NCOM Coast To Coast Biker News for January 2014

Navigant Research recently released a report titled “Electric Vehicles: 10 Predictions for 2014″ in which it is estimated that 700,000 plug-in vehicles will be on the road around the world by the end of this year.

The given justifications? Rebounding economies, better products, battery prices that have come down providing competitive price points for e-motorcycles, a large potential clientele that has already had a positive electric experience via e-bicycles, e-scooters and e-mopeds.

The old adage that you never see a motorcycle parked outside the psychiatrist’s office may prove more insightful than previously considered, as a new study reveals that the key to happiness for the better half of U.S. is a bike key!

The Harley-Davidson Female Riders Survey, conducted by a leading global insights firm and commissioned by the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, shows that women who ride their own motorcycles are noticeably happier, sexier and more confident than women who don’t ride.  After interviewing 1,013 adult female riders and 1,016 adult female non-riders, the findings make it clear that riding a motorcycle greatly improves a woman’s feelings of overall self-worth.

• More than twice as many always feel happy (37% of riders vs. 16% of non-riders) 

More than half (53%) of women who ride cite their motorcycle as a key source of happiness, according to the findings, and nearly three in four (74%) believe their lives have improved since they started riding.

When it comes to romance, the market research collected by Kelton Global also shows riding can improve relationships, as female motorcyclists are more content than non-riders with:

• Communication with their significant other (60% of riders vs. 38% of non-riders) 

More and more women are, in fact, riding. A 2012 study by the Motorcycle Industry Council found that women accounted for 12% of U.S. motorcyclists — up from 10.5% in 2009, and Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson is selling more motorcycles to women than all their competitors combined, according to Claudia Garber, Director of Women’s Outreach for Harley-Davidson.

Pennsylvanians who perpetually renew their motorcyclist permits to avoid having to take the state’s motorcycle safety course will soon have their strategy derailed, as a new law will limit the number of times a motorcycle rider can reapply for a learner’s permit to three times in a five-year period. Representative Seth Grove (R-Dover), author of House Bill 892, said some riders have been treating permits like actual licenses since current law allows them to reapply for a permit every year.

“Permits are temporary and their purpose is to get riders to obtain full driver’s licenses,” said Rep. Grove. “This legislation will enable riders to learn properly while pushing them to actually get their motorcycle licenses.“

Under current law, a permit is valid for one year, but some motorcyclists apply for it year after year so they are never required to take the safety course that’s required to receive the full four-year license, said Charles Umbenhauer, spokesman for ABATE of Pennsylvania, which supported the measure.

Umbenhauer told the York Dispatch that the legislation is a continuation of other safety measures for which the ABATE organization has pushed.  Grove also introduced legislation that, when signed into law last year, required minors who hold motorcycle permits to successfully complete a free 15-hour riding course.

HB 892 passed the House and Senate with little dissent and was signed into law by Governor Tom Corbett.

A state survey has found that nearly three-quarters of Michigan motorcyclists wear helmets, down from almost a hundred percent before the state ended mandatory universal helmet use in 2012, letting riders opt out under certain circumstances.

Data for the Wayne State University study was collected over the summer by use of video cameras randomly placed across the state, and shows that 73% of motorcyclists in Michigan wear helmets, down from 99.4% in 2006 when the last statewide observation survey was conducted.

Still, the authors note that Michigan’s usage rate is 13% higher than the 60% of U.S. riders spotted wearing helmets in a nationwide survey in 2012. Also interesting to note, the current rate of riders wearing helmets is slightly lower than the 74.7% of helmeted riders involved in motorcycle crashes, according to the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, meaning lidless riders have a somewhat better safety record.

The Michigan Department of Highway Safety said that helmet use varies widely among types of riders: 94.5% of people riding sports bikes wore helmets while only 33.3% of riders of choppers and custom bikes did. Female riders and those under 30 and over 60 also wear helmets more frequently.

The city of Chicago is turning a deaf ear to loud motorcycles, so much so that that an alderman has proposed a ten-fold increase in fines for violators, those who change their mufflers to make them louder, according to DNAInfo Chicago.

The alderman is calling it a quality of life issue, and his proposal would increase the maximum fine for violations from $100 to $1,000.

A young Georgia man was riding his motorcycle to the gym during rush hour when a Richmond County deputy may have broke department policy and gave chase over invalid plates, ending in a fatal crash.

