NEW U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY LOVES TO RIDE Mary E. Peters, the new U.S. Transportation Secretary, recently visited the Harley-Davidson plant in Milwaukee and talked about the “alarming rise” in motorcyclist fatalities. Peters is an ardent motorcyclist who will “never, ever ride without a helmet," but she does not, however, think that the federal government should order mandatory helmet use.

"We don't believe that it's up to the federal government to mandate helmets," she said, adding that was something for the individual states to decide. She urged motorcyclists to wear helmets and protective gear, drive sober and take classes on safe motorcycling.

"Cyclists have a lot of responsibility to take care of themselves," she said, but added that motorists also have to do a better job of sharing the road with motorcycles. Peters commended Harley-Davidson Inc. for its efforts in motorcycle safety programs and cycle maintenance.

On Sept. 30, the U.S. Senate confirmed Peters' appointment, and the Harley-Davidson tour was her first public event since she was sworn in. Nicole Nason, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, also took the tour. They visited what is called Harley-Davidson University, where the 660 Harley dealerships nationwide learn how better to service the vehicles.


LAUTENBERG TO CHAIR TRANSPORTATION SUBCOMMITTEE The new Democratically controlled U.S. Senate has reassigned committees and New Jersey Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg will be chairman of a transportation subcommittee when the new Congress convenes in January. Lautenberg will head the Transportation Safety, Infrastructure Security and Water Quality Subcommittee, and among the issues his panel will deal with is motorcycle safety.

Lautenberg has a long history of supporting helmet laws. In 1991 he worked to insert language in a highway bill that created a nationwide helmet mandate that was removed in 1995 by the Republican controlled Congress after much lobbying by bikers across the country. In May of last year, Lautenberg attempted to reinstate the federal helmet law by amending the transportation reauthorization bill (SAFE-TEA), but his amendment was defeated by a vote of 28 to 69.

Lautenberg again raised the ire of motorcyclists across the country this summer by sending a personal letter to all 50 governors praising the benefits of helmet laws and suggesting that such legislation may be introduced in the U.S. Senate in the near future.


MRO LEADER ELECTED TO PUBLIC OFFICE Former ABATE of Oregon State Coordinator Joe Laurance was elected to Douglas County Commissioner position 2 on Tuesday night. Laurance won with 53% of the vote against a well-known local businessman.

“In a phone conversation with Joe he credited ABATE and BikePAC membership for the skills and desire to run and win an elected office,” said Ken Ray, Executive Director of BikePAC of Oregon.

Laurance was State Coordinator of ABATE for two years, and is a member of BikePAC of Oregon. He also traveled to Washington DC to lobby on behalf of Oregon during the formation of the current highway funding statute. “Joe has been a participant in MRF conferences and NCOM conferences and proudly labels himself a biker as well as commissioner-elect,” said Ray. County Commissioner-elect Laurance said will continue to work for motorcyclist’s interests not only in Douglas County, but also at the State and Federal levels.

The National Coalition of Motorcyclists supports motorcyclists who run for public office through NCOM Freedom Fund contributions, mentoring from NCOM Legislative Task Force legislators and lobbyists and instructional literature such as “How To Get Elected To Public Office,” written by New Hampshire State Representative Sherman Packard, one of the first bikers in the country elected to the legislature.


CARB WANTS TO TEST MOTORCYCLES The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has submitted a proposal to expand the state’s vehicle inspection and maintenance (I/M) program in part by subjecting high-mileage vehicles to annual inspections and including motorcycles for the first time. The CARB proposal was included in a draft state plan to achieve federal pollution standards.

CARB also intends to tighten new motorcycle exhaust and evaporative emissions standards by an additional 50 percent beginning with the 2013 model year. The Federal EPA used the current CARB standards as a basis for establishing stricter new emissions regulations that went into effect with the 2006 model year motorcycles with further reductions taking effect in 2010.


POKER RUNS UNDER SCRUTINY ”’Poker Runs' for charity (such as those staged by motorcycle or car clubs) amount to illegal gambling under Arizona Law,” states a pamphlet issued by the Arizona Gaming Department. “50/50 drawings or raffles, where the funds raised are split 50-50 between the fund-raisers and the winner, are also illegal gambling.

Bobbi Hartman, a lobbyist for ABATE of Arizona and member of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) Legislative Task Force, told NCOM News Bytes that “We were recently made aware that our Motorcycle Poker Runs, 50/50's and like Raffles, were being closely scrutinized by the Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG). It was thought that this was due to "new" gambling laws in the state of Arizona passed under Prop 202 back in 2003 giving Native Americans 'exclusive rights' to gambling.”

Motorcyclists should be aware that similar restrictions have already arisen in Texas and New Mexico, and this situation was a topic of discussion at the recent NCOM Regional Meeting in Albuquerque. For direction on how to legally conduct poker runs and raffles, visit the www.azag.gov/consumer/gambling/statutes.html or www.azgaming.gov, but in short you cannot charge for a poker run and any monies received must either be donations or charges for food, beverages, etc. As for 50/50 or raffles, if your club, organization or association is not a 501 and/or you are not doing it for a charitable organization, you cannot legally conduct a raffle.


FLORIDA BIKERS WANT HARSHER PENALTIES IN FATAL ACCIDENTS The streets that lead to Daytona Beach are lined with spots where motorcycle enthusiasts have lost their lives. Some of the dead during past Bike Weeks and Biketoberfests were at fault, unwisely mixing alcohol and speed. Others, like Jody Driggers, were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

His death stands out, biker-rights activists say, because he was doing no more than sitting at a stoplight on International Speedway Boulevard when he was hit from behind by a sport utility vehicle. "I remember that case," said James "Doc" Reichenbach II, president of ABATE of Florida and chairman of the board for the National Coalition of Motorcyclists. "I'm tired of going to funerals."

