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Posted 10/6/2006
With the increased publicity about motorcycle crashes, such as the over reported crash of Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, there is genuine concern among motorcycle rights organizations that there will be a renewed effort to re-enact mandatory helmet laws in states that repealed or modified their helmet law in the past.
In September, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a two-day forum on motorcycle crashes, stating that fatalities for cyclists had increased by more than 25%. The NTSB examined rider training and licensing, protective gear, vehicle design and education of the non-motorcycling public. Motorcyclists who attended the public forum were not impressed by the suggestions or claims of the NTSB.
Also, in September, Senator Frank Lautenberg, New Jersey, sent a letter to governors around the country, claiming injured motorcyclists cost taxpayer's money and further claiming $873 million in costs would have been saved if helmets were worn. Nobody ever offers any information on how they come up with these numbers or predictions. They also leave out the fact that motorcyclists pay taxes too. Lautenberg goes on to say that further federal legislation is contemplated to address the problem. So, in other words, we can expect some attempts to enact a federal helmet law, or at least reinstatement on a state level.
Because of this threat, the MRF held a helmet law strategy session during the Meeting of the Minds, on September 22, 2006. The panel was comprised of freedom fighters from around the country that represented different perspectives on how they repealed or fought to repeal their state’s helmet law. The panel included Dave Dwyer, ABATE of Wisconsin, MRF BOD; Charlie Williams, ABATE of Oklahoma; Steve Zimmer, ABATE of Ohio, MRF BOD; Charlie Umbenhauer, ABATE of Pennsylvania; Jim Rhoades, ABATE of Michigan; Doc Reichenbach, ABATE of Florida and Tony "Pan" Sanfelipo, ABATE of Wisconsin. The moderator was Rick Gray, ABATE of Pennsylvania. Several of the panelists were founding members of their state’s ABATE chapter, Jim Rhoades, Rick Gray and Tony Sanfelipo.
Although there was some disagreement on effective strategies to stop helmet legislation, the common view was that some sort of push for mandatory federal helmet legislation would be a priority.