News Bytes
Naturalistic Study is now completed, and preliminary results
are being shared at various transportation safety venues
around the world.
The MSF partnered with the Virginia Tech Transportation
Institute on this world’s first, large-scale, naturalistic motorcycle
riding study. The 3.5-year study began by collecting data
from instruments installed on motorcycles owned by study
participants as the bikes were ridden in normal day-to-day use.
Sensors and video cameras recorded all motorcycle operator
inputs such as steering, acceleration, braking and lean, as
well as recording all motions of the motorcycle, current riding
conditions and the actions of surrounding traffic. The motorcycle
instrumentation was designed to be as inconspicuous as
possible, so that participant-riders would forget their rides
were being monitored.
“The MSF 100 study is being conducted to support motorcycle
safety research, with particular emphasis on results that offer
ongoing guidance in rider training,” said MSF’s Director of Quality
Assurance and Research, Dr. Sherry Williams. “The study utilizes
a naturalistic methodology that provided researchers with
information captured by instruments installed on one-hundred
motorcycles ridden for a combined nine-thousand-plus hours
by real riders in real riding conditions.”
The MSF 100 Study, which tracked participants in Virginia,
California, Florida and Arizona, is expected to be a rich
source of insight for years to come on a wide range of
questions and points of interest for an international array
of safety professionals generally, but riders and rider safety
professionals specifically.
All 100 riders on their equipped motorcycles have completed
the data acquisition phase of the study, and the analysis
phase is now yielding preliminary results.
NSW AUSTRALIA LEGALIZES LANE FILTERING
This summer the state government of New South Wales
legalized lane filtering, which allows motorcyclists to legally
ride between two lanes when traffic is stationary or slow
moving. The idea behind legalizing lane filtering was to
reduce traffic congestion and queuing at intersections.
There are strict conditions attached, which include heavy
fines and three demerit points for motorcyclists caught
moving between traffic at more than 30 kilometers/hour,
under a new offense called lane splitting. It is also illegal for
motorcyclists to lane filter next to a curb, next to parked cars
or in school zones.
Police say that early indicators show the new legislation is
working, but many motorists are still unaware of the new
rules. Other road users (motorists, cyclists and pedestrians)
are advised by the Roads and Maritime to “check twice” for
motorcyclists and follow regular road rules.
owners was 45 years old in 2012 -- having risen from 33
years in 1990, 38 years in 1998 and 41 years in 2009.
Statistics show that the median income for motorcyclists in
the Golden State was $64,130 in 2012, more than double
what it was in 1990. More than 60% reported their annual
household incomes at over $50,000, with almost 20%
reporting incomes of over $100,000. Almost three quarters
of them were employed. About 14% were retired.
BIKER PROFILING
New demographics prepared by the Motorcycle Industry
Council (MIC) show the median age of California motorcycle
QUOTABLE QUOTE: “Liberty is the right to choose.
Freedom is the result of that choice.”
~ Pierre-Jules Renard (1864-1910) French author
www.thunderroadscolorado.com
CALIFORNIA SIDE X SIDES UNDER NEW JURISDICTION
Good news for offroaders as ABATE of California Lobbyist
James Lombardo has announced that AB 988 was signed
into law by Governor Jerry Brown on August 25th.
AB 988 is Assemblyman Brian Jones’ bill that puts Side X
Sides (Rhinos, Razors, etc) under the jurisdiction of the
new Motor Vehicle Board and as such will allow Side X Side
owners with grievances to take those grievances to a nonbinding arbitration hearing instead of having to spend money
on hiring an attorney to represent them.
ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLES TO HELP REDUCE
AIR POLLUTION IN IRAN
Nearly half a million electric motorcycles will be manufactured
to help reduce Iran’s Tehran Air Pollution.
The Iran Fuel Conservation Company (IFcC) has a plan to get
400,000 motorcycles that use gasoline off the road and to
replace them with 400,000 electric motorcycles, saying, “Due to
incomplete combustion, some motorcycles pollute the air four
times as much as automobiles. A manufacturer will receive
$300 for each electric motorbike it produces and sells.
Once the plan is implemented, only electric motorcycles will
be allowed on the streets of central Tehran.
WEIRD NEWS: MOTORCYCLE-RIDING VIGILANTE
SERVES DIRTY JUSTICE
Beware litterbugs; a vigilante female biker, fed up with people
brazenly tossing trash out of their vehicles, is seeking street justice.
Wearing a GoPro camera on her helmet, she rides her
motorcycle up to drivers who just can’t be bothered to find a
trash can and knocks on the window. What happens next in
a video gone viral is a beautiful victory for everyone who has
ever felt that little twinge of anger while watching someone
lazily toss a full bag of fast food trash onto the pavement...
she chucks garbage right back at the offenders before
speeding away on her motorcycle!
Shot somewhere in Russia, immediately after the video
was uploaded it skyrocketed to the top of Reddit.com with
more than half-a-million views in 24 hours; a sweet vision of
revenge for all those people who can’t stand littering.
October 2014
Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado 33