News Bytes
-- even if you have never thought about road safety before -- to dive in to these data and help answer these important questions , especially on tough issues like pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities .” Interested organizations , companies and concerned citizens can download and analyze the data ( ftp :// ftp . nhtsa . dot . gov / fars / 2015 /) and share your insights at opendata @ dot . gov .
GEORGIA EXTENDS HANDLEBAR HEIGHT Affective July 1 , 2016 legislation in Georgia has modified the state ’ s handlebar height law to allow for taller bars . Signed into law by Governor Nathan Deal , House Bill 166 , the “ Motorcycle Mobility Safety Act ” increased the maximum measured height of a motorcycle ’ s handlebars from 15 inches above the seat to 25 inches . Georgia is among 30 states that limit the height of handlebars . Without a federal standard , the regulation of handlebars on motorcycles rests with the states . Currently , 11 states limit the height of handlebars to 15 inches above the saddle . Five others require the handlebars to be below the height of the shoulder . Last summer , South Dakota , which hosts the annual Sturgis Rally became the most recent state to repeal its shoulder level statute , legalizing so-called “ ape hangers ” just in time for the 75th annual rally . Discriminatory in nature , handlebar height laws have no impact on rider safety , and most were adopted by states decades ago to provide police with an excuse to pull over bikers on choppers .
VULNERABLE ROAD USERS COMPONENT ADDED TO ACT DRIVER ’ S LICENSE TESTS Young drivers in the Australian Capital Territory ( ACT ) around Canberra , Australia ’ s capital city , will have to be able to prove they can share the road safely with cyclists , motorcyclists and pedestrians before they ’ ll be granted a license , the ACT government has announced . People applying for learner permits or provisional licenses must
demonstrate they can drive around vulnerable road users or risk failing their test , the ACT ’ s Road safety Minister Shane Rattenbury told The Sydney Morning Herald . “ It ’ s really exciting that more and more Canberrans are choosing to walk and cycle around Canberra ,” he said . “ However , it ’ s important that we ensure that our road rules can accommodate all road users safely , and that all road users are aware of these rules .” Twenty extra questions will be added to the road rules knowledge test . Applicants must score 100 % on this section to gain their learner ’ s license . During their practical driving test , learners going for their “ Ps ” ( Provisional P1 license ) must demonstrate they can navigate roads with bicycle lanes and move through areas of slow traffic where motorcyclists may be lanefiltering . Applicants will be tested in areas frequented by cyclists and pedestrians , including shared zones , town centers , group centers , aged-care facilities and school zones .
DO YOU TRUST YOUR NEWS SOURCE ? When Gallup pollsters recently asked the question : “ How much trust and confidence do you have in the media ?” respondents cited “ Great Deal / Fair Amount ” by only 32 %, the lowest number on the subject in Gallup ’ s 34 year history . In contrast , the National Coalition of Motorcyclists ( NCOM ) has been disseminating timely and accurate motorcycle news and information for over three decades , and the AIM / NCOM Motorcycle E-News Service now reaches over a million motorcyclists across the country and around the globe with each monthly edition of NCOM Biker Newsbytes , Calls-To-Action , and important news releases of interest to ALL motorcyclists in the riding community . Concerned clubs , organizations and riders ’ rights activists are encouraged to subscribe to this free biker news service at www . ON- A-BIKE . com or by calling AIM / NCOM at 1- ( 800 ) ON-A-BIKE .
QUOTABLE QUOTE : “ The law will never make men free , it is men that have to make the law free .” ~ Henry David Thoreau ( 1817-1862 ) American naturalist , poet and philosopher www . thunderroadscolorado . com October 2016 Thunder Roads Magazine ® Colorado 31