[Mrfnews] 07LR22 - Leaders Report- December

[mrfnews at mrf.org]

MRF E-MAIL NEWS Motorcycle Riders Foundation
236 Massachusetts Ave. NE
Suite 510
Washington, DC 20002-4980
202-546-0983 (voice)
202-546-0986 (fax)
http://www.mrf.org (website)


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jeff Hennie, MRF Vice-President of Government Relations
jeff at mrf.org (e-mail)



MRF ATENDS FHWA MAC MEETING

Jeff Hennie, Vice President of Government Relations for the Motorcycle
Riders Foundation (MRF), attended the Federal Highway Administration's
(FHWA) third meeting of the motorcycle advisory council (MAC) last week.
The two-day meeting covered a lot of ground and resulted in some real
accomplishments.

The scope of the council is to provide recommendations to the US Secretary
of Transportation on how motorcycles interface with roadway
infrastructure. The council looks into all aspects of roads, bridges,
barriers, toll booths, parking lots, pavement surface treatment, signage
and rail road crossings just to name a few. The non-partisan panel then
makes formal recommendations to the Secretary on how to improve the
nation's roads and create a more pleasing and safe environment for
motorcycles.

The council has made some real progress over the past year and half of
it's existence. For example, the council has directed the US Department of
Transportation (DOT) to create an informational brochure to be circulated
to all state DOTs advising them of key improvements that can be made
immediately to roads to improve motorcycle safety.

The council is also working on getting a motorcycle image approved so that
all the states use the same image, the idea being that the more similar
the images are the more effective they will be for interstate travelers
and those unfamiliar with motorcycles. While this is not the silver bullet
for motorcycle safety, it is a tool that has been proven to work at the
state level and only makes sense at the federal level as well.

This council was a key initiative of the MRF and its supporting members
over the past few years. The language that created the council was
successfully included in the most recent highway bill (PL 109-59), also
known as SAFE-TEA-LU, which was signed into law in August of 2005. The law
reads that the council can have no more than ten members and each seat on
the council is designated for a specific segment of highway safety. For
example, two seats on the council are reserved for State Motorcyclists'
Rights Organization (SMRO) representatives, two seats are reserved for
state DOT officials, one seat is reserved for an American Motorcyclist
Association and one seat is reserved for a Motorcycle Riders Foundation.

The council's initial charter is for two meetings a year for two years.
That puts the council's future endeavors on a sharp time line. However,
it's almost certain that council's charter will be extended due to the
accomplishments of the council and the undeniable positive impact on the
motorcycling community at large.

For a full listing of current council members, a digital copy of the
informational brochure and much more go to:
http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/mac/

NTSB UPDATE

Letters from key members of Congress continue to be sent to the Chairman
of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). All of the
congressional letters are important, but a few of them have some
distinctive roles. For instance, House subcommittee on Highways Chairman
DeFazio (D-OR) and Ranking Member John Duncan (R-TN), House Committee on
Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-WI), and House Committee on Veterans
Affairs Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA) have all sent letters. The other House
Members who have sent letters are (as of press time): Tammy Baldwin
(D-WI), Leonard Boswell (D-IA), Walter Jones (R-NC), Mark Kirk (R-IL),
Randy Kuhl (R-NY), Zach Wamp (R-TN), Baron Hill (D-IN), Tim Walberg
(R-MI), Tim Ryan (D-OH), James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) G.K. Butterfield
(D-NC), Mike McIntyre (D-NC), Robin Hayes (R-NC), Brad Miller (D-NC), and
John Shimkus (R-IL).

CLARIFICATION

One keen-eyed reader pointed out that the last communication from the MRF
included a vaguely worded position of the MRF. It was brought to my
attention that the stated position was that the MRF “would support any
recommendation that calls for further crash avoidance, rider education,
and motorist awareness campaigns.” That statement is true, however not
when those methods are at a disadvantage to motorcyclists (or passengers
on motorcycles) or in any way require the rider to employee unnecessary
counter measures such as illuminated helmets, specific colors for certain
items of clothing etc
 I extend thanks to the sharp minded motorcyclists
who pointed that out.

The holiday season is upon us and from everyone here at the MRF let me
wish you a season full of family and friends generating some fond
memories. Santa came early for this motorcyclist in the form of a Harley
Davidson Softail a few weeks ago. Happy Holidays!


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(c)All Information contained in this release is copyrighted. Reproduction
permitted with attribution. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation, incorporated
in 1987, is a membership-based, national motorcyclists' rights
organization headquartered in Washington, DC. The first motorcyclists'
rights organization to establish a full-time presence in Washington, DC,
the Motorcycle Riders Foundation is the only Washington voice devoted
exclusively to the street rider. The MRF established MRFPAC in the early
1990s to advocate the election of candidates who would champion the cause
of rider safety and rider freedom.

The MRF proudly claims state motorcyclists' rights organizations and the
very founders of the American riders' rights movement among its leading
members. The MRF is involved in federal and state legislation and
regulations, motorcycling safety education, training, and public
awareness. The MRF provides members and state motorcyclists' rights
organizations with direction and information, and sponsors annual regional
and national educational seminars for motorcyclists rights activists, as
well as publishing a bi-monthly newsletter, THE MRF REPORTS.