News Bytes
THE AIM / NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS SERVICE is brought to you by Aid to Injured Motorcyclists( A. I. M.) and the National Coalition of Motorcyclists( NCOM), and is sponsored by the Law Offices of Richard M. Lester. If you’ ve been involved in any kind of accident, call us at 1-( 800) ON-A-BIKE or visit www. ON-A-BIKE. com.
NCOM BIKER NEWSBYTES Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish, National Coalition of Motorcyclists( NCOM)
NCOM CONVENTION HONORS FALLEN RIDERS; INVITES NAMES FOR TRIBUTE With the 31st Annual NCOM Convention in Atlantic City just weeks away, the National Coalition of Motorcyclists is requesting that MROs, motorcycle clubs, and riding associations submit the names of those members and supporters who have died since May 2015, so that we may honor their memories during the traditional“ Ringing of the Bell” tribute to fallen riders during the opening ceremonies. Dedications can be hand-delivered at the Convention to“ Doc” Reichenbach, NCOM Chairman of the Board, or e-mailed in advance to Bill Bish at NCOMBish @ aol. com. Attendees are also encouraged to bring an item on behalf of their organization for the Freedom Fund Auction, with proceeds benefiting the motorcyclists’ rights movement nationwide through Getting Our People Elected donations, NCOM Speaker Program, lobbying activities and other pro-motorcycling projects as determined by the NCOM Board of Directors. The 31st annual NCOM Convention will be held Mother’ s Day weekend, May 5-8, 2016 at Harrah’ s Resort, located at 777 Harrah’ s Blvd in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This annual gathering will draw bikers’ rights activists from across the country to discuss topics of concern to all riders, so reserve your room now for the special NCOM rate of $ 109 by calling( 888) 516-2215. Registration fees for the NCOM Convention are $ 80 including the Silver Spoke Awards Banquet on Saturday night, or $ 45 for the Convention only. All motorcyclists are welcome and encouraged to attend. Meetings, seminars and group discussions will focus on legislative efforts and litigation techniques to benefit our right to ride and Freedom of the Road. To pre-register, call the National Coalition of Motorcyclists at( 800) 525- 5355 or visit www. ON-A-BIKE. com. which he was wearing, but Ernst didn’ t file an official complaint. Sen. Osmek admitted the bill is based largely on anecdotal evidence, but told the state’ s Daily Globe newspaper that“ I’ m focusing on something that constituents brought to me that they had issue with,” and he urges motorcyclists to file complaints and collect data on their own in order to make a stronger case. Meanwhile, a motorcycle profiling bill is gaining momentum in Maryland, having passed the state Senate unanimously 47-0 on March 3 and now moves to the House, positioning Maryland to become the second state in the country behind Washington to pass such anti-discrimination legislation.
FEWER AMERICANS GETTING A DRIVER’ S LICENSE It used to be a rite of passage into adulthood, but today fewer and fewer U. S. residents are lining up at their local DMV to get a driver’ s license, and new data indicates that all age groups are affected. Analyzing decades of data from the Federal Highway Administration, a team from the University of Michigan’ s Transportation Research Institute found that since 2011, the number of U. S. citizens with drivers licenses across all age groups, from 16 to 70, has decreased. A recent University of Michigan report analyzed decades’ worth of Federal Highway Administration records to show how licensure across all age groups has declined in the period stretching from 1983 to 2014. Last year, nearly 77 % of 20- to 24-year-old drivers held a license; in 1983, nearly 92 % in that age bracket had one. Four years ago, the number was about 80 %. For 16- through 44-year-olds, there has been a continuous decline in the percentage of people with a driver’ s license. The news may not be surprising for younger generations, who are more likely to use public transit or a ride-sharing company, or telecommute, but researchers also found a decline in the number of older adults with a driver’ s license. Other reports have detected related trends, such as a decrease in the distance driven per person and less travel time overall, but even as the age of driverless cars approaches, a driver’ s license will continue to be mandatory for years to come.
WHITE HOUSE PUSHES DRIVERLESS CARS The Obama administration aims to remove hurdles to making autonomous cars more widespread, and the President’ s fiscal 2017 budget
ANTI-PROFILING BILL HEARD IN MINNESOTA proposes spending $ 4 Billion over the next decade to accelerate the A minority group claims its members are being unfairly profiled and integration of driverless cars on U. S. roadways.
stopped by police, and it’ s demanding a bill to prevent it. That group The administration’ s multi-billion dollar proposal, which would require is motorcyclists, and the legislation, put before Minnesota’ s Senate Judiciary Committee by State Senator David Osmek( R-Mound), would ers and others to craft policies and rules regarding autonomous vehicles
Congressional approval, calls on federal regulators to work with auto mak-
require Minnesota’ s Board of Peace Officer Standards & Training to and their development. develop a statewide policy to eliminate motorcyclist profiling, including
“ We are going to do everything we can to advance safe, smart and methods to identify and avoid it. SF1509 in the Senate, and companion bill HF59 in the House, would also require every law enforcement sustainable transportation innovations,” announced Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx at the Detroit Auto Show,“ We are bullish on agency in the state to have“ a written anti-motorcycle profiling policy.” automated vehicles.”
In testimony, several members of Minnesota motorcycle clubs laid out In addition to the new testing programs, Foxx also unveiled ambitious a litany of their own experiences: Officers they believed had pulled federal guidelines that he says will get self-driving on the roads quicker them over on trumped-up pretenses questioned them about who they
-- and more safely-- than ever thought possible.“( These actions) will were and why they were in their community and, in some cases, photographed their tattoos & patches.“ It’ s my constitutional right to be in provide the foundation and the path forward for manufacturers, state officials and consumers to use new technologies and achieve their full a Motorcycle Club,” said Jim Jahnke of Rochester, the National V. P. of safety potential” he said. the Sons of Silence MC. Now, NHTSA will seek input from automakers and others as the auto
Frank Ernst of Chanhassen, MN representing ABATE of Minnesota, and agency tries to wrap its arms around the deployment and operation of also chairman of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists- Legislative Task fully self-driving cars as the norm, not an anomaly.
Force( NCOM-LTF), described an instance in which he said he was pulled In addition, the agency plans to team up with state partners and the over by an officer who claimed he hadn’ t seen Ernst’ s protective eye wear,
American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators to develop a model driverless car policy states can implement, hopefully laying the
30 Thunder Roads Magazine ® Colorado April 2016 www. thunderroadscolorado. com