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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Massachusetts Motorcycle Association Call-To-Action:
House Bill 2752, “An Act Regarding Right of Way Violations”
Your Massachusetts Motorcycle Association Board-of-Directors is requesting all of our members, friends, and supporters to please take immediate action on this important issue!
A critically important Bill authored by your MMA has made it through the public hearing process; has received a "Favorable, Ought-to-Pass" recommendation from the Joint Committee on Transportation, was further assigned to the "House Steering, Policy, and Scheduling" Committee on February 24, 2018, was once again reported out favorably, and was read for the second time on the House floor on March 19, 2018. On May 21, 2018, House Bill 2752, "An Act Regarding Right of Way Violations" was ordered to a third reading and currently sits with theHouse Committee on Bills in the Third Reading.
We are requesting for everyone to either copy the example email below, or write their own and forward it to Representative Theodore C. Speliotis, Chairman of theHouse Committee on Bills in the Third Reading. Please personalize the email for yourself by including a quick story, especially you have been the victim of or witness to aRight of Way Violation. If youare a constituent of Representative Speliotis or the other committee members, please mention that accordingly.
Finally, please place in the subject line, "House Bill 2752 - An Act Regarding Right of Way Violations" and add a cc to "LegislativeDirector@MassMotorcycle.org".
Committee members can be found at this link:
Full text of the bill can be found at this link:
SAMPLE TEXT:
Honorable Theodore C. Speliotis
Chairman,House Committee on Bills in the Third Reading.
State House
24 Beacon Street
Room 20
Boston, MA 02133
Re: House Bill 2752, “An Act Regarding Right of Way Violations”
Dear Representative Speliotis,
I respectfully request that your committee to favorably release House Bill 2752, “An Act Regarding Right of Way Violations” for its third reading on the House floor. I feel this is important to road safety for not only motorcyclists, but forallroadway users within the Commonwealth.
<<INSERT YOUR PERSONAL STORY HERE!!>
Briefly:
- H.2752 is not exclusive to Motorcycles, it benefits all highway users including Operators of Cars, Trucks, Bicycles, Motorcycles, and Pedestrians.
- H.2752 comes at no cost to the Commonwealth in that no special training is required, only communication. If anything, there’s a benefit to the Commonwealth through increased penalties which easily offset communication costs.
- Increased awareness and enforcement should improve overall conditions on our roadways while reducing costs associated with accident response.
- According to Federal and State fatality data, nearly 2/3 of Motorcycle Accidents are Right-of-Way violations. All too often, motorists violate the right-of-way of motorcyclists, almost always with disastrous results. Usually (67%) it’s the automobile operator turning left in front of the approaching motorcyclist leaving them with “no place to go” and little chance to avoid an accident. Other examples include motorists running into the back of the motorcycle and running red lights and stop signs.
- Currently in Massachusetts, a Right-of-Way Violation is punishable by a $35 ticket… If a citation is even written. The penalty to a Motorcyclist, regardless of fault, is almost assuredly serious injury or death.
National Highway Transportation Safety Association (NHTSA):
http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/motorcycle/00-nht-212-motorcycle/motorcycle49-50.html
The idea is to recognize that driving (and riding) is a serious responsibility. The consequences of mistakes can be high for victims, and they should be high for offenders, too.H.2752 was patterned after the American Motorcyclist Association’s (AMA) Justice for All Program that has already been enacted in Virginia, North Carolina, Washington, and numerous other states that focuses on inadequate sentencing of drivers who seriously injure or kill others on the road.
Right-of-Way legislation prepared by the MMA and the AMA seeks to impose fines on drivers who commit traffic offenses that injure or kill others. But the main thrust is on driver’s-license suspensions designed to get dangerous drivers off the road—at least for a period of time.
Aggressive driving behaviors and distracted driving continue to be a major problem in this state. Recently, this legislative body took a step in the right direction to improve safety on our streets and highways with the passage of a bill banning texting while driving, we need to continue that trend with the passage of this important piece of legislation.
Respectfully,
<<YOUR NAME HERE>>
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