The Massachusetts Motorcycle Association (MMA) agrees with the position taken and fully supports the activities of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) in working with the NTSB towards “education not legislation”. Please read the MRF release including the links to the specific recommendations.
While the NTSB as a parent body has been receptive and significantly expanded the “most wanted” list, the CDC and NHTSA have both significantly increased their misguided attacks on helmet usage as a singular “cause” of Motorcycle Fatalities. Clearly the lack of a Helmet is not what “causes” an accident; the MMA, MRF, and AMA position has always been and continues to be that we need to focus on accident causation and prevention. This response by the NTSB is a significantly positive response in the right direction.
To read the article, see below or Click Here.
For more information, please see http://www.mrf.org, http://www.MassMotorcycle.org, or contact mrfrep@MassMotorcycle.org
©2011 Massachusetts Motorcycle Association – Documents referenced herein are with permission of their respective Copyright owners.
MRF E-MAIL NEWS Motorcycle Riders Foundation
236 Massachusetts Ave. NE | Suite 510 | Washington, DC 20002-4980
202-546-0983 (voice) | 202-546-0986 (fax) | http://www.mrf.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
23 June 2011
Contact: Jeff Hennie, Vice President of Government Ralations and Public Affairs
National Transportation Safety Board Updates “Top Ten Most Wanted” List
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its yearly update to its "Top Ten Most Wanted" list Thursday, June 23rd. The list is a targeted group of the safety board's ten priorities for the year.
Last year for the first time, motorcycle safety was a target. However, the safety board missed the mark. Their answer to motorcycle safety, at the time, was to ask each State to pass mandatory helmet laws. This was not acceptable to the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF).
The NTSB has an extremely brief and inexperienced history with motorcycle safety, so the MRF led the charge with educating their board members and staff. The agency has investigated just 6 motorcycle accidents in their 44 year history of surface transportation investigation. Compare that to the 60,000 other surface transportation incidents and their lack of expertise is obvious.
The MRF is pleased that the new recommendations for motorcycle safety no longer call for a helmet law. What the NTSB is now asking for is voluntary helmet use and puts equal importance on crash prevention. The MRF has been key in getting all government agencies to focus on crash prevention over injury reduction for decades.
"Of course, the NTSB has a long way to go before they can even be considered amateur motorcycle safety specialists, but this is certainly a step in the right direction" said Jeff Hennie, Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs for the Motorcycle Riders Foundation. "This should be considered a victory for motorcycle rights groups who have engaged on this issue" he added.
To read the entire "Top Ten Most Wanted" click here: http://www.ntsb.gov/news/2011/110623.html
To read the specific motorcycle recomendations click here: http://www.ntsb.gov/safety/mwl-10.html
The NTSB is an independent government agency charged with determining the probable cause of transportation accidents and promoting transportation safety, and assisting victims of transportation accidents and their families. Formed by Congress in 1926, their original charter was to investigate only airline and airplane accidents. In 1967, that charter was expanded to include; marine, pipeline, railroad and highway modes.
© 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.