The meeting was attended by all government transportation officials as well as representatives from SMSA, MIC, MSF, AMA, IIHS, Honda, Harley and ASMI.

Tim Buche of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation reported that the MSF trained just over 400,000 individual riders last year and estimate now that about ½ of the riders on the road have now been through some form of rider education program.

FHWA had a lengthy report on the crash causation study that was legislated by Congress in the last highway bill. The seemingly straightforward request from Congress has found itself stuck between the FHWA and the executing institution, the University of Oklahoma.  The study originally had a price tag of about $3 million; however several issues have already doubled that to around $6 million, and at this recent meeting it was acknowledged that it could ultimately end up costing around $7.5-8 million.

Who’s picking up the tab for this study, anyway? Essentially you, the motorcyclist, are. Lets break down the funding streams; there’s the federal share of about $2.1 -2.4 million, the motorcycle industry has pledged $3.1 million, and the AMA has kicked in $130,000 cold hard cash to kick start the study. That’s about 5.5 million on a good day. When you look at it, really it’s the motorcyclists that are funding this. The federal share is from gasoline taxes, and the industry will ultimately pass the cost on to its customers. Where the additional $2.5 million comes from is uncertain but one thing should be certain, motorcyclists have paid more than enough and we deserve better. Another certainty is every day this study is delayed it gets more expensive. At this point getting the study moving seems impossible at best, but government and universities have a history of moving at a glacier’s pace and then pulling through at the last minute. The MRF’s message to the powers that be on this one; stop playing the blame game and wasting the money of the motorcyclists and get this study underway.

Some Positive News
The pilot study to the main study is set to begin in December – they will also begin training investigators within the next few weeks. The pilot study will be conducted by FHWA to test the methodology; the full study is going to be done by the University of OK. The pilot study will investigate
37 crashes or last three months, whichever comes first. The full study will investigate around 900 crashes. One senior DOT official in the room did caution the group to not put too much hope into the outcome of the study, as these types of studies rarely produce the single panacea many hope for. Expect a laundry list of contributing factors, not a silver bullet.

Studies Coming Soon.
The much anticipated Conspicuity Study will be released in just a few months. This is the study that tried to determine if universal daytime running lights (DRL) on cars reduces the conspicuity of motorcycles on the road. One segment of the study put an individual in a parked car on the side of the road and used eyeball tracking equipment to see what they looked at.

Braking Study.
This study, also due out soon, takes a look at antilock braking (ABS), combined braking (CBS) and conventional braking, and whether they stop a motorcycle differently and why.

Braking Follow-on Study
This study used a simulator to determine what brake riders used most in the last milliseconds before artificial impact. According to the 1981 Hurt report, 83% of riders don’t use the front brake in the crucial 1.9 seconds prior to impact. This study is also due out soon; noticing a pattern here?

Some future studies under consideration by the feds include an eyeball tracking study which would utilize a tiny camera aimed at the rider’s eyes to essentially see what they are looking at while riding. Another idea in the works is a similar study in which a camera would be worn by the rider, except that volunteers would wear the camera every time they rode for an entire year to get a sense of patterns and behaviors. Lastly, the feds are thinking of doing a study to determine if it’s even possible to employ some new Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) recording technology on a motorcycle. This is sort of a “let’s see if we think we can build it” sort of study. All of these are purely in the concept phase.

