THE AIM/NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS SERVICE is brought to you by Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) and the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM), and is sponsored by the Law Offices of Richard M. Lester. For more information, call us at 1-(800) ON-A-BIKE or visit us on our website at http://www.ON-A-BIKE.com.

NCOM BIKER NEWS BYTES
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish,
National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM)

DEPLETED LICENSE PLATES, OVERBOOKED RIDER ED COURSES
As a sign of the times, with a record number of motorcyclists on the road and increasing numbers of motorcycle registrations, rider training courses in numerous locations across the country have been booked solid and now officials in Kansas have reported running out of motorcycle license plates.

The Hutchinson News reported that the problem is bad enough that counties with plentiful plates are being asked to share with other counties. "We are out of motorcycle tags, and we don't know when we'll get more," said Reno County Treasurer Clark Miller. "We've begged and borrowed from other counties,” he told the newspaper, “but we can't get more."

When the state made its annual tag order, gas prices hadn't reached their current levels and officials didn't anticipate the resulting demand from motorists switching to more fuel-efficient transportation.

At least one motorcycle owner complained to the newspaper of being sent away from the DMV office this week and advised not to drive his motorcycle until it was properly tagged, with no promise of when tags might be available.


MYRTLE BEACH APPROVES HELMET LAW AND OTHER ORDINANCES TO DETER BIKERS
Myrtle Beach City Council recently gave initial approval to more than a dozen city-wide ordinances specifically aimed to limit bike rallies and dissuade bikers from coming to town.

On Tuesday, September 9, the council unanimously approved all but one of 15 proposed new laws pertaining to two back-to-back May motorcycle rallies, though the restrictions would remain in place year round.

The proposed ordinances that were passed on first reading ranged from a ban on the operation of motor vehicles that do not have required EPA (federal) stickers on their mufflers, to prohibiting more than one vehicle parked in a single public parking space, to implementing a mandatory helmet law and eye protection requirement for anyone riding a motorcycle within city limits and authorizing authorities to impound their motorcycles. The helmet ordinance also outlaws the sale or use of any non-DOT compliant helmet in the city.

In June the City Council not only passed a property-tax increase dedicated to funding an anti-bike rally campaign, but also started the process to enact ordinances aimed at ending motorcycle-related vending within city limits.

Another vote on the approved anti-rally measures is required before they can become law, which may take place before riders arrive in Myrtle Beach for the “Pilgrimage” fall bike rally, giving local police agencies an opportunity to begin enforcing the new ordinances.

Former Myrtle Beach Mayor Mark McBride, who once said he'd like to use his car to "nudge" a biker who wore an offensive T-shirt, said he's all for the city strictly enforcing the laws and said the city should bring in as many police officers as it needs. "If they enforce the laws,” McBride told the Sun News “people will not want to come back if their good time is curtailed."

CAN RISING MOTORCYCLIST FATALITIES BE BLAMED ON LACK OF HELMET LAWS?
Author Jacob Sullum begs the question in his article “Hit & Run” in Reason magazine’s August 20th online edition, and goes on to answer those who blame the increase in rider fatalities on the repeal of helmet laws in several states.

Citing federal government data that indicate the number of fatal motorcycle accidents rose in 2007 for the 10th consecutive year, hitting 5,154, 7 percent higher than the 2006 total, Sullum writes that “the chief culprit recently seems to be higher gas prices, which have encouraged people to take advantage of motorcycles' vastly superior fuel efficiency: Motorcycle ridership appears to be rising even as the total miles for all vehicles drops....The highway safety authorities say that about 75 percent more motorcycles are registered today than 10 years ago. They suspect each motorcycle is ridden more miles, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it does not have a reliable measurement of use. The lack of such data makes it difficult to tell how much of an increase in fatalities following repeal of a helmet law results from less helmet wearing and how much results from more riding.”

“While wearing a helmet reduces the risk of certain injuries,” continues Sullum, “research suggests the overall impact on fatalities is modest. The unimpressive numbers are one reason motorcyclists have been so successful at defending their right to decide what, if anything, to wear on their heads. ‘We are the only industrialized country in the world where there is an organized effort to weaken or repeal motorcycle helmet laws,’ complains Russ Rader of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Is that a sign of backwardness or a point of pride?”

Meanwhile, Forbes Magazine points out that a new study released recently by the U.S. Department of Transportation found that “despite the relaxation of several state helmet laws, motorcycle helmet use in fatal crashes climbed from 55% in 1997 to 57% in 2006.”

In an August 25th article titled “Expensive Gas, Dangerous Roads”, Forbes writer William Pentland says, “Although helmets are undoubtedly decisive in some motorcycle accidents, the fact remains that the fatality rate for helmeted motorcyclists has risen more rapidly than it has for unhelmeted motorcyclists in the past three years. This suggests that factors other than helmet use have fueled the rise of motorcycle fatalities. Enter gas prices.”

