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Troublesome news for motorcyclist community in Europe

Threats from Europe The last few months have seen troublesome news for the motorcyclist community in Europe. Yesterday, the website motorious.com reported on a new threat to motorcyclists in Paris, France. Officials there are taking aim at motorcycles and using sound pollution as the justification. According to the report, “Paris authorities have been experimenting with sound radars as a way to fight excessive noise pollution in the city. Such devices allow police to pinpoint which motorcycle is emitting more decibels than is allowed, then fine the rider.” This news for Paris comes on the heels of a Politico report late last year, that the European Commission has plans to dramatically change emission requirements on vehicles. While motorcycles were not included in the initial blueprint, fears are high in Europe. A ban on internal combustion engines “Would be a disaster,” said Michael Lenzen of the German Motorcyclists’ Association. Don’t forget that in 2020, the Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Associations (FEMA), issued a warning about end-of-life vehicle directives. Such a policy would require the collection and destruction of motorcycles that have come to the end of their life. At the time, Wim Taal, FEMA’s communications officer said, “Inclusion of motorcycles in the scope of the directive could also mean a serious threat to historical motorcycles. These bikes are especially dependent upon available and affordable original spare parts to keep them in working order. And who wants to see old-timers disappear into state approved demolishing facilities?” The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) is committed to working with and supporting our partners in Europe. As MRF President Kirk “Hardtail” Willard has repeatedly warned, “Policy ideas that first appear in Europe have a history of popping up in the United States.” The MRF is dedicated to opposing policies that destroy the motorcycling lifestyle. Thank you for

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National Roadway Safety Strategy Announced

Thursday afternoon, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced a new national road safety campaign. The plan, known as the “National Roadway Safety Strategy,” comes in response to increased year over year fatalities on our nation’s roadways. In 2020, an estimated 38,680 people died as a result of a motor vehicle crash. Of those, approximately 9% were motorcyclists’ fatalities. What is most alarming about the increase in fatalities, is that the total number of miles traveled on our roads decreased during the pandemic. Americans traveled 13.2% less miles in 2020 than we did in 2019, but we saw a 7.2% increase in deaths. The preliminary numbers for the first 6 months of 2021 are also troublesome. From January through the end of June 2021 an estimated 20,160 people died in crashes. That is the largest number of projected deaths in that time frame since 2006. To combat this trend the plan outlines five key objectives: Safer People: Encourage safe, responsible behavior by people who use our roads and create conditions that prioritize their ability to reach their destination unharmed. Safer Roads: Design roadway environments to mitigate human mistakes and account for injury tolerances, to encourage safer behaviors, and to facilitate safe travel by the most users. Safer Vehicles: Expand the availability of vehicle systems and features that help to prevent crashes and minimize the impact of crashes on both occupants and non-occupants. Safer Speeds: Promote safer speeds in all roadway environments through a combination of thoughtful, context-appropriate roadway design, targeted education, and outreach campaigns, and enforcement. Post-Crash Care: Enhance the survivability of crashes through expedient access to emergency medical care, while creating a safe working environment for vital first responders and preventing secondary crashes through robust traffic incident management practices. The recently passed infrastructure bill has components and funding to

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NCOM Biker Newsbytes for January 2022

Industry & Legislative Motorcycle News from USA and the world Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish with photos from the Bob T. Collection National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) News provides updates on motorcycle industry, market, legislation, rights of bikers, motorcyclists in USA, and motorcycle news from around the world. ABOUT AIM / NCOM: The National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) is a nationwide motorcyclists rights organization serving over 2,000 NCOM Member Groups throughout the United States, with all services fully-funded through Aid to Injured Motorcyclist (AIM) Attorneys available in each state who donate a portion of their legal fees from motorcycle accidents back into the NCOM Network of Biker Services (www.ON-A-BIKE.com / 800-ON-A-BIKE). CLICK HERE To Read the latest NCOM News on Bikernet.com CLICK Here to Subscribe to our Free Weekly Newsletter

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Motorcycle Riders Foundation Annual Meeting

Earlier this month the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) Board of Directors (BOD) conducted the annual January meeting. The January meeting allows the BOD to review the work of the MRF over the past year and look forward to what lies ahead. Two new members of the BOD were seated at the meeting, Eric Ross of Iowa, as a new MRF Reps Representative and Rick “Brick” Lindsay of Louisiana, as a new Sustaining State Motorcycle Rights Organization Representative. Additionally, during meetings last year, Gary Goracke of Minnesota, was added as the new Director of the State Representative Program and Andy Kelly of Pennsylvania, was added as a MRF Reps Representative. If you’d like to see a complete list of board members, with their titles and terms of service click here. The end of 2021 and beginning of 2022 also saw the MRF renew and establish new contracts with six different vendors. JPK Services will once again provide office management and membership services, Husch Blackwell Strategies will operate our lobbying arm and Policy Engage will provide our legislative and outreach tracking tools. Additional contracts were agreed to for IT services, editing and publishing the American Biker Journal and a new dedicated social media director. The January meeting is one of three annual meetings of the MRF BOD and is the only one held virtually. A second meeting occurs during May’s “Bikers Inside the Beltway” event in Washington, D.C. and the final meeting of the year is held during September’s “Meeting of the Minds” conference. All three meetings are open to MRF members and are great opportunities to understand how the MRF operates. Thank you to our board members for their service to the MRF and their dedication to the rights of all motorcyclists. About Motorcycle Riders Foundation The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF)

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Rogue’s Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame Ring

by Misled In 2005 John “Rogue” Herlihy was inducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Freedom Fighter section of the HOF which is for individuals who fought for motorcycle rights. Hall Of Fame Rings did not become available until 2020. In 2020 the inductees received Hall of Fame Rings designed by Frank Zubieta owner of NINO 925. Members of the Sturgis Hall Of Fame were given the opportunity to have rings made for them by contacting Frank. CLICK HERE To Read this Photo Feature Article on Bikernet.com CLICK TO Sign Up for our Free Weekly Newsletter to get latest motorcycle news, tech & updates

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ABATE of Michigan Annual Seminar

This weekend, ABATE of Michigan hosted its annual seminar in Saginaw, Michigan. In attendance were two longtime legislative champions for motorcyclist rights. Current Congressman, Tim Walberg and former Congressman Jim Barcia, joined the event. Congressman Walberg is the Co-Chair of the House Motorcycle Caucus and a leading advocate for motorcyclist rights in Congress. Representative Walberg has championed a number of issues bikers care about, including work against the profiling of bikers and the need to ensure autonomous vehicles can recognize and react to motorcyclists. Former Congressman Jim Barcia of Michigan fought against federal helmet blackmail efforts in the 1990’s. Along with Congressman Petri of Wisconsin and others, Representative Barcia defeated federal regulations that established a penalty, whereby a certain percentage of a state’s highway funds were shifted to safety programs if the state did not have a universal helmet law. This regulation effectively blackmailed states into enacting helmet laws by holding federal funds hostage. Working hand in hand with the Motorcycle Riders Foundation lobbyist at the time, Wayne Curtain, Congress changed the law and freed states to make helmet law determinations without federal government interference. It’s great to see past and current leaders in the motorcyclists rights movement taking the time to attend seminars like this. Thank you to ABATE of Michigan for building and maintaining these relationships which benefit all bikers across our nation. About Motorcycle Riders Foundation The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) provides leadership at the federal level for states’ motorcyclists’ rights organizations as well as motorcycle clubs and individual riders. Visit Website: https://mrf.org

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