The deputy was also on a motorcycle, a vehicle that – because of the risk involved – is “strongly discouraged” from initiating or participating in chases in Richmond and Columbia counties unless extenuating circumstances exist, policy states.

According to policy, deputies are justified in beginning a chase even when the only information available is that the suspect hasn’t stopped as ordered, but after a chase has started, policy states that deputies must continuously evaluate the circumstances, such as the initial reason for the pursuit; traffic and weather conditions; time of day; direction of travel; the possible consequences; and most importantly, the safety of the public, the deputy and other law enforcement personnel.

“Pursuits may continue if there are reasonable grounds to believe the suspect presents a clear and immediate threat to the safety of others or if the suspect has committed or is attempting to commit a forcible felony,” policy states.

The family is considering legal options, but a police spokesman stressed that “while it is the deputy who initiates the traffic stop, it is the violator who initiates the pursuit.”

Nationally, the U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that 6,000 to 8,000 police chases end in crashes each year, with close to 5,000 people being injured and 500 being killed.

Road crashes have been named the leading cause of unnatural death among Americans who travel outside of the country, where they are unfamiliar with local driving rules and customs, and more U.S. citizens die in car or motorcycle accidents than from terrorist events according to a new study from Johns Hopkins University.

Using data from the U.S. State Department that represented 5,417 unnatural deaths between January 2003 and December 2009, the research team calculated the rates of death by dividing the number of unnatural deaths by the number of Americans who visited each country.

“We know that the distribution of road traffic fatalities varies dramatically across different parts of the world,” Huseyin Naci, from the London School of Economics and Political Science, told Reuters news service. “While pedestrian deaths are more common in many parts of Africa, motorcycle and bicycle deaths occur more frequently in southeast Asia.”

Out of all the countries deemed unsafe for travel, Thailand ranked first among the most traffic-related deaths with 16.5 deaths per one million visits. Vietnam came in second with 15 deaths per one million visits, Morocco third with 12 deaths per one million visits, and South Africa fourth with 11 deaths per one million visits. Researchers also reported that scooter and motorcycle deaths accounted for a large portion of traffic-related deaths.

Effective January 1, 2014, it is mandatory for all motorcyclists and passengers to wear reflective jackets or vests when riding in the Republic of Mauritius, an island country in the south west Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa.

Road Traffic Regulations passed last fall regarding “Use of High Visibility Clothing” states;

“No person shall drive (or ride as a pillion rider on) a motorcycle or auto cycle, unless he wears high visibility clothing without any covering being worn over it that may cause obstruction to its visibility.”

The regulations even dictate the type of polyester material, size of reflective strips and specific fluorescent colors (lime yellow, red or orange) “intended to provide conspicuity at all times.”

Any person who contravenes these regulations shall commit an offence and shall, on

conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding 1,000 Mauritian Rupees (MUR).

Scottish Police say that members of the pubic visiting Balkello Woods have been left “frustrated and concerned” by the irresponsible and illegal use of motorcycles in the area, both on and off road.

Police Scotland and the Forestry Commission have joined forces in announcing a major crackdown on unauthorized motor vehicles in the woodlands; “Powers granted under Road Traffic and Anti-Social Behaviour legislation allow the police to seize vehicles – including motorcycles and mini-motos – where they have been driven without license or insurance, or, in this scenario, where they are used in an anti-social manner.”

A force spokesman said: “Officers have long focused on reducing the anti-social and illegal use of motorcycles and make full use of Anti-Social and Road Traffic legislation to seize motorcycles that are being used illegally. Following enforcement, many of the vehicles seized are ultimately dismantled and crushed.”

Like ‘em or love ’em, the rift over the redneck Robertson clan from A&E Network’s top-rated “Duck Dynasty” showed that America still has a backbone, and Americans can influence change if enough of us stand together.  After the network suspended Phil Robertson over anti-gay comments, a grassroots tsunami of people from all walks of life lit up phone lines, email inboxes and fax machines as the surge of incoming communications quickly became so intense, employees of the cable giant reportedly complained that the company was overwhelmed and had all but ground to a halt.

The uproar continued through Christmas until Friday, December 27, when A&E announced it was lifting the suspension and the show will continue.

Millions of citizens — many who had never taken any kind of action before – had successfully sprang to the defense of a man and his right to speak freely, irrespective of PC.  If the Duck Dynasty flap proves anything, it’s that — when pushed too far — concerned Americans will rise up in response!