Press Releases, News & Notes
June, 1998

CONGRESS APPROVES HIGHWAY BILL... MOTORCYCLIST WIN AGAIN

Congress has passed the new federal highway reauthonzation bill, and motorcyclists have come out big winners in the multi-billion dollar transportation package. On Friday, May 22, the U S. Senate and House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the final Conference Committee report on the ISTEA reauthorization bill, renamed the Transportation Equity Act for the Twenty First Century vhich includes all of the major items that motorcyclists have been lobbying for over the past two years includes motorcycles in the future development of Intelligent transportation System (lTS) technology, prohibits lobbying efforts by the Nation Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on such issues as helmet laws; amencs NHTSA's mission statement to include "accident prevention" ensures that motorcycles are guaranteed access on any and all roads built with the use of federal highway funds; and provides future funding for recreational trails development and maintenance. Congratulations to every motorcyclist who visited or contacted their federal representatives in these issues, and we urge all concerned riders to write members of Congress and thank them for including all these pro-motorcycle provisions in the final version of the bill.

PENNSYLVANIA TO INTRODUCE BIKER ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LEGISLATION

Representative David Argall, Vice Chairman of the House State Government Committee, has announced his intention to introduce legislation which would prohibit discrimination against Pennsylvania motorcyclists relative to employment, public accommodation and housing The proposed legislation would include "motorcycle ownership or operation or the wearing of clothing associated with motorcycle operation or ownership except when such clothing is obscene" to "race, color, religious creed, ancestry, handicap or disability, age sex, national origin or use of support animals" as the identification of persons against which discrimination would be prohibited under Pennsylvania's Human Relations Act

ABATE of Pennsylvania lobbyist, Bruce Johnson, applauded the Argall initiative "Unfortunate as it may seem, Pennsylvania bikers have often found themselves the targets of wanton attempts to restrict their access to jobs, certain restaurants and taverns and housing simply because prospective employers proprietors and landlords have harbored unwarranted prejudice against motorcyclists based on a mythical negative stereotype no less insidious than other manifestations of blatant bigotry. The Argall legislation is long overdue"

INSURANCE INDUSTRY PUBLICATION LABELS BIKERS "ORGAN DONORS'

Mythicized in films like Easy Rider, motorcycIes are American icons. Think open roads, black leather, freedom. Now picture ruined brains harvested organs, unpaid hospital bills Arkansas, Kentucky and Texas are certain to face these gory issues now that legislators will allow adult motorcyclists to ride without helmets. With a green light from Congress, these states have repealed their universal helmet laws," so reports the Insurance Industry publication "Status Report" where the April cover story features a biker wearing a bandanna emblazoned with the words "ORGAN DONOR " . Published by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIMS), an insurance industry sponsored organization, the article goes on to restate most of the flawed pro-helmet statistics from NHTSA such as, "Weak laws lead to deaths. injuries helmets reduce the risk of death in a motorcycle crash by about one-third overall and the risk of fatal head injury by 40 percent, estimates the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And unhelmeted motorcyclists are three times more likely to suffer traumatic brain injuries in a crash than helmeted riders." Unfortunately, as the old saying goes, if you repeat a falsehood enough times, it becomes the truth. In this case, the publication "Status Report" spouts its gospel to virtually every insuranre cornpany and insurance-related professional in the country. Is it any wonder why the insurance industry has become one of our worst enemies?