October, 2010 A Motorcycle Friendly Nevada?

OFF THE WIRE
A MOTORCYCLE-FRIENDLY NEVADA?

By TigerLily



The spirit of motorcycling is under
attack across the country on many fronts.
In California, SB 435 recently passed another obstacle to impose more
restrictions on motorcycles. Checkpoints
to stop only motorcycles are rising across the country. How did we let things get so out of
hand? It starts slowly, with a little
tax here and a little rule there. Before
you know it, that tiny nuisance has grown into a force to be reckoned with,
like the child you should have disciplined that grows up to abuse the parents. The
good news is that with November elections around the corner we have the
opportunity to repair damage.

This article illustrates a point by taking
a critical look at one seemingly benign even benevolent State program. The point is that, like other public
bureaucracies, it is causing harm. That
example is the Nevada Rider Motorcycle Safety Program.

This Program was established in
1991. Its primary purpose is to conduct
quality rider training throughout Nevada.
It is funded by a $6 fee that only motorcyclists have to pay when
registering their vehicle and by federal grants. The total revenue was over a million dollars
in fiscal years 2008 and 2009, combined.
I imagine that in 1991, a little extra fee on a motorcycle registration
wasnt a big deal. Who cares, if its
for riding skills, right?

First off, why should motorcyclists be
the ONLY vehicles in Nevada required to pay an EXTRA fee for safety? According to a 2007 NHTSA report, 57% of all
motorcycle fatalities involved crashes with vehicles other than motorcycles. (It was a difficult stat to find and even
more difficult is the number of accidents vs. fatalities caused by other motor
vehicles.) So if other vehicles are
killing us, why should WE be the ones paying for ALL the safety? Its illogical, but we are stuck with this
program for now.

In the meantime, lets examine the Governor-appointed
Advisory Board on Motorcycle Safety, which is responsible for the Program.

1. This year, $126,000 was taken from the
Motorcycle Safety Program. I first
heard of this stunning report by Larry Loyd, MSF Instructor for Henderson
Harley Davidson. This report was
confirmed by Ken Kiphart, Board Administrator, who said, "a transfer of
funds [was] legal after the 2010 legislative special session..." To Mr. Kiphart's credit, the removal of those
funds was out of his control, as legislators passed a special law granting them
new authority to move money from a number of specialty funds to balance the
State budget.

2. There appears to be no attempt to evaluate
the effectiveness of this Program compared to private sector training options. Therefore, the question becomes, why
exist? Vic "Doc" Moss, owner
of Cycle School Motorcycle Training has this to say: "The program was
originally established when no private businesses were willing to provide
training. But when private industry is
willing and able, there is no reason for taxpayers to subsidize this type of
education. The program should be phased
out or shrink it to handle only the rural areas." Mr. Nelson Ruehl, known as
"Renegade," a motorcycle rights activist with several organizations
including the U.S. Defenders says, "I feel motorcyclists take the safety
course to avoid the DMV test and get a discount on their insurance. But the same result is possible through the
private sector, stimulating our economy while reducing tax payers'
burden."

3. A representative of this Program testified
against the repeal of the helmet law in the last legislative session. The justification to oppose the repeal was on
the grounds that the Bill called for mandatory training of new riders and this
mandate would have increased the waiting list for those wanting to take the
course. With half a million dollars in
the budget at that time, should'nt the program have found a means to recruit
more educators and accommodate that predicted influx?

4. The Program is undermining motorcycle tourism
in the State of Nevada. Public highway
messages created by the Board and displayed during last year's Street
Vibrations in Reno, were a topic of discussion at a recent Board meeting. A Northern Nevada motorcyclist described the
verbiage of the signs as, "tourist unfriendly." In response, a Board member said, "They're
not designed to be friendly, they're supposed to make a point." This type
of arrogance is telling. Renegade
states, "In retail, odds are that for every person that complains to a
manager there are 10 that don't. And those
10 spread the word to 10 more. Can we
afford 100 hotel rooms to go empty in this economy? A reliable source, who wishes to remain
anonymous, said that Arizona motorcyclists are holding their own event in
Arizona concurrently with Las Vegas BikeFest as a means to protest the
unfriendly law enforcement climate toward motorcyclists in Nevada.

5. The program is an extra layer of bureaucracy
to stonewall motorcyclists seeking justice for violations of citizens'
rights. In an effort to be
law abiding and not be harassed by law enforcers for perceived helmet violations,
B.O.L.T.'s David Stilwell, has for one year, consistently asked local law
enforcement agencies, "What constitutes a legal helmet?" Agency responses are, "Ask the Safety
Board." When he asks the Board, he
is told to ask the law enforcement agencies, or the Attorney General, or the
legislators. Mr. Stilwell responds,
"It's not the legislators or the Attorney General who pull us over. It's the law enforcers, and they keep passing
the buck."

It appears that this motorcycle safety
bureaucracy is another means of squandering our tax dollars. So what can motorcyclists do to garner a
friendlier motorcycle State? Glad you
asked. This is an election year and time
to clean house! Visit the Nevada ABATE
websites to see which candidates are on our side. Political party is irrelevant; what matters
is whether a candidate will advocate for a motorcycle friendly state.

Quite possibly, the most important
seat to the motorcycle community is the Attorney General. Travis Barrick is a staunch advocate for
motorcyclists and we helped him win the Primaries. His track record as advocate for Veterans
rights is indisputable. And he comes
from a family with a long line of motorcycle riders. The motorcycling community in the State of
Nevada would be well served as he would better advocate for our interests
compared to the incumbent who has a limited understanding of our culture. But financially, Mr. Barrick is the
underdog. His friend William Lehman,
also a motorcyclist said, "He will win, but it won't be because he was
able to pay for television commercials.
He'll win because motorcyclists got busy. One motorcyclist is one
vote. But one motorcyclist that finds
five others to network will help us win."
Businesses that rely on motorcycling should also support his candidacy
with signs and banners. And every
motorcyclist that loves to ride would be well served to visit his website at www.TravisBarrick.com and lend a hand.

The November election is absolutely crucial
to our motorcycling freedoms! If we do
our part to get the right representatives in our legislature it will set off a
chain of events that can make Nevada among the friendliest motorcycle States in
the country. And that will have a
tremendously positive impact on our overall economy, particularly among the
tourist and motorcycling industries. We
owe it to the rest of the nation to improve conditions for all motorcyclists
who visit us. Better conditions will encourage
riders from states with limited riding seasons to enjoy the many beautiful
riding destinations in Nevada.


TigerLily
Southwest Ad Manager/Correspondent
QuickThrottle Magazine
www.quickthrottle.com
702-417-6260