Moonriders latest safety video
Wendy Moon is a motorcycle information Queen. We just added her MC safety video to Culleys page (link to the right). It is a safety Video with a twist that anyone who ride (or doesn't needs to see. Watch it I think you will enjoy. rcAdd to Technorati Favorites
Sport Bikers and the rest of us beware-bikes to be confiscated
HB 137 2008 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S A bill to be entitled An act relating to offenses committed while operating a motorcycle; creating s. 316.1926, F.S.; providing additional penalties for certain offenses committed by a person operating or in actual physical control of a motorcycle; requiring that the person be taken into custody; providing for seizure and forfeiture of the motorcycle; providing for revocation of the person's privilege to operate a motorcycle; providing an effective date.Follow the link for more..........
Are we riding free yet? rcAdd to Technorati Favorites
I have had it! How about you Tallahassee.
Some may remember a post where in I described how some young sweet lady swerved across three lanes of Thomasville Drive causing me to hit the brakes and lay on the horn. In response to my near heart attack, what did I get? The one finger salute.Alas trials and tribulations on the roads of Tallahassee continue. Yesterday eve (rush hour) on the way to Georgia, not one, but two vehicles pull into my lane on separate occasions. And manged to do it in the short span of capital circle between Appalachee Parkway and Thomasville hwy. The first one was a another fine young lady who pulled over on me causing me to hit brakes, swerve into the turn lane (fortunately no one was there) and mutter very loudly, "oh shit". Which would have been for nothing because has she not apparently heard the brakes saw me, and got back in her lane.
But thennnnnn, when I catch up to her to I don't no what. She roles down this window and gives me this ugly look like whats your problem. Believe me, that ugly was almost as scary as her hitting me.
So I put some distance between her and I and get close to my turn off when this Blue Van does the same damn thing. By now I got thumb glued to my horn. This individual at least looked like, whoops.
This should be enough for one day right? Nope. Coming back from Ga. in the dark I notice a little yellow reflection. Well I think it is one of them little yellow markers until I get close and realize it is a dark car with one of them little yellow side lights stopped at a stop sign HALF IN THE DAMN LANE. Brake, swerve, cuss, pray, and think about the letter I am going to write to the tally democrat knowing that won't do a damn bit of good.
Now heres the thing ok? I ride a "geezer glider", an "electra glide standard". I guess I should apologize because it is not florescent orange but damn, you would think it was a little bit noticeable. God help the "sportbikers" out there.
Well heres another thing, except this is for the cage drivers out there. Some of us been talkin. And some of us are right tired of it. We pay taxes and it's our road too. In fact some of us are so tired we have talked of taking "action". Remember that if you do not kill me the next time you cut me off! One of us is gonna make it home safely to see our loved ones. And it's going to be me! rcAdd to Technorati Favorites
Responding To Iowa ABATE call to action. Feel free to use.
Please feel free to use any of this should you choose to wrote your representatives.Sent to : President Bush, Senator Nelson (D) Fl., Senator Martinez (R),Fl via AMA's Rapid Response Center.
Honorable Elected Representatives of the Citizens of the fine State of Florida,
By now you should be aware that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on September 11, of this year issued a statement urging all states to adopt “universal motorcycle helmet laws”. Meaning “all” persons who ride a motorcycle in the United States would be required to wear a “motorcycle helmet”. Before this is ignored as “just another” letter from those “pesky bikers,” I implore you to consider the following as this issue, I believe, extends beyond “HELMETS”.
The words of Alexander Hamilton are especially apt here:
“It will be of little avail to the people, that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood; if they be repealed or revised before they are promulgated, or undergo such incessant changes that no man, who knows what the law is to-day, can guess what it will be to-morrow.” --Alexander Hamilton and James Madison (Federalist No. 62, 1788)
For years now motorcyclists and politicians have been arguing an issue of “individual rights” under the guise of safety. However if you look to recent court battles in California you will note that one of the main issues contested is the inability of any “common man” (including those paid to enforce the law) to interpret the law the “law”. Why might that be?
