaughter charges, as Florida Highway Patrol spokeswoman Kim Miller said Lane’s blood alcohol level was .192, more than twice the state’s legal limit of .08, when the accident occurred on State Road A1A south of Melbourne Beach leaving a 56-year-old male moped rider dead.

The custom chopper builder was arrested on charges of driving under the influence manslaughter, driving with his license suspended and driving under the influence with serious bodily injuries stemming from the Sept. 4 accident that killed Gerald Vernon Morelock, a Sebastian Inlet park ranger who was killed in the head-on collision between his 1983 Yamaha moped and Lane’s Dodge Ram pickup when Lane attempted to pass several cars across a double yellow section of the two-lane highway, violating Morelock’s right-of-way and killing him instantly.

Lane was transported to the Brevard County Jail Complex where he was photographed and booked into the jail. He was released within 90 minutes on a $15,000 bond, officials said.

The deadly crash was also not the only run-in with traffic enforcement for the celebrity biker. Lane was recently cleared of drunken driving charges stemming from a June encounter with the North Carolina Highway Patrol who said Lane drove on the wrong side of a two-lane road without a helmet. Lane refused a breath test, which resulted in his license being suspended for a year.

Miller said having a revoked license should have kept Lane from behind the wheel but apparently wasn’t enough to keep Lane from driving again.


WEIRD NEWS: ANGRY DRUNK DRIVER RUNS HIMSELF OVER A drunk driver, who drove at a gang of bikers while waving a pool cue, ran himself over after getting out of his car. The 50-year-old was driving along Highway 4 near Concord, California, when he saw the bikers, many of whom were wearing leather and skull caps.

California Highway Patrol Officer Scott Yox told the San Francisco Chronicle the man waved a pool cue at the bikers and swerved his car towards them. The bikers split into two groups to get away and the irate driver aimed his car at two bikers who had pulled off the highway. He got out of his car with the pool cue - but before he could do anything, he was knocked down by his own car which had been left in reverse. The man was knocked into the highway and his car reversed into the center divider. Some of the bikers grabbed him and pulled him out of danger.

Authorities said they had no idea why Brooks reacted the way he did to the bikers, who kept calm and didn't retaliate. "We don't believe they went to fisticuffs with him," said Officer Yox. The man suffered cuts and scratches and was taken to a near by hospital. He could face charges of assault with a deadly weapon and drink driving.


WIERDER NEWS: SOBER BIKER RUNS HIMSELF OVER A 17-year-old youth allowed 408 vehicles go over his body in Orissa's Malkangiri district in India. Debraj Senapati, who practices martial arts, placed himself between two wooden slabs on a mud field and allowed the vehicles - 404 motorcycles and four cars - to run over his stomach one by one in 20 minutes in the presence of thousands of people on October 9th.

In the past, Senapati had allowed 70 vehicles - all motorcycles - to run over his body. He now plans to break the world record by allowing 500 motorcycles and five cars to run over his body.

"I aim to create a world record," Senapati was quoted as saying by a local newspaper.


QUOTABLE QUOTE: "For if men are to be precluded from offering their sentiments on a matter...reason is of no use to us...dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep, to the slaughter."
George Washington (1732-1799) Patriot and first President of the United States of America