The GUNNY'S SACK

April 2005 This might be old news to some, but some of you may not have heard of the passing of Simon Milward, let alone have known the man. I met Simon in 1993, at the big NCOM Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was one of the most dynamic people I have ever been in contact with.

The motorcycle community has lost another hero. He was an active member and leader in the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG UK) for many years and then went on to help found and grow the Federation of European Motorcyclists (FEM), working for many years at its headquarters in Brussels as its Secretary General.

He left FEM to travel around the world and raise funds for Doctors Without Borders, as well as another organization that purchased small displacement bikes for communities in third world countries. They need them to transport medicine and medical supplies to villages that are essentially inaccessible by any other sort of vehicle.

Simon had almost completed his round the world adventure when he was killed in a motorcycle accident in Africa. He had expected to be home sometime in October of this year, completing a four year odyssey.

He will be sorely missed by many around this planet and by me personally.
SIMPLIFIED SPRING SAFETY:

1) Getcher AIM card, AND... 2), get your very HIGH limits of your UM/UIM (uninsured and UNDER-insured motorist) insurance coverage on your bikes BEFORE you start riding regularly again. It's often pretty cheap, too. In most states, that HIGH UM on the bike will, under some circumstances, protect not just you, but members of your family who might be hurt someplace AWAY from the bike, but as a result of the negligence of an uninsured or under insured motorist. All of our AIM lawyers can tell you heartbreaking stories about how terrible it is to be in a wreck and not have the right insurance, or enough of it. Oh yeah, and 3), GET your bike and your attitude in SHAPE for riding, and DON'T wreck. That's advice from Gunny. If, god forbid there's a wreck, call AIM (Aid to Injured Motorcyclists), or your AIM lawyer, or use your own lawyer. BUT – if you don't use AIM, we recommend you check them out carefully, and make sure the lawyer you want devotes at least half of his or her practice to personal injury, AND that they can tell you with a straight face that they've represented a LOT of injured bikers.

Sam Hochberg is our Oregon Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (AIM) attorney, and he knows his onions when it comes to spanking those badly needed shekels from the insurance companies. The number to call is 1-800-ON-A-BIKE nationwide 24/7.

NEWSBITS 'N' PIECES:

NASTY NEWS from NHTSA: The following is from a press release from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), regarding the NEW TREND identified in fatal accidents. Read on for a surprise. But remember, most of this is NHTSA talking, not your Gunny. I've just added a little emphasis here ‘n there:

Motorcycles are the most dangerous type of motor vehicle to drive. These vehicles are involved in fatal crashes at a rate of 35.0 per 100 million miles of travel, compared with a rate of 1.7 per 100 million miles of travel for passenger cars.

NHTSA has reported increasing numbers of motorcycle deaths associated with alcohol-impaired driving in recent years, especially among persons aged 40+ years.

The Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for 1983, 1993, and 2003 and found that the overall prevalence of elevated blood alcohol concentrations (BAC's) among motorcycle drivers who died in crashes declined; however, the peak rate of death among alcohol-impaired motorcycle drivers shifted from those aged 20-24 years to those aged 40-44 years. Among alcohol-impaired motorcycle drivers, the mortality rate was highest among persons aged 20--24 years in 1983 and among persons aged 40-44 years in 2003. In 1983, 8.2% of Alcohol-impaired, fatally injured motorcycle drivers were aged 40 years; by 2003, 48.2% of such drivers were in this age group.

Sales of new on-road motorcycles increased substantially from 1997 through 2003, from 247,000 to 648,000 units. This increase coincided with a 69.8% increase in the number of motorcyclist traffic fatalities during that period, from 2,116 in 1997 to 3,592 in 2003. The increased number of motorcycles on the road probably contributed to the increase in the motorcycle mortality rate during 1993-2003. So, the mortality rate increase has been restricted to OLDER motorcycle riders!

I left this release basically unchanged because it points out in, my mind, that NHTSA has done little to attempt to educate folks as to how these problems might be avoided except to say motorcycle travel is dangerous. Not a word about educating riders or the general public. Yes, they're involved with safety issues, but it's mostly from the manufacturers' perspective, not enough the rider's. I'm appalled that a governmental agency has the brass to condemn any mode of travel.

RED RIVER, N.M.: Bikers from ABATE of Colorado intend to boycott the Red River Rally because of deaths in their group from last year due to an accident. The crash was caused by a 15 year old boy who should not have been driving to begin with.

JAPAN: Don't piss off your neighbor with too much noise. A middle-aged man in Japan slashed an 18 year-old biker across the face and neck, leaving the kid seriously injured, all because the boy was making too much noise on his motorcycle. This nutcase said he warned the kid about the racket. I guess that makes it okay. He figured if he hurt him he would stop riding around the apartment complex.

MEDIA BLASTS MOTORCYCLISTS: Brian Dickerson, of the Detroit Free Press, is the latest to call for motorcyclists to be de-facto organ donors. What's worse, he suggests that injured bikers not be given medical treatment at all. This writer is either completely brain dead himself, or thoroughly brainwashed by the safetycrats about motorcycles. Maybe he's been showering too much – I once heard that there are more head injuries in the bathroom than there are on motorcycles – better tell this fellow to wear a helmet while he's in the shower. In serious injury cases, he says, bikers should automatically be classed as organ donors with the organs harvested as quickly as is possible, so people waiting should not be kept waiting. He doesn't stop there. He lumps bikers in with the right to die groups and links us to Dr. Kevorkian and the recent Terri Schiavo situation. You can reach this squirrel on the net by dialing up: dickerson@freepress.com Needless to say, I had a word or three for him.

This isn't the first time stupidity has arisen from the press about us. Just last September, Chicago Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg characterized riders as organ donors in a column headlined "Hop on a motorcycle, fill out your donor card." And, because of the tremendous response by all of us, he eventually admitted in print that he spoke without facts. But by suggesting that injured motorcyclists be left to die, this Dickerson has really reached the bottom of the barrel.

E-BAY LEADS COPS TO SCOOTER CHOP-SHOP: From the Tampa Tribune comes this tidbit. Stolen bikes were found, along with lots of parts awaiting distribution, in an upscale area of Tampa, in rented garages. It all unraveled when a victim saw his OWN SCOOT up for auction on E-Bay, the internet auction site, and he reported it.

MICHIGAN RIDERS UNLICENSED? A 2004 study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) has found that 44% of bikers involved in a crash are not legally licensed to operate a motorcycle. In Michigan, like in most places, a valid license is required to get insurance coverage. This means that an awful lot of these riders are also uninsured. Now, THIS is scary, folks. Please, go get your endorsements, and if you've ridden for a hundred years but never taken a rider ed course, do it now.