Thunder Roads Colorado Magazine Volume 11 Issue 7 | Page 33

News Bytes

groundwork for a consistent national policy. CONGRESSIONAL RPM ACT WOULD PROTECT THE SPORT OF RACING The federal Environmental Protection Agency( EPA) is attempting to regulate racing by prohibiting the conversion of street motorcycles and automobiles into competition-only racing vehicles, but newly-introduced legislation in Congress would prevent the EPA from impacting the lives of tens of thousands of armature and professional racers, their support teams and millions of race fans across the country. Members of both chambers of Congress have introduced bipartisan versions of a bill that would protect the sport of racing by blocking the EPA from over-regulating the industry and ensuring that it remains legal to convert street legal motor vehicles for racing purposes. The RPM Act( Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act of 2016);“ A bill to exclude vehicles used solely for competition from certain provisions of the Clean Air Act” H. R. 4715, was introduced March 7, 2016 in the House by U. S. Representative Patrick McHenry( R-NC) with 13 bipartisan co-sponsors, while companion measure S. 2659“ to reaffirm that the EPA cannot regulate vehicles used solely for competition” was offered in the Senate on March 9 by Senator Richard Burr( R-NC) and three original co-sponsors. H. R. 4715 states, in part:“ at the time the Clean Air Act was written, and each time the Clean Air Act has been amended, the intent of Congress has been, and continues to be, that vehicles manufactured for, modified for, or utilized in organized motorized racing events would not be encompassed by the Clean Air Act’ s definition of“ motor vehicle”. The EPA recently re-opened the proposed regulation for more public comment. The regulation is scheduled for final approval this summer, so the time to act is NOW.
WISCONSIN BILL WOULD RESTRICT ACCESS TO BLACK BOX DATA A bill that would require an owner’ s consent to access data in“ black boxes” in cars and motorcycles seems more likely than ever before to come up for a vote in January 2017, according to members of ABATE of Wisconsin, a grassroots lobbyist group that deals with motorcycle issues but now finds itself leading the charge in fighting for privacy. The bill covers not only Event Data Recorders or EDR’ s but any device that is recording any information or tracking user behavior. Anyone that took the information without consent faces potential fines ranging from $ 200 to $ 2000 per incident. The bill says insurance companies would not be able to link the issuance www. thunderroadscolorado. com or renewal of a liability policy to whether the vehicle has such a box, or whether the motorist allows the insurer to access or use data it collects. Currently, the boxes record such data only in the seconds before, during and after a crash. But critics like ABATE, worry about how much more information the devices might collect as they become more sophisticated. ABATE says while the timing of the recordings may be limited now, safe guards need to be in place should that change. At least 23 other states have passed laws defining who owns EDR data, according to Steve Panten, a spokesman for ABATE of Wisconsin, which supports the bill.
EX-COP SUES OVER MOTORCYCLE NOISE A former Texas police officer is suing Arkansas officials over motorcycle noise. Rick Holtsclaw, a 31-year veteran of the Houston police department who placed an emphasis on noise enforcement, has sued city officials in Fort Smith and Fayetteville, Arkansas for their failure to enforce federal, state, and local laws regarding motorcycle noise. Holtsclaw’ s lawsuit cites the Noise Control Act of 1972 that makes it illegal for motorcycle exhausts to be altered or removed for the purpose of making noise. In addition, the Arkansas muffler statute requires every motor vehicle to be equipped with the quiet factory-installed muffler or a muffler duplicating the specifications of the factory-installed muffler. Holtsclaw stated that“ the law enforcement community in Arkansas has failed to intercede on behalf of the noise-beleaguered citizenry,” particularly at rallies“ where there are thousands of motorcyclists making illegally loud noise,” and is seeking $ 1,000,000( one million) in damages from each municipality.
DRIVER WHO DELIBERATELY ASSAULTED MOTORCYCLISTS STILL IN JAIL A viral video showing a Texas driver who without provocation intentionally crashed into a motorcyclist last October, causing serious injuries to the rider and his passenger, has been languishing in jail unable to post bail since the incident. William“ Bill” Sam Crum was indicted by a Hood County grand jury on two aggravated assault counts carrying punishment of up to 20 years in prison and a fine up to $ 10,000 and is currently being held on $ 150,000 bail in Hood County Jail since his arrest October 20, 2015. While motorcyclists can take comfort knowing that Mr. Crum has been in jail nearly 6 months awaiting trial on criminal charges, because he purposefully crashed into the victims, his auto insurance won’ t cover any civil judgment due to the intentional act exclusion in every policy.
QUOTABLE QUOTE:“ Truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.” ~ Mary Flannery O’ Connor( 1925-64) American writer and essayist
April 2016 Thunder Roads Magazine ® Colorado 31