2010 Funds
The third round of the 2010 funds has been announced and it’s another successful year for 47 states and Puerto Rico. Again 3 states did not apply. The 48 grants are listed below. This round spent $6 million, the next and final round will spend $7 million. The deadline for that application is August 1st 2009, and the guide to apply is on the MRF website.
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FY 2008 SECTION 2010 MOTORCYCLIST SAFETY GRANTS
State     Year SAFETEA-LU     Programmatic Basic Criteria     Total Award
1. Alaska     3rd     Training, Impaired     $100,000
2. Arizona     3rd     Aware, Fees     $102,607
3. Arkansas     2nd       Aware , Impaired     $100,000
4. California       3rd       Training, Fees     $365,542
5. Colorado     2nd       Training, Fees     $101,815
6. Connecticut     3rd       Training , Fees     $100,000
7. Delaware     3rd       Training, Aware     $100,000
8. Florida     3rd     Training, Fees     $205,733
9. Georgia     3rd     Aware, Impaired     $140,234
10. Hawaii     3rd       Training, RFC     $100,000
11. Idaho     3rd     Training, Fees     $100,000
12. Illinois     3rd     Training, Fees     $180,184
13. Indiana     3rd     Aware, Fees     $118,289
14. Iowa     3rd     Training, Fees     $100,000
15. Kansas     2nd       Aware, Impaired     $100,000
16. Kentucky     3rd     Aware, Fees     $100,000
17. Louisiana     3rd     Aware, Impaired     $100,000
18. Maine     3rd     Training, Aware     $100,000
19. Maryland     3rd     Training, Aware     $100,000
20. Massachusetts     3rd     Training, Aware     $108,810
21. Michigan     3rd     Training , Fees     $156,129
22. Minnesota     3rd     Training, Aware     $116,293
23. Missouri     3rd     Training, Fees     $120,344
24. Montana       3rd     Training, Impaired     $100,000
25. Nebraska     3rd     Training, Fees     $100,000
26. Nevada       3rd     Training, Fees     $100,000
27. New Hampshire         3rd       Training , RFC, Fees     $100,000
28. New Jersey       3rd     Training , Fees     $126,221
29. New Mexico     3rd     Training, Fees     $100,000
30. New York     3rd     Training, Fees     $229,882
31. North Carolina       3rd     Training, Aware     $136,206
32. North Dakota       3rd       Training, RFC     $100,000
33. Ohio     3rd     Training, Fees     $167,043
34. Oklahoma     3rd     Impaired, Fees     $100,090
35. Oregon     3rd     Training, Aware, Fees     $100,000
36. Pennsylvania     3rd     RFC, Fees     $175,342
37. Puerto Rico     3rd     Aware, Impaired     $100,000
38. Rhode Island     3rd       Training, Fees     $100,000
39. South Dakota     2nd       Training, Aware     $100,000
40. Tennessee     3rd     Training, Fees     $113,809
41. Texas     3rd     Training, Fees     $283,221
42. Utah       2nd       Training, Aware, Fees     $100,000
43. Vermont     2nd     Training, RFC     $100,000
44. Virginia       3rd     Training, Fees     $121,987
45. Washington     3rd     Training, Fees     $114,149
46. West Virginia     3rd       Aware, Fees     $100,000
47. Wisconsin     3rd     Training, Aware     $116,070
48. Wyoming     3rd     Training, Fees     $100,000
Total               $ 6,000,000

Programmatic Grants: Training= Motorcycle Rider Training Course; Aware=Motorcyclists Awareness Program; RFC= Reduction of Fatalities and Crashes Involving Motorcyclists; Impaired= Impaired Driving Program; RFIM=Reduction of Fatalities and Accidents Involving Impaired Motorcyclists; Fees= Use of Fees Collected From Motorcyclists for Motorcycle Programs Total Applied: 47 States and Puerto Rico
Total Qualified:  47 States and Puerto Rico States which did not Apply: Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, and D.C.

Meeting of the Minds presentations are now online.
Most of the presentations given at this years Meeting of the Minds are now on the MRF website. Visit http://www.mrf.org/MOTM2008.php for more information.

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Ride With The LeadersTM by joining the MRF at http://www.mrf.org/join.php or call 1-202-546-0983

(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.

The US House passed the Health Insurance Restrictions and Limitations Act of 2008 (HR 6908) last week. This bill, as previously reported by the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF), would force insurance providers to disclose upfront, in writing, any activity they are unwilling to provide full payment for an injury sustained while participating in said activity. Currently the insurance providers need only refer to the federal loophole known as the “source of injury exclusion provision” to limit payment for any injury based on the source of the injury.

The bill passed with unanimous consent by the US House and is now being considered by the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP). The Senate has passed legislation that was farther reaching than HR 6809 in a previous Congress so the outlook remains bright but time is running short. The MRF will keep you informed on this important issue.

