[Mrfnews] 07LR15 - Leaders Report- October

[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)



We Need You In DC!

If you are thinking of taking the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) up on
our suggestion to have your State Motorcyclists' Rights Organization
(SMRO) make the trip to DC to meet with your members of the House and
Senate regarding the recent recommendations by the National Transportation
Safety Board, please do so prior to November 16th. That's the last day
that Congress will likely be in session, barring a few possible days in
late December to do some last minute house cleaning before the Holiday
break. Please contact the MRF's DC office for further information.

New Guy at NHTSA

James Ports rides a motorcycle. He is also a former member of the Maryland
State Legislature and a former Maryland Department of Transportation (DOT)
official. He has earned the support and respect of ABATE of Maryland
leadership, and he just happens to be the new Deputy Administrator for the
US DOT National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Mr. Ports
took some time out of his busy schedule recently to sit down with the MRF
and ABATE of MD in his spacious new office. At this meeting, which was
mainly a meet and greet, Deputy Administrator Ports pledged his support of
motorcycling and agreed to work with the MRF as much as he can. NHTSA just
continued its recent trend of becoming more motorcycle friendly. Maybe Mr.
Ports, whose job is only guaranteed as long Mr. Bush occupies 1600
Pennsylvania Avenue NW, can get a new gig at the National Transportation
Safety Board when this one runs it course. That's probably not likely
though. Either way he has the support and respect of the MRF.

Thanks to the Mountain State!

ABATE of WV recently made a trip to DC to lobby their members of the House
and Senate. The Capitol Hill newbies (it was the first time lobbying DC
for the group) put together a first-rate trip and had appointments with
every member of the WV delegation. The three-person lobby team allowed the
MRF to join them in all of their meetings. It was a successful day to say
the least. The high point was meeting with the senior senator from WV,
Robert Byrd. Senator Byrd has the distinction of being one of the longest
serving Senators in history. He is currently the President Pro Tempore of
the Senate, which puts him third in line to the Presidency should
something happen to the VP and the Speaker of the House. Senator Byrd
welcomed us into his palatial office suite in the Capitol, got up from his
lunch of a cheese sandwich and a pickle (this guy is as humble as they
come) and chatted about motorcycles for more than a few minutes. Senator
Byrd has served West Virginia for over 50 years and has done the mountain
state proud. Say what you will about his politics, but he has created a
legacy that will stand for decades to come. Keep up the good work Senator
and let the MRF know when you are ready for that motorcycle ride. Look for
pictures of this meeting in the next issue of the MRF REPORTS.

Motorcycle Vehicle Miles Traveled

Last week the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) held a unique event,
the Motorcycle Travel Symposium, a three-day meeting aimed at improving
the data used to calculate motorcycle vehicle miles traveled (VMT).

VMT numbers are used to calculate a number of transportation data points. 
Most noteworthy is the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) used by
NHTSA to determine the percentage of fatality rates per miles traveled by
any given mode of transportation. Good data is important here because if
the number of actual miles traveled is not accurate, then it makes that
particular form of transportation appear deadlier than it really may be. 
You can listen to a detailed presentation on how motorcycle VMT numbers
affect FARS data by visiting the archives of the MRF's 2005 Meeting of the
Minds at http://www.inbradio.com/media/archives/mrf/motm2005.html.

Up until now it has been optional for states to report any VMT for
motorcycles, but that has changed. Starting in June 2008, motorcycle data
is no longer optional for states to report to the feds.  Remember hearing
that no motorcycles travel in South Dakota?  The MRF and SMROs have
questioned the inaccuracy of motorcycle VMT numbers for several years, and
the feds have finally put a stop to that nonsense.  You can read more
about the MRF's research into motorcycle VMT numbers on the MRF's website
at
http://www.mrf.org/articles/2005/05NR2105nr21nomotorcyclestravelinsouthdakota.htm.

So why did the FHWA need to have a three-day meeting to address this
issue? What is the real problem with collecting accurate VMT numbers for
motorcycles? Apparently everything. Let's start with the technological
issues. The actual technology used to collect data was designed for cars
and trucks, not motorcycles. The small signature of motorcycles is
difficult to capture using the tube or hose capture methods. Often times
the tubes are only stretched across half a lane giving ample room for the
motorcycle to simply go around the foreign object in the road. Some of the
newer laser technology may be promising, but it's expensive and easily
thrown off calibration by weeds, snow or curious animals. Some of the
video collection technology shows some promise, but it too is expensive
and difficult to maintain. With dwindling money at state DOTs, new
purchases of pricey video cameras and lasers just is not a widespread
option.

Then there's the human factor.  It is common knowledge that a large number
of motorcyclists spend more time on the road from Friday to Sunday. This
intuition is backed up by the National Household Transportation Survey, a
phone study conducted by the feds that surveys 20,000 plus households on
their respective travel habits. Questions include what type of vehicles
you own, when and where are you using those vehicles, how many licensed
drivers are under your roof, and so on. This study reported that almost 40
percent of all motorcycle travel occurs on the weekends. That becomes a
problem because most of the state employees hired to physically collect
the data only work Monday through Thursday, so any weekend travel goes
unmonitored. Seasons also skew the data, for most northern states see very
few motorcycles during winter months and the state DOTs don't adjust for
that.

Another major problem is where the VMT data is collected. Most of the
states collect data on roads that see the most use by cars and trucks.
Think of major interstates, multilane highways and other heavily traveled
roads, bridges and tunnels. Now think of where most motorcycle rides
occur, on back roads, scenic byways and other out-of-the-way streets. Most
motorcyclists purposefully avoid the heavy congestion of an urban
environment in favor of lesser-traveled roads with less heavy truck
traffic. The statistic commonly used by the states is that they survey
just 23% of the roads and leave the other 77% that are generally the
responsibility of smaller entities such as townships and villages alone.
That's a major discrepancy and a fatal flaw of the VMT data for
motorcycles.

It's refreshing, to say the least, that the federal government is finally
taking a good hard look at the validity of the motorcycle VMT data. Now
the hard part, committing precious resources toward improving the data
collection. Simply mandating that the data be reported next year will not
automatically ensure accurate numbers, and some argue just the opposite.
Now that the states have to do more with the same amount of resources, it
may have the effect of fictitious numbers reported just to comply with
another federal directive.

A lot of serious research is occurring, but until that research is easily
translatable to real world situations it's doubtful that the VMT numbers
for motorcycles will be believable. Much work remains, but this is with
out question a tremendous step forward, and the MRF will continue to
monitor and report any progress.


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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.