Motorcycle advocates look at fatality and injury statistics and see a pattern. In too many cases, they say, at-fault drivers of cars or trucks involved in fatal crashes with motorcycles received nothing more than a slap on the wrist. They chafe at laws that require evidence of malicious intent or extreme recklessness before criminal charges can be filed. Advocates say that should change. They want criminal penalties to apply and they've collected thousands of signatures nationwide, pushing Congress and state legislatures to enact their goals into law.

Reichenbach’s group is trying to stiffen penalties for motorists who cause a biker's death by violating their right of way. He acknowledges that one reason those who have fatal crashes with motorcycles are not treated more harshly is because of the social stigmas attached to the biker culture. "The lifestyle has carried such an image over the years," he told the News Journal. "People say 'whatever,' because you've got hair down the middle of your back. These are just solid citizens who care about their state and their country. We're mothers, fathers, patriots. All we want is to be treated like everybody else."


COMING TO A THEATER NEAR YOU Bikers who were hired as extras in the movie “Wild Hogs” say that their prized Harley-Davidson motorcycles were damaged during filming. The damage occurred in the village of La Cienega while the production was filming an explosion at a biker bar.

Ronnie Baca, one of the extras, says that about ten motorcycles, including his, were damaged. The production company cut him a check for $3,200, but Baca says that won’t do it. “That’s not what my bike is valued at,” he says, adding that it “will probably be twice as much as that.”

The production company says that the matter is not finished and it is working with an insurance company to come up with an equitable settlement.


WEIRD NEWS: AUSSIE BIKERS RIDE NUDE TO GET YOUR ATTENTION SEX? Now the Motorcycle Council of New South Wales has your attention. Stripped for action, the Australian bikers set out on their 'now notice us' ride.

The number of motorcycles and scooters on Sydney's streets is increasing as motorists look for ways to avoid high fuel prices and congestion. Sick of being ignored by Sydney drivers, motorcyclists are hitting back with a publicity campaign featuring nude riders and the slogan: "Come on, what do we have to do to get you to look twice?"

Photographs and a video being submitted to television stations as a community service announcement during Motorcycle Awareness Week, Oct 28 - Nov 5, show motorcyclists riding naked through the streets of Sydney, puzzling passers-by.

The motorcyclists are men and women of different shapes and sizes to highlight that riders come from all walks of life. Guy Stanford, chairman of the MCC of NSW, said it was a lighthearted approach to a serious issue. "We hope that people have a good laugh at our expense but also see how vulnerable motorcyclists can be on the road and remember to look twice, particularly at intersections," he said. View a sample video at http://media.smh.com.au/?rid=23063&sy=smh&source=undefined.


PARISIAN BIKERS DECLARED FILTHY The mayor of Paris has been declared anti-motorcycle, as he and his council have been plotting for years on how to get rid of motorcycles in the French capital. Mayor Bertrand Delanoe has recently been quoted as stating; "motorcycles pollute between 3 and 122 times more than cars!"

In recognition of this he has decided that on high pollution days, when cars can only come into the capital city on alternate days (determined by the last digit of their license plate - odd or even), that motorcycles will need to follow the same rule. In the past, motorcycles were exempt.


PAKISTANI GOVERNMENT BANS MOTORCYCLE RENTALS In order to control growing street crime in the former capital city of Karachi, Pakistan the Sindh government decided to ban all motorcycle rental shops immediately.

Sindh Transport Minister, Muhammad Adil Siddiqui, ordered the Home Secretary and national law enforcement to take stern action. The minister said it was observed that anti-social elements were using rented motorbikes in robberies and street crimes. He hoped that by banning motorcycle rental, the cases of mobile phone snatching and others crimes would decline.

Adil directed police to take stern action against the violators of traffic rules and show no leniency.


PHILIPPINE POLICE PHOTOGRAPH BIKERS People intending to travel by motorcycle on Makati’s roads should be ready to say "cheese" in front of a digital camera, though some may frown at having their photo taken for police records. Police in the country’s financial capital are now implementing a new scheme that would involve taking photographs of men and women on motorcycles, according to The Philippine Star newspaper.

Senior Superintendent Gilbert Cruz, Makati City’s newly-installed chief of police, said his pet project hopes to prevent street crimes in the locality by making people think twice before committing crimes, knowing that their pictures have been taken.

Cruz said Mayor Jejomar Binay has provided them with 11 digital cameras, which are now being used by various police units patrolling the city. "We came up with this scheme to prevent crimes committed by motorcycle-riding men in Makati City," he told The Star. "We are doing this because most criminals can afford to buy second-hand motorcycles, which they usually abandon after a heist.

Chief Inspector Alex Fulgar, operations chief of the Makati City Police Department, said Oplan Photo Sita appears to be working since no crime perpetrated by motorcycle-riding suspects have been recorded since Cruz took over and implemented the scheme.


BIKERS’ TURN FOR URINE TESTING Police in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia will be conducting random urine tests on motorcyclists in the ongoing Ops Sikap XI traffic operation. Due to concerns over the high number of motorcyclists killed in traffic accidents, federal traffic chief Sen Asst Comm (II) Nooryah Md Anvar has put out the order to state police contingents to begin the checks immediately.

“It worked when we implemented it for bus drivers; with word going around they became more careful. Since it has worked with bus drivers, we are hoping it will have the same effect on motorcyclists.”


QUOTABLE QUOTE: “Many of the supporters of repealing the helmet laws are very effective. They are very well educated and well-funded. And they have a single issue. They present this not as a safety issue, but as a matter of state’s rights and individual freedom. They are very good. I wish they were on our side.”
Linda Cosgrove, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), in an interview with Scripps Howard News Service, May 25, 2006