Legislative Update

Another state finally gets it. More ammo for the coming bout with Carona.

Sputnik

bikers June 23, 2008

Read Comments(2)Recommend (1)Print this page E-mail this article Share this article: Del.icio.us Facebook Digg Reddit Newsvine What's this? In the past, surges in motorcycle accidents and fatalities have been cited primarily to support arguments for mandatory use of safety helmets. We support laws requiring helmet use, but realize that such a focus is limited. The limitation is being addressed by the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission's Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Committee. The committee has launched a statewide motorcycle-safety campaign, using broadcast commercials and billboards aimed not at bikers but at operators of vehicles other than motorcycles.

There is good reason for the safety campaign. Louisiana ranks third in the nation in biker fatalities. Lafayette's record is not good, either. Last year, six motorcycle-related deaths occurred in the city.

The Insurance Information Institute says cycling has become more popular in recent years. The number of bikes on our roads has soared, and the appeal to older riders has increased. Deaths among cyclists 40 and older have climbed substantially, the institute says.

In August, a safety summit produced by MSAC and the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission was held in Baton Rouge. Safety officials pinpointed reasons for the alarming increase in motorcycle fatalities. Among them were lack of professional training, speeding, lack of protective equipment such as helmets and operating while impaired by alcohol or other substances.

These are all valid reasons for the alarming death rate among bikers, but it is an incomplete list.

MSAC's new awareness campaign expands the safety focus - targeting drivers of cars and trucks who pay too little attention to cyclists.

James "Poet" Sisco, president of ABATE Louisiana - American Bikers Active Toward Education - and a founder of MSAC, explained the new focus.

"We try to teach safer crashing, and that's the wrong approach," he said.
"We should teach crash avoidance. It will do a lot more for them than any helmet or safe crashing will."

MSAC's awareness campaign already has shown positive results.

According to Sisco, "It used to be that two-thirds of all motorcycle crashes were the fault of a driver violating the right-of-way of a motorcyclist.
That figure has come down to at least 40 percent, and I would like to think this campaign has something to do with it."

State funds are provided for the awareness campaign. House Resolution 3 allocates $100,000 specifically for motorcycle education and awareness.
The campaign calls for establishing six more billboards every year, if funds are available. Scheduled to expire in 2009, a reallocation of funds has been approved starting in 2010.

Motorcycle safety will be enhanced if drivers of other types of vehicles keep a close watch for bikers. We urge all our readers to heed the message of the awareness campaign

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