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NCOM Biker Newsbytes for May 2023

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Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish Industry & Legislative Motorcycle News from USA and the world IN THE NEWS THIS WEEK — “COMING TOGETHER” WELCOMED AT NCOM CONVENTION AORA WOULD EXPAND MOTORIZED RECREATION MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY “FLAT” AS SALES SLIP MIC ADDS POPULAR “ADVENTURE BIKE” MARKET SEGMENT NHTSA REPORTS RISE IN MOTORCYCLIST FATALITIES WHO PROMOTES HELMET USAGE WORLDWIDE ENHANCED DRIVERS LICENSES AVAILABLE IN OHIO MOTORCYCLE TRAINING GRADUATES EXEMPTED FROM SKILLS TEST IN KENTUCKY BIG-FOUR TO CONDUCT JOINT RESEARCH ON HYDROGEN MOTORCYCLES Click Here to Read the NCOM news on Bikernet.com * * * * * * * * Click & know more about Bikernet’s Free Weekly Newsletter

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Used Volkswagens and Autonomous Cars

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This is for those committed to keep driving alive Never Stop Driving ! Two things are on my mind: A recent sale of a used Volkswagen and a podcast in which Elon Musk said Tesla cars will have Level IV autonomous capability in 2023. I think the two are related. Let me explain. While I would not mind an autonomous pilot myself from time to time, I am first and foremost a driver. The one thing I’ve had in common at all my gigs is that I have no off-hours from cars. I spend nearly every waking minute either working on cars; driving cars, whether around town or, my favorite, long road trips; racing; or passing on my enthusiasm. Your humble narrator fathoms deep in the car thing. –by Larry Webster from Hagerty.com Read this Editorial Article on Bikernet.com by Clicking Here. * * * * If you haven’t already, Check Out the Brand New 5-Ball Racing Garage Online Shop !!! CLICK HERE: You will find unique Motorcycling Gear designed by Lifelong Bikers & Custom Builders. Riding Free for 25 Years, celebrate Bikernet.com

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The “Biker Lives Matter” Organization

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Click Here to Get Involved – http://www.bikerlivesmatter.com/ Article by Rogue – Founder of Biker Lives Matter, Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame I have been asked a lot why I and some others started an organization named Biker Lives Matter and why it is important to me. My answer is simple, there is a need for an organization that calls attention to the tragic loss of lives and livelihoods from motorcycle crashes. In the 1970s, I became involved in motorcycle rights and safety. At the time, motorcycle injury and death rate were high so the government and insurance companies began trying to pass laws that they hoped would help protect motorcyclists when crashes happened. I have been riding motorcycles for 69 years and both my life and that of the others who ride has always been important to me. I have seen many people injured and I know too many that have died. I consider myself one of the lucky ones to still be riding at the age of 83 years old. CLICK HERE To Read this insightful feature article on Bikernet.com SUPPORT Biker Lives Matter – Visit website to know more: http://www.bikerlivesmatter.com/

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Contact Governor Gavin Newsom TODAY about AB43- Traffic Safety Bill

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National Motorists Association (NMA). California Immediate Attention: Contact Governor Gavin Newsom TODAY about AB43–the Traffic Safety Bill Dear California NMA Members, AB43 is a “hair on fire” situation. The bill, generically titled “Traffic Safety,” was passed by the state Senate and Assembly earlier this month by votes of 30 to 5 and 68 to 5 respectively, with a few abstentions in both chambers. AB43 was forwarded to Governor Newsom on September 17th and is awaiting his action. That’s why the urgency. (Please send this out to family and friends as well). Members should email their opposition to the bill to: Governor Gavin Newsom c/o Ronda.Paschal@gov.ca.gov –Deputy Legislative Secretary The main issue is that the bill would reverse nearly 100 years of California speed limits being based on fact-based engineering by allowing the lowering of limits without any particular rationale. By disregarding proven traffic engineering standards and posting unrealistic limits, many more drivers traveling at conventional, safe speeds will be stopped and ticketed for noncompliance. Police and community relations will be poorly served by a dramatic increase in traffic stops that serves no safety purpose. Speed traps will become much more prevalent. The forced lowering of speed limits will also create a surge in traffic accidents. Most drivers obey their instincts of what is a safe rate of travel on a particular road. That’s why the prevailing methodology for setting the safest speed limit is based on the prevailing behavior of 85 percent of drivers. Studies have shown repeatedly that the 85th percentile rule for establishing speed limits minimizes crashes. By reducing speed limits below those levels, there will be a wider variance of driving speeds on the road, some obeying the new numbers on the speed limit signs and more following natural driving patterns. The result will be more vehicular