Pentland’s research shows that since at least the 1970s, motorcycle registrations have tracked the rise and fall of gas prices. As prices rose in the 1970s, registrations followed. Similarly, in the 1980s, as gas prices fell, motorcycle registrations did too. During the 1990s, motorcycle registrations remained low and only began rising in 2000 and 2001.

“Last year, the number of licensed motorcyclists hit an all time high of 6,227,146,” says Pentland, “While the total number of miles traveled for passenger cars fell in 2007 for the first time since 1994, the total number of miles traveled for motorcycles not only increased, but reached a new record high.”

LOUD PIPES SAVE LIVES!
Silent but deadly, a California lawmaker says electric and hybrid cars and motorcycles may be good for the environment, but they’re bad news for the blind.

State Sen. Alan Lowenthal, a Long Beach Democrat, has pushed a bill through the legislature to ensure that vehicles make enough noise to be heard by the blind and visually impaired when they're about to cross a street.


The state Senate approved the bill on August 20 on a 23-12 vote and sent it to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who according to the San Francisco Chronicle has not taken a position.

FIGHTER DIES AFTER RUNNING OUT OF GAS
UFC Star Evan Tanner whose body was found in California’s Mojave Desert appears to have died from heat exhaustion after his off-road motorcycle ran out of gas. The 37-year-old former Ultimate Fighting middleweight champion was on a "cleansing" excursion and set out on foot in the scorching heat of the after his bike lost steam.

"What we were told is that (sheriff's officials who found him) believe his motorcycle had run out of gas, so he went to walk out in, like, 115- to 118-degree heat," said Douglas Vincitorio a member of Evan Tanner's management team at Driving Sports Force. "He was miles away from his camp. That's where the helicopter found him. Right now, they just think that he succumbed to the heat."

WEIRD NEWS: BIKER KILLED FOR HAULING HAMBURGER ON HIS HOG
Luckily, most bikers do not have to worry about being mobbed and killed over carrying some hamburger on their bike, but in India it is a different story.

An angry mob lynched a man in an Uttar Pradesh village in May on suspicion that he was transporting cow meat on his motorcycle, a police officer told Thaindian newspaper.

Riding a motorcycle in different countries carries different risks, but it appears that in India, surviving a bike accident is nothing compared to residents finding out that you are carrying cow meat, which is sacred. This type of incident shows that you should always research the laws or religious practices before you go biking around in other countries.

TOUGHER IN ALASKA -- JUNEAU BIKER CULTURE SUBJECT OF MUSEUM
Juneau has more motorcycles per capita than most places in the United States even though there are only 91 miles of road in the city shared by over a thousand motorcyclists, and is the only capital not accessible by road.

"That's pretty interesting," said Sarah Asper-Smith, guest curator of a museum exhibit on local biker culture, adding there were 1,025 registered motorcycles in 2006 in Juneau. "That's something that runs through the exhibit, is why do we have so many motorcycles in town when you can't drive out of town? I think it's that sense of freedom that Alaskans have in common."

"91 Miles to Ride: Juneau's Biker Culture" at the Juneau-Douglas City Museum highlights Juneau biker culture with memorabilia and photographs, some of which date to the 1930s, when there were a lot fewer roads. Also on display are four classic motorcycles, including a 1924 Henderson Inline IV, a 1936 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead, a 1946 Indian Chief, and a 9-foot-long 1975 customized chopper, all on loan from local bikers.

"The weather never really bothers us," said Craig “Oz” Rasmussen, who has ridden his ’36 Harley from Dawson City, Yukon to Tijuana, Mexico and is a member of the Southeast Alaska Panhandlers Motorcycle Club, which is prominently featured in the exhibit along with the Southeast Alaska Tongass Chapter of H.O.G. (Harley Owners Group), Juneau Alaska Bikers Advocating Training and Education (ABATE), and other groups.

NEW ZEALAND BARS BIKER PATCHES
Biker patches are not welcome in central Timaru and club members will have to remove their colors before entering some businesses.

“Businesses can now place stickers on their front doors stating that gang patches and colours are not permitted to be worn on the premises,” reports the Timaru Herald. Increasing gang activity prompted the joint initiative from Safer Communities and the South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, says the newspaper.

All businesses have the right to refuse entry as long as it is not seen as discrimination, and the stickers are not classed as discrimination, say officials.

The Chamber of Commerce designed and paid for the printing of 100 stickers and is assisting in the distribution. Chamber manager Dave Jack said more stickers will be printed if needed.

Timaru mayor Janie Annear said the stickers were just another tool to stamp out gang activity, adding that they weren’t naive enough to think the gang problem was over and were always thinking of new initiatives; “The battle is never totally won.”

QUOTABLE QUOTE: “A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have.”
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) Patriot and 3rd President of the United States