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AMA says new federal safety recommendations come up short |
AMA says new federal safety recommendations come up short
The National Transportation Safety Board this week approved
recommendations for
motorcycle safety focusing on passage of mandatory helmet-use laws in
all states,
reports the American Motorcyclist Association. But the panel did not
deal with other
significant issues related to the safety of riders on the road.
The recommendations, which do not carry the force of law, come a year
after the
NTSB held a public forum on motorcycle safety that gathered comments
from motorcycle
manufacturers, researchers, trauma physicians, law enforcement
officials, insurance
companies and motorcycle associations, including the AMA. Those groups
expressed
support for a wide range of motorcycle-safety initiatives, including
campaigns
against alcohol impairment, increased opportunities for rider education
and stricter
enforcement of licensing laws.
In the end, though, the panel's final report focused almost exclusively
on the
helmet-law
issue.
"While we encourage all riders to voluntarily wear a DOT-certified
helmet as a part
of a comprehensive approach to motorcycle safety," noted Ed Moreland,
AMA Vice
President
for Government Relations, "we're disappointed that the NTSB missed this
opportunity
to focus on meaningful issues related to the reduction of motorcycle
crashes, rather
than just reducing injuries once a crash occurs."
The AMA has worked for years to secure federal funding for the first
comprehensive
study of the causes of motorcycle crashes in more than 25 years. And
thanks to major
financial support from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, plus
contributions from
the AMA and individual riders, the matching funds for that federal grant
are now
in place and the study should begin this fall.
"The motorcycling community has demonstrated its commitment to vital
issues of safety
through support for this study, along with rider education, alcohol
impairment and
licensing programs," Moreland said. "We would have hoped that federal
officials
would have taken a more well-rounded approach of working with the
community to create
truly effective countermeasures to reduce crashes, rather than investing
more resources
in a very limited legislative agenda that has not had much success in
recent years."
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The American Motorcyclist Association: rights. riding. racing.
Founded in 1924, the AMA is a non-profit organization with more than
280,000 members.
The Association's purpose is to pursue, protect and promote the
interests of
motorcyclists,
while serving the needs of its members
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