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Free Youth Leadership Program in Driver Education in Canada

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Teens in Ontario can now apply for new Vision Zero Youth Network Program. The Vision Zero Youth Network (VZYN) by Teens Learn to Drive Inc. allows teens in Ontario ages 15-19 to gain experience and help make their communities safe. ONTARIO, CANADA – Non-profit organization, Teens Learn to Drive Inc. (TL2D) is inviting media partners for the launch of its new leadership program for Ontario high school students called the Vision Zero Youth Network (VZYN). In Ontario’s worst case scenario, a 16-year old could: • Pass the G1 written test after taking 10 to 12 practice tests online. (This test concentrates on sign recognition of the rules of the road, and both are largely forgotten afterwards.) • Drive back and forth to the grocery store for a year while parents are unaware of what their child is doing on the road. • Practise the route of a road test a few times before taking the actual assessment – (perhaps in a much less busy region than where they live). NOTE: During this time, the parent cannot let them drive on 400-series highways. • On their 17th birthday, pass the 17-minute road test. • Then pile their friends into the car and head out on the 401 – North America’s busiest road – while driving at high speeds alongside other cars, trucks, motorcycles and emergency vehicles. If that sounds far-fetched, 62% of new drivers in Ontario do not take formal driver education (2019, MTO data). Instead, they learn from friends and family members who may have bad habits or outdated information. Vision Zero is an idea that was developed in Sweden during the late 1990s. It aims to eliminate deaths on roads by using systems and infrastructure to lessen the damage when drivers make mistakes. Sweden also strengthened their mandatory driver

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American’s Top Reason For Accessing Driving Records Is To Check A Partner’s Record

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from https://motorcycles.einnews.com Checking the driving records of a spouse or partner is the main reason that people have been using a leading driving records website. Checking the driving records of a spouse or partner is the main reason that people have been using a leading driving records website. DMV.US.org, the leading site for driving records and data, has carried out research into the main reasons that people are using the site, and checking the driving records of a partner has come out tops. Other main reasons that people are using the site include checking their own records and reconnecting with a long-lost friend. Some more unusual responses included trying to find the father of a child, looking up the previous owner of a pet, and one person even tried to search for information on President Trump! The top 10 list of reasons for using DMV.us.org are: Checking a spouse or partner 2. Checking themselves 3. Reconnecting with a long lost friend or relative 4. Checking on new neighbors when moving house 5. Checking a new person in their lives – a friend or lover 6. Checking celebrities or sportspeople 7. Searching people with the same name as them 8. To track down the father of their child! 9. To find the previous owner of a pet 10. Researching the owner of land. Using Driving Records is a great way to find out information on a variety of subjects. You can use them to search yourself to make sure that the correct information is in the public domain, to reconnect with friends you may have lost touch with, and even to look up your neighbors if you have concerns about their driving! DMV.us.org was created to provide driving records to commuters all over the United States. The site provides an extensive

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Why UPS Drivers Don’t Turn Left And You Probably Shouldn’t Either

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from https://www.iflscience.com It might seem strange, but UPS delivery vans don’t always take the shortest route between stops. The company gives each driver a specific route to follow and that includes a policy that drivers should never turn through oncoming traffic (that’s left in countries where they drive on the right and vice versa) unless absolutely necessary. This means that routes are sometimes longer than they have to be. So, why do they do it? Every day, along with thousands of other companies, UPS solves versions of the vehicle routing problem. In these mathematical problems, you are given a set of points and the distances between them, and you have to find the best route(s) to travel through all of them. Best is usually defined as the route with the shortest overall distance. Vehicle routing problems are used to organise many things, from coping with more delivery trucks in cities and hailing taxis to catching chickens on a farm. The concept was introduced by George Dantzig in 1959. Over 50 years later, and despite a large body of scientific research, scientists are still looking for new ways to tackle the problem. UPS have moved away from trying to find the shortest route and now look at other criteria to optimise the journey. One of their methods is to try and avoid turning through oncoming traffic at a junction. Although this might be going in the opposite direction of the final destination, it reduces the chances of an accident and cuts delays caused by waiting for a gap in the traffic, which would also waste fuel. UPS have designed their vehicle routing software to eliminate as many left-hand turns as possible (in countries with right-hand traffic). Typically, only 10% of the turns are left turns. As a result, the company claims

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Oregon considering motorcycle ‘lane filtering’ bill