Because the science behind the law as promulgated by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and parroted by the NTSB is “flawed”.
http://www.autoracingdaily.com/article/conclusions_misleading_in_new_iihs_report_ama_says/
http://pub42.bravenet.com/forum/3562429698/fetch/859099/
http://www.mrf.org/nhtsa.php
http://www.mrf.org/articles/2002/02NR1402nr14nhtsareleasespreliminary2001motorcyclefatalitystatistics.
http://bikersmag.com/html/mrf_news.html
http://www.mrf.org/articles/2005/05NR2105nr21nomotorcyclestravelinsouthdakota.htm
In fact one can go as far back to 1997 to find that NHTSA reporting inaccuracies have been of concern of other bodies for other reasons (see) http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:bR3kMHjT8noJ:www.mvfri.org/Library/GM-DOT%2520Reports/B01/
It is precisely because of this flawed science upon which many “state laws” pertaining to “helmet” use have been repealed after court rulings declaring said laws unconstitutional or “unconstitutionally vague.” Florida is a prime example of a state eventually repealing it's helmet law after court challenges that found the “law” was not legal (see: Florida v Stephen Yasko, Jr. The ruling in this 1995 case stated that both the Defendants fourth and fourteenth amendment rights were violated in respect to Florida’s helmet
law.
December 8, 1995, in Clearwater, Pinellas County, Florida, County Court Judge Blackwood held the Florida mandatory motorcycle helmet law unconstitutional. In dismissing the case against David Raynal, the judge ruled that "Section 316.211, Florida Statutes, is unconstitutional." He went on to rule that "the statute is overly vague and fails to give the average citizen sufficient notice of prohibited conduct.").
As you are aware this will and is happening in other states.
It is extremely concerning to this writer, that despite flawed science and questionable legality, that government agencies continue to push for an agenda that, at the most, would have a limited impact on the amount of motorcyclists lives lost on our highways. WHEN, were they to focus on cause of crashes as opposed to the result of accidents, such as driver inattention, driver distraction, right of way violations and cell phone use they could legally and scientifically accurately and immediately save a higher number of lives.
http://www.motorcyclists-against-dumb-drivers.com/cell-phones-and-dui-drunk-driving.html
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/bmj.38537.397512.55v1
http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?itemno=833
Of further concern it is somewhat suspect as to why the NTSB, who before aligning itself with NHTSA had an impressive record in research and investigation, would risk it's record on the flawed statistics of NHTSA. Is it because NHTSA , as per TEA-21, can not legally use taxpayer dollars and has sought out (illegally) a partner to do so.
Previously I noted that this issue extends beyond motorcycle helmets and it does for the following reasons:
A free people must be able to trust those that govern them. They must be able to rest with the knowledge that their own government will not lie or operate in collusion against them. They must have confidence in their “Representative's” to uphold the constitution, not squander public monies and if called upon to “make law” to do so, intelligently, based on “facts” and not “emotion”.
Ask yourselves honored representatives, why it is that public confidence in Congress is at it's “lowest levels in years?” Then ask yourselves honored representatives, how and why this country was founded? Was it not that the American public did not feel it was being adequately represented?
I would ask you to consider the following:
Begin proceedings to investigate and restrict, reduce, or eliminate, their budgets and financial support since they have demonstrated they cannot accept the responsibility of the intent of said agencies.
Furthermore, in light of current actions, they be prohibited from addressing motorcycle issues until such time as NHTSA can develop a universally accepted protocol of research that leads to objective and unbiased reports. Sirs, Ladies, even the NTSB chided NHTSA on their protocol and then turned around and parroted their results???
That an independent study be done by an impartial educational institution to review the findings of NHTSA and their research model as to it's efficacy so that the public can be assured appropriate oversight is being conducted.
Demonstrate to your constituents that you at least are an intelligent and capable leader.
I thank you for your time and your service and eagerly await a response:
Robert Conroy aka rc
Big Bend Bikers For Freedom
Let Freedom Reign http://bigbendbikersforfreedom.blogspot.com/Add to Technorati Favorites
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