If you or anyone that you know received such a ticket at the Virginia Beach Bike Classic please contact me and I will represent you at no charge. These charges are improper given the law in Virginia . For those in favor of mandatory helmet use this is not an attack on helmets. I respect the right of every motorcyclist to hold an opinion on this matter. However this is not about helmets, it is about ensuring that the police follow the law. If they are going to stop and charge people they should at least be familiar with the statutes under which they are charging them.

I also want to reiterate that I am not anti-law enforcement. As an ex police officer and an ex prosecuting attorney I have an extensive law enforcement background. However, to many times I see motorcyclists charged for not wearing a helmet approved by DOT when the law in Virginia does not require that a helmet be approved by anyone. I also see tickets for illegal exhausts merely because the officer does not like the sound of the exhaust. I have seen tickets for improperly mounted license plates merely because the license plate is mounted vertically instead of horizontally. Virginia law does not prohibit vertically mounted license plates. I have even seen a few handle bar height tickets when that law was repealed in 2003. You are not guilty of an offense simply because an officer says that you are. You are only guilty if you have violated a statute or ordinance. A great number of people charged at the Virginia Beach Bike Classic did not violate any state or local law.

That is why I think it is important to challenge these tickets even though they are non-moving violations. If we as motorcyclists merely pre-pay them because it is too much of a hassle to go to court and fight then we will continue to receive improperly issued tickets. So if you have received such a ticket please contact me and I will be happy to take the case(s) at no charge.

Matt Danielson
McGrath & Danielson
Tom McGrath’s Motorcycle Law Group
1-800-321-8968
Motorcyclelawgroup.com

“Any person who violates this subsection shall be subject to a civil penalty of $25 to be paid into the state treasury and credited to the Literary Fund, and no court costs shall be assessed.”

Take Care – Ride FREE

This would allow a rider to proceed through a red traffic light after coming to a complete stop and waiting 120 seconds.
HB752
Traffic lights; allows motorcycle, etc., to proceed through intersections showing steady red signal.

This changes Virginia’s helmet law to include those mini-scooters, pocket bikes, and what not.
HB395
Motorcycles; helmet use. Removes exception that allows operators and passengers riding on motorcycles with wheels of eight inches or less to ride without wearing a helmet.

Not specifically motorcycle related, but this is one that we have tried to change in years past to make it legal for 2 motorcycles to ride side by side.
HB163
Vehicles driving abreast. Provides that the prohibition on vehicles driving abreast does not apply to vehicles lawfully overtaking and passing vehicles traveling in the same direction.

BAD! – Loud Pipes Save Lives!!! HB579
Mufflers on motorcycles. Provides that motorcycles shall use a muffler system in good working order that meets federal standards.

I am sure this one comes from one of the talking points from last couple years two abreast bills with us saying LEOs regularly ride two abreast.
SB321
Motorcycles driving two abreast; law-enforcement officers. Allows law-enforcement officers on official duty to drive motorcycles two abreast in a single lane.

Here is a link to the motorcycle search results… (May or may not work) There are a few others with the mention of motorcycle in them, but the bills are not specifically motorcycle related.

Anyone know of anything else going on or any other bills that we, as motorcycle riders, may be interested in?

The MRF has submitted comments on the proposed changes to current standards and is encouraging you to do the same. Read the full MRF comments on the internet by visiting www.regualations.gov and search for Docket number NHTSA-2008-0157-0001 or by using this link.

http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=NHTSA-2008-0157
or
http://tinyurl.com/65mtw5

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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.

Technically, the new helmet law — which requires helmets and eye protection for riders and drivers of mopeds — went into effect Aug. 12, after Blacksburg Town Council approved it on a unanimous vote. But for the next few weeks, police will focus on education instead of punishment.

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Head protection will continue to be mandatory in Louisiana after a hostile Senate committee blocked Rep. Mert Smiley’s bill on Wednesday, as the legislative session winds down toward its June 23 end date. A companion bill had earlier stalled on the House floor, and Smiley said he had no chance to get the law repealed this session.

“I fought a gallant fight,” said Smiley, a Port Vincent Republican. But he said he’d try again next year.

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And for the second time, Gov. Jennifer Granholm likely will veto it.

The House on Wednesday gave final approval, 70-38, to bill that would allow motorcyclists ages 21 and older to pay the state $100 a year for a permit to ride with no helmet. They’d have to pass a motorcycle safety course and have been licensed for two previous years.

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Money from the permit will help pay for crucial services, and strengthen law enforcement and safety efforts, according to House Bill 4749, which has already passed both chambers with overwhelming support.

Read the full story here…