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by Chris McGinness from https://www.ktvb.com Motorcycle ‘lane filtering’ bill has strong support in Oregon It’s not like California. Think of motorcycles passing at parking lot speeds. Supporters tout rider safety. When you’re driving on a crowded freeway how would you feel about sharing the road with motorcycles moving from lane to lane? Sound scary and dangerous? Riders say it could actually be safer than what’s allowed now. “Lane filtering,” as proposed in Oregon Senate Bill 574 (summary here), would allow motorcyclists to move back and forth between very slow moving traffic on multi-lane Oregon highways. Similar legislation has been discussed since 2015. This time around, there are clearer definitions for when the practice would be legal. Still, the perception many drivers have about lane filtering is of the occasional reckless rider zipping though traffic. We asked a few motorists about it as they gassed up at Radio Cab in Northwest Portland. “It scares me a little bit,” a man named Ravi said. “If there’s’ something in the road and I have to get out the way really quickly, I would hate to accidentally have to merge into his driving lane.” “Well, I think that’s an incredibly bad idea but if you want to take that risk,” said a woman named Kate. The lane filtering proposed in Oregon takes many of the concerns into consideration. “Traffic has to be either stopped or moving less than 10 miles an hour. The motorcyclist cannot exceed the speed of traffic by more than 10 miles an hour,” said longtime motorcyclist Patrick Leyshock of Northeast Portland. Advocates, of which there are many of both sides of the political spectrum, point to three benefits to permitting lane filtering: reduced congestion, reduced emissions and enhanced rider safety. This last point seems counterintuitive unless you’ve ever ridden a

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As Utah motorcycle deaths rise, cycle groups call for better ban on drivers using hand-held cellphones

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by Lee Davidson from https://www.sltrib.com/ Motorcycle groups revved up a call Thursday for something they say might have saved several of the record 48 riders who died on Utah highways last year: a better ban on the use of hand-held cellphones while driving. “Every time I ride my motorcycle, I always have to worry that there’s people right next to me, or in front or behind me, that are texting” or talking on cellphones, said Elvecia Ramos, founder of The Riderz Foundation, at a state Capitol news conference. “It drives me crazy.” She’s not alone. “We’re getting hit by people who are on their phones. We’re all getting hit by left-hand turns” by drivers without peripheral vision because their phones block it, said Annette Ault, Utah chapter president of American Bikers Aiming Toward Education. “And we don’t have any protection,” said Terry Marasco, legislative and policy analyst for The Riderz Foundation. 8“We don’t have any air bags. We don’t have any seat belts.” “And we don’t have any metal around us,” Ault added. So they are calling for passage of HB101 by Rep. Carol Moss, D-Holladay, to create a better ban. Hand-held use of cellphones while driving has technically been illegal in Utah since 2007. But it can only be enforced if another moving traffic violation is committed at the same time, such as speeding. So few tickets are ever written. It also complicates the enforcement of laws that have banned texting while driving since 2009. Police report that when they pull over people they see texting, they often claim to have been merely dialing a phone number — complicating whether they may issue a ticket if they committed no other moving violation. Moss has tried — and failed — for years to allow direct citations for talking-on-the-phone violations. Republican

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Hundreds of drunk scooter riders lost their licenses at Germany’s Oktoberfest this year

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by Zac Palmer from https://www.autoblog.com Drinking and riding carries the same penalty as drunk driving Oktoberfest just wrapped up in Munich, and surprisingly, there’s some pretty alarming transportation-related news coming from it. Ride-sharing scooters and drunk party-goers don’t make for a good combination, but that’s exactly what German police had to fend with throughout the 16-day-long event. According to German news outlet Deutsche Welle, and picked up by The Drive, local police say they caught 414 people riding scooters while under the influence. Of those, 254 riders had their driver’s licenses revoked on the spot. Germany treats scooters the same as cars, so there are serious consequences for not following the rules of the road — similar to America, there are repercussions for drunk driving. What remains unreported is how many accidents or injuries occurred as a result of all the drunk scootering. German police were on high alert when it came to the scooters, as they were just unleashed on the public in June this year. The numbers are slightly better for folks who were driving an actual car in the city of Munich during the festival. Police found 315 drunk drivers and forced 215 of those to give up their licenses immediately. Millions from all over the globe attend Oktoberfest every year. Beer is consumed in copious amounts in massive beer glasses known as steins — the only size of beer served in the beer tents amounts to 33.8 ounces. Drinking tasty German beer and singing all day may have given some folks a little too much confidence to pilot an E-scooter home rather than walking like the rest of the crowd. Police did a great job of keeping the scooters from entering onto the Oktoberfest grounds, banning their use during the festival itself. We’ll leave you with

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