It would appear that many states are liking the co authored law of two young California teenagers. Connecticut and Oregon have both implemented new - mandatory rider training for all potential motorcyclists. In the case of Connecticut though they have taken it to a new level. If you are 30 or under and never had a motorcycle license you will be required to take the basic safety course.
On top of that the NTSB is calling for a mandatory helmet law for all states.
Now I am a proponent for choice but the mandatory rider training is something that I personally think is a good thing for a number of reasons. Firstly, too many young people
(I remember being young once) tend to think they are invincible and take chances they really shouldn't based on their skill levels. (If they are allowed to grow to old age, they realize that certain chances they took were not really the best ideas they had ever had.
I too can look back with that kind of perfect 20/20 vision called hindsight and say, yup that chance I took back then, was pretty dumb.)
Secondly, with so many people on the roadways that do NOT know the rules of the road it is just plain smart to get trained and I don't mean just motorcyclists - I think ALL car drivers should have to take a mandatory course.
Thirdly - there are millions more people using the roadways that are not paying attention to the job of driving. Texting, calling on cell phones, scolding kids - they are so busy inside their vehicles that what is going on outside of their vehicles doesn't appear to register.
With the higher number of vehicles on the road and the increased dangers - training can and will save your life. (I remember a time on Canadian roads when you could go for hours and scarcely see another vehicle. Try that today - and yes, I realize I am dating myself.)
There are those who feel another law is not a good thing. I disagree - I think a SMART law that has the potential of increasing your enjoyment of your motorcycle is a good thing.
Mandatory training will, (if implemented consistently - and I am talking the quality of the training here) increase the persons ability, will make them a better car driver, (at least one that is more aware of their surroundings - I know it has made me a more aware driver)
I think we have too many laws on our books that are dumb, out dated and in many cases knee jerk reaction laws and not well thought out - off the top of my head, the pay before you fuel law in BC that came about because a young person was killed in a robbery because he wasn't taught properly to let the robbers go, is a knee jerk reaction law that was poorly thought out.
This one however, born by two teenagers has HUGE merit, it took two years to come about and they had input from a rather large number of people. I think however law makers need to take it one step farther and make it mandatory to take driver training for ALL vehicle drivers. The only reason I feel ANY apprehension about this law at all - it's discriminatory - it's holding motorcyclists to a different standard than the rest of the road users.
The young men who co authored this law were directly impacted by the motorcycle accident that caused them to write it, had it been that the brother who died had been driving a car untrained perhaps they would have targeted teen driving. I get that, but the law makers themselves should be more cognizant and should see the value in training all people instead of punishing them.
I watch shows like Canada's WORST Driver and all I want is the license of the driver examiner who gave these people their license. We see through that show the absolute inconsistency of driver examiners - to me THEY are one of the weakest links in the system.
I feel that they are in some ways personally responsible for some of the very dangerous drivers that are on our roadways.
There are dumb laws that make hard working, decent people into criminals. There are dumb laws that inconvenience people unnecessarily, all because common sense was not used to write them. There are further dumb laws that are put it place that are simply there to increase the coffers of the jurisdictions they are implemented in.
Then there are laws that make sense.
Mandatory driver/rider training is smart economics in my humble opinion.
Any time you empower people through training two things happen.
The more knowledgeable some one is, in any discipline or any job, the less of a drain they are on resources.
The less the drain on resources, the more productivity goes up.
With the implementation of mandatory Driver & Rider training, the benefits should be that jurisdictions are spending less resources in hospitals, policing resources would be allocated to different and more effective uses of their time, insurance would go down, fewer people would be mourning and our community would be bigger.
The helmet thing - well, I am still a conflicted person on that one. At some point, if we are trained and have knowledge, I think that our degree of risk should be a decision left up to us. In Florida, you can ride without a helmet as long as you can prove you have $10K minimum in health care insurance so that you are not a drain on the medical system and do not infringe upon the rights of other taxpayers. Since riding like driving is a privilege,
I think paying extra for that privilege of riding without a helmet is a fair trade off. (Provided you have a sticker on your plate so the police have no reason to stop you unnecessarily.)
As I said, I am conflicted on the helmet law - part of me understands that the governments are trying to find ways to reduce deaths and long hospital stays that are a burden on the system - at the same time I the old rebel in me says quit telling me what to do.
I do feel that if the governments put money in to training people, if they made the mandatory training either free or subsidized it, it would not take very long for them to see a huge reduction in other resources that would allow them to use those resources in a wiser and more efficient manner.
Am I a dreamer? Probably, but for once, there is a law I believe in. I just wished that it was mandatory for all beginner drivers, no matter their weapon, I mean vehicle of choice.
I wished the governments would subsidize it and I wished that the training offered was more consistent - as shows like Canada's Worst Driver show - we also need FAR better driver examiners and THEY need to be held more accountable for the job they do and the people they give licenses to.
