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Motorcycle Riders Foundation
Call to Action
May
2, 2008
Secretary Mary Peters officially rang in May as
motorcycle safety month.Thursday morning in
Washington DC
with an official event at the base of the US
Capitol, the Motorcycle
Riders Foundation reports. Alongside her
were the chairs of the US House Motorcycle
Safety Caucus Reps Burgess (R-TX) and Giffords
(D-AZ). There were a few different types of
motorcycles on hand to make for a nice photo op.
However due to a one-two punch of a driving rain
and urgent votes on the House floor, the event
was
cut short.
The message to motorists was clear though even
if the skies were not, May is the beginning of
the riding season for a good portion of the
country and many motorists are still groggy from
the long winter and not used to seeing
motorcyclists out on the road. Therefore start
talking about motorcycles and getting the word
out to share the road. Another message was clear
too; motorcycles are here to stay and with gas
prices and the state of the economy expect to
see more two wheelers everyday.
Michael Burgess
had some of the best quotes though, as he shared
some stories of his first $300 motorcycle as a
youngster and how much he enjoyed the freedom.
"I love the sound of a motorcycle in the
morning, it sounds like freedom!" said the
congressman. He also had some advice on riding
safe. "As a medical doctor and as a
motorcyclist, you do not want to be involved in
a motorcycle crash of any kind." We at the MRF
could not agree more on both counts with the
Congressman.
Secretary Mary Peters had her prop helmet on
hand that was damaged in a collision a few years
ago with her riding partner who also happens to
be her husband. She proclaimed May as Motorcycle
Safety Month and then
extolled the virtues of the 2010 funds, and the
Motorcycle Advisory Council. She then gave a
short commercial for her proposed legislation to
raid the 2010 SAFE TEA LU funds defending her
position saying she's not for helmet
requirement, just helmet use promotion.
Gabrielle Giffords
arrived in a fancy alpinestars-esque leather
riding jacket lending an atmosphere of
motorcycle cool to the event. She mentioned her
House Resolution (HRes 339) that supports the
goals of a motorcycle safety month. That
resolution is likely to be passed by the US
House in the next few weeks. The MRF will keep
you informed on that legislation.
Representative Giffords
owns 3 motorcycles so she can wear that leather
just about any where.
You should be familiar with Representatives
Burgess and Giffords as the two of them just
happen to be the lead sponsors on the HIPAA
loophole fix legislation in the House (HR 1076).
Burgess made some extensive remarks about the
bill saying its "high time to close this
loophole once and for all".
The MSF and AMA also gave some brief remarks and
the MIC did a fantastic job of organizing and
coordinating a top notch event.
May 5, 2008
MOTORCYCLE AWARENESS
MONTH EXTENDS TO OUR ARMED FORCES
Washington, D.C.—Motorcycle safety issues have
aroused the armed forces to take a proactive
approach in educating their men and women in
uniform. In honor of motorcycle awareness
month, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation attended
the second annual National Capital Region Joint
Service Motorcycle Safety Event this past Friday
at the Pentagon.
The two-day educational event is a measure by
the D.O.D. to address the number of fatalities
that have occurred in the past year. All
branches of the military are facing a challenge
with the increase of motorcyclists gearing up
and hitting the roads. MG James Nutall, Deputy
Director of the Army National Guard, stated that
the military is facing an issue that they are
working to contain to help keep riders safe
stating they are dealing with men and women
returning from combat some of whom have come
home with an invincibility complex. The armed
forces require all active military personnel to
take a rider education course and wear more
personal protective equipment then most state
laws require yet they are still experiencing an
increasing trend of fatalities. Some of which is
accounted
for by the sharp increase of readership.
Ceremonies were kicked off with hundreds of
military and civilian motorcyclists gathered to
increase rider education and awareness.
Transportation Secretary, Mary Peters was on
hand to speak at the event. Though
legislation did not go unmentioned in her speech
(see
08LR09-Leaders Report-May), we commend the
Secretary for addressing the military's
motorcycle fatality increase. We hope she can
put some substantial resources into the
countries servicemen and women by working with
the D.O.D. to reverse this trend.
After opening remarks were concluded by the
speakers, the event moved onto a ribbon cutting
ceremony on the Army's new mobile motorcycle
simulator trailer that will be used to visit
military bases across the country as an
additional resource to the motorcycle training
program. The Pentagon parking lots was stocked
with vendors set up displaying different types
of safety equipment as well as different
organizations promoting rider educations
courses.
The highlight of the days activities were the
opportunity for riders to participate in a
motorcycle rodeo as well as a skills
demonstration by the Pentagon Motorcycle
Police. The two day event was wrapped on
Saturday with a few morning activities as well
as a rally ride. Overall, the Joint services
presented a variety of outlets and activities to
help celebrate with the men and women of the
armed forces the different aspects of motorcycle
safety.
 
A.B.A.T.E. of Michigan Inc.
P.O. Box 309
Milford, Michigan
48381-0309
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