Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Massachusetts - MMA Conducts Voluntary Sound Checks in Yarmouth

OFF THE WIRE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MMA Conducts Voluntary Sound Checks in Yarmouth

On Saturday May 18, the Massachusetts Motorcycle Association (MMA) conducted Voluntary Motorcycle Sound Emissions Checks at the Yarmouth Police Department headquarters. The voluntary sound check was in response to a request from the Yarmouth Police Department to be proactive following a recent Yarmouth Town Meeting, at which a resident requested his fellow residents to adopt a Motorcycle Sound Bylaw designed to severely penalize motorcycles who altered their exhaust because this local resident felt that "illegal exhausts from motorcyclists were ruining their lives on Cape Cod". Though the bylaw was rejected at the Town Meeting as being excessive to Massachusetts General Law, Yarmouth's Police Chief wanted to do more to address the concerns of the community; reaching out to the MMA, the sound check was organized and operated in response to these concerns.

Working in concert with Yarmouth PD Officers, riders were encouraged to voluntarily test their motorcycles. Over 225 motorcycles visited the test site, with a significant number volunteering to have their motorcycles tested. Of all the motorcycles tested, only one was found to be in violation of Massachusetts General Law using the Code of Massachusetts Regulations (540 CMR 3.03) Stationary Motorcycle Noise Measurement Procedures. All riders also received a copy of the MMA's "When in Town, Throttle Down"© brochure, which details a program designed to educate riders that even a legal motorcycle can still draw negative attention if operated in a certain manner.

The MMA is a not-for-profit, 501(c)3 organization of motorcycle riders and enthusiasts, dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of motorcyclists' rights through appropriate, non-discriminatory legislation and regulation at all levels of government, and through the implementation of safety, insurance, education and public awareness policy and programs for the betterment of all motorcycling within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Requests for additional information and questions should be sent to: LegislativeDirector@MassMotorcycle.org or you can visit www.MassMotorcycle.org for more details.