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Missouri Helmet Law
Missourians who are old enough to legally drink alcohol also could ride a motorcycle without a helmet under a bill passed by the House.
The
bill repealing Missouri's mandatory helmet law for those 21 and older now heads to the Senate.
Supporters say wearing a helmet should be a matter of personal choice, not law.
Opponents say severe head injuries cost many other people through higher insurance rates,
free care provided by hospitals for some people without insurance, and government expenditures to treat victims covered by Medicare and Medicaid.
The House approved the
bill 96-43. Gov. Mel Carnahan vetoed a similar bill in 1999. Other proposals have failed in the Legislature, before and after that.
Not wearing a helmet currently can result in a $25 fine.
High Handlebars in California
The California Judicial Council recently declared a high handlebar citation (27801 (b)) to be NON-CORRECTABLE and worth a POINT on your driving
record.
Existing law prohibits a person from driving a 2-wheel motorcycle that is equipped with handlebars so positioned that the hands of the driver, when upon the
grips, are at or above his or her shoulder height when sitting astride the seat.
Helmet Law Repeal would boost Michigan Economy
As states face budget constraints and financial challenges, a study commissioned by bikers suggests that weakened helmet requirements could kick-start
the economy.
The study done for ABATE of Michigan by Jake Miklojcik, who owns Lansing-based Michigan Consultants, suggests the state could collect $40 million in new sales
and income taxes by joining the 31 other states that have eased or repealed mandatory helmet laws.
The financial windfall would be the result of an estimated 20 percent
increase in motorcycle sales; the addition of hundreds of jobs to the state's motorcycle industry; and a boost in tourism spending by bikers who now avoid Michigan and its
helmet law.
Michigan's House of Representatives voted in 2002 to repeal the law, but the measure died in the Senate.
Now, bills allowing motorcyclists 21 and
older to ride without helmets if they have completed safety training are pending in the House and Senate transportation
committees.
The House has enough votes to end
the mandatory helmet law and repeal is "pretty close" in the Senate, said state Rep. Leon Drolet, adding that a vote could come before the Legislature's summer
recess. "If the economic study is accurate, it would be another reason to support the bill," said Drolet.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Report
Newly released traffic fatality figures reveal that there were 43,220 deaths on U.S. roads in 2003, an increase from 42,815 in 2002 and the highest
number since 1990, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
While passenger cars, vans and light trucks experienced a decrease in fatal accidents,
large trucks, SUV's and motorcycles showed increased involvement in fatalities.
The preliminary report from NHTSA, released on April 28, 2004, indicates that
motorcycle-related deaths are up 11 percent for 2003 with 3,592 motorcyclists killed, compared to the previous year when 3,244 riders died in 2002.
Increases in
registrations and miles travelled were not taken into account when computing the data. Bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities were also down.
Louisiana Senate approves bill to reinstate motorcycle helmet law
The Louisiana Senate overwhelmingly agreed to reinstate the motorcycle helmet law, removing compromise language that would have allowed certain
motorcyclists to ride without helmets and sending to the House a bill it already rejected.
Sen. Joel Chaisson, D-Destrehan, pleaded with senators to keep his bill intact,
with language allowing motorcyclists who are 21 or older to ride without helmets if they take an approved safety course and obtain the proper driver's license.
But the
Senate refused, and lawmakers argued that helmets would save lives and save the state money from paying for the treatment of costly injuries that could have been reduced with a
helmet.
"It's only consistent with the law that says when you get in a car, you must wear a seatbelt," said Sen. Rob Marionneaux, D-Livonia, who sponsored
the changes to require all motorcycle riders to wear a helmet.
Marionneaux's amendment was approved 26-11. The bill was approved 30-9 and sent to the House, where a
similar bill fell eight votes short of what it needed to pass on the House floor earlier this session.
BIKERS MAKE HISTORY AT 2004 NCOM CONVENTION
The air of the Oklahoma City Metro Area reverberated May 6-8, 2004 with the thunder of motorcycles and trikes of all types as riders converged on the
Biltmore
Hotel, I-40 and Meridian Ave. in western Oklahoma City for the 19th Annual National Coalition Of Motorcyclists Convention. The NCOM Convention, which was co-hosted
this year by ABATE of Oklahoma and the
Oklahoma Confederation of Clubs represented an opportunity for motorcyclists of every background to get together in an atmosphere of
unity and cooperation, and focus on issues common to and threats facing all motorcyclists worldwide.
Over 1,300 motorcyclists and trikers attended the Convention, one of
the largest totals in the Convention's
history, and conventioneers represented almost all major patch holding motorcycle clubs, as well as a wide array of
motorcycling-oriented organizations and associations, including a majority of State Motorcyclists' Rights Organizations across the country.
The NCOM Convention
featured educational seminars covering such diverse topics as Biker Civil Liberties post-9/11 and the USA PATRIOT ACT threat, combating Anti-Biker Discrimination, Christian
Motorcycle Club unity, Women in Motorcycling, and a host of other legislative, judicial, and lifestyle issues.
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