NHTSA Proposes New Helmet Standards

In a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) earlier this week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) set forth its proposal to modify the current safety standard for helmets, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218 (FMVSS 218). The proposal focuses mostly on the least
important part of any helmet, the DOT label. The NPRM outlines what NHTSA would like to see on the back of your helmet. A new label to replace the current football shaped sticker with the letters DOT printed in a contrasting color to the background. NHTSA claims that due to entities printing and selling “Doing Our Thing” that closely resembles the DOT sticker the federal standard has been undermined and needs an upgrade to a bigger better sticker.

The changes the proposal outlines will require including the word “certified”, the manufacturer’s name, and the model of the helmet. The proposal also calls for the sticker to be larger and placed higher up from the bottom of the helmet. The new sticker has one other change, it’s not a sticker. The NPRM calls for the new label to be a “water decal” to be applied under the helmet’s final clear coat.

A few problems arise with this portion of the proposal. What about helmets that don’t have a clear coat such as leather clad or the popular matte finish? What about the cost to manufacturing, which will certainly be higher than the government estimates? Lastly, how does this affect the 30
helmet choice law states? The answer to that one is, it doesn’t – other than the fact that when you choose to wear a helmet it would have to be DOT certified.

NHTSA also called for some changes to the testing of helmets. None of the changes provide for a more real world condition, just adjusting some of the allowable ranges for helmet puncture and retention.

What is troubling about the proposal is the underlying theme of “safer crashing”. We at the MRF believe that it is best to focus on crash prevention instead of injury mitigation. Helmets do not prevent crashes, educated riders and motorists do.

It’s true that motorcycle fatalities are near historic levels, but so are new unit sales and registrations. With the soaring price of fuel, expect that to continue for the foreseeable future.

So what does NHTSA expect this proposal to do in the real world? Let us refer to some of NHTSA’s own numbers from the proposal. First since this only really affects the 20 mandatory universal helmet law states and the District of Columbia where according to NHTSA’s numbers 15 percent of the
riders in those jurisdictions use “novelty” helmets that don’t meet the current FMVSS 218. Reading further NHTSA says that this proposal, if enacted, would realistically reach 5 percent of the 15 percent of riders who now use “novelty” helmets in universal helmet law states. Using NHTSA’s method of guessing at helmet effectiveness, that amounts to about 17-32 lives a year. Now we can certainly all agree that any life saved is a huge success, but the original reason for this proposal was to bring down fatalities significantly. The low double digit decreases don’t really dip the numbers down enough to make this necessary.  Again, all life is precious but with government resources running on empty, The MRF believes this is time and money better spent on motorcycle safety programs that focus on avoidance of the crash.

The MRF encourages you to provide your own public comment to this NPRM. You can read the entire 66 page proposal that includes instructions on how to apply. The comment period is open for 60 days. Use the link to view the document:
http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/DOT/NHTSA/Rulemaking/Rules/Associated%20Files/Helmets_Upgrade_NPRM.pdf
or
http://tinyurl.com/4zcg7x

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Ride With The LeadersTM by joining the MRF at http://www.mrf.org/join.php or call 1-202-546-0983

Registration is easy and secure for MRF Regional and Meeting of the Minds conferences. Visit our website at http://www.mrf.org/events.php for further details and registration information.

Send in your nominations and donations for the MRF’s Young Activist Scholarship fund today. For complete details, visit http://www.mrf.org/yascholarship.php.

Sign up today for the MRF’s new roadside assistance program by visiting http://www.mrf.org/mrfroadside.php The program is available to MRF members and non-MRF members.

(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.

More motorists are trading in or parking their larger motor vehicles for motorcycles as a way of beating the rising cost of gasoline. Nationwide, there is an increase in motorcycle traffic on highways and countryside roads. Yet, with this increase in ridership there is an increase in motorcycle accidents. Although, the U.S., in recent years, has been successful in reducing automobile deaths, the National Highway and Transportation Administration (NHTSA — http://www.nhtsa.gov) indicates the rate of motorcycle fatalities has more than doubled in the past 10 years — 2,116 in 1997 to more than 4,800 in 2006 — offsetting the gain in lives saved from higher seat belt use and improved passenger vehicle safety. Currently, motorcycle fatalities are the nation’s greatest highway traffic safety challenge.

Read the Full Story here…