OFF THE WIRE
OKLAHOMA:
http://newsok.com/biker-safety-fee-wont-improve-motorcycle-safety/article/3493619 Biker 'safety fee' won't improve motorcycle safety
Published: September 2010
Regarding "New motorcycle fee puts focus on safety" (news feature, Sept. 7): As a longtime biker and recent transplant to Oklahoma, I was astounded when license plates for my bikes cost me three times what they cost where I moved from. In fact, it cost the same to register a 750-pound motorcycle as a 5,000-pound pickup truck. Then I heard bike plates would go up another $3 because of a new "safety fee." Are you kidding me? Will that really improve biker safety?
The majority of motor vehicle operators are unskilled and inattentive, typically driving like they got their driver's licenses out of Cracker Jack boxes. Surcharge them on their license plates and use the money to teach them not to pull out or turn in front of motorcycles. As for the quote from the guy who thinks helmet laws are "bogus," is he serious? The biggest cause of motorcycle accidents is drivers in cars who fail to yield; the single largest cause of death for motorcyclists is head injuries to riders not wearing helmets.
If you can't connect those dots, the sound you hear when you ride without a helmet isn't freedom. It's the wind whistling through the empty space between your ears.
Michael Barnett, Moore