That's my two bits worth on this topic - I WOULD LOVE to hear yours!
Join me in the forums on www.beltdrivebetty.com, on Facebook or right here in my blog!
There is a whack of other stuff in the news but I have a ton of work to accomplish in the next 5 days so every minute counts...go check out the news of the day at www.beltdrivebetty.com where we scour the news feeds so you don't have to.
There is one thing I do want to draw your attention to - a Survey request from the Department of Transportation and Safety in Alberta...if you ride here, please fill it out.
You have a chance to impact riding styles and behaviours through awareness commercials and signage.
Please if you are attending New Year's parties, plan your way home in advance!
If you are driving- please take care on the roads and cherish those you love the way you cherish your motorcycle.
In August, 2007, Jarrad Cole, was heading to college and wanted a bike. He got his motorcycle permit and bought a used Suzuki GSX-R. Twenty minutes later, practicing in front of his dad's house, he was thrown into a retaining wall and died instantly from chest injuries.
His brother and a friend decided the laws governing young people and motorcycle training needed to be changed in California and change it they did.
The new law will see teens have to take a 15 hour motorcycle safety course BEFORE they are allowed to get a learners permit to ride.
The permit allows the teen to ride on streets, but not at night, not on freeways and not with passengers. After six months, the teen qualifies for a motorcycle license. Teens under age 18, though, still cannot drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., and can't have passengers under age 20.
My personal opinion is that this law is a GREAT first step but I think it needs to be taken one step farther. I feel that everyone who wants to get on a motorcycle - that does not already have a motorcycle endorsement should be required to take training.
Here in Canada our training programs are far more costly than in the US - none the less, being trained can save your life and give you the skills and knowledge necessary for surviving the mean streets of urban riding and the rigors and perils of road riding.
I commend the young men who decided to impact the world in a positive way.
What are your thoughts on mandatory rider training? I would love to know.
Join the discussion here in my blog, on Facebook or in our forums on www.beltdrivebetty.com
In the New Today:
In Jerusalem: Avi Cohen is buried and remembered
In Japan - we finally know why the 2011 Kawasaki ZX 10R production is being held up
In the US we are saying good by to Guitarist 'Mean' Gene Kelton
Also in the US the courts have reopened the defective motorcycle helmet claim against Fulmer Helmets
Please if you are attending New Year's parties, plan your way home in advance!
If you are driving- please take care on the roads and cherish those you love the way you cherish your motorcycle.
As I look through the news feeds again today - everyone and I do mean everyone is producing a top ten list from 2010.
I do not wish to look back other than a quick glance over my shoulder.
Nope, I prefer to look ahead...
2011 - I am looking forward - to the RIDE. Yes, right now I am dreaming of motorcycles, bugs, sunshine, rain, wind and hail, the smells of fresh cut grass in the ditches, the sweet clover, heck allergy or no I am even looking forward to smelling canola and seeing those wild yellow/phosphorescence flowers it produces. I am looking forward to the motorcycle shows, the rallies, the mountains the twisties and the friends I will see again this coming year.
I am looking forward to the rivers, the lakes, the waterfalls, the wildlife, (as long as they stay out of my path).
I am looking forward because if I look back...nope not going there...ahead - looking to where I want to go.
I want - in 2011, to surround myself with people of integrity, people who do what they say they are going to. I am looking forward to a year filled with possibility.
I am looking forward to love, laughter and joy and yes I even embrace the challenges and sorrow that are bound to come along.
Here's my top ten list for 2011 - I'll let everyone else look back...
10) Riding - just riding
9) Riding to the rallies and runs
8) Riding to create awareness of motorcyclists and sharing the road
7) Riding across Canada
6) Riding to the Yukon and I hope the Northwest Territories
5) Riding by rivers and lakes
4) Riding in the mountains
3) Riding by myself
2) Riding with my friends
1) Riding with my husband
What's on your list for 2011?
In 2011 - what are looking forward to?
What is it that excites you, makes your imagination dance?
I'd love to know! Join me on Facebook - here in my blog or in our forums on www.beltdrivebetty.com
In the news today:
In Isreal Soccer great Avi Cohen dies from his injuries
In California a new law targets motorcycle thieves
Also in California the new Motorcycle Noise Law is cranking people up
In BC the Milkman goes racing again
In the UK a motorcycle racer goes to jail for sexual abuse
In Texas - "Kokomo" - the founder of the Motorcycle Fatality Awareness Program is in critical condition after an 18 year old drive cut a left hand turn in front of him.
Have a day filled with thoughts of motorcycles and freedom, open roads and twisties and positively impacting others who ride in a not so positive way to protect our privileges.
Please if you are attending parties, plan your way home in advance!
If you are driving home from Christmas feasts and visits please take care on the roads and cherish those you love the way you cherish your motorcycle.
When it comes to bikers rights and how we are treated here in North America, I have heard many people say we are lucky, we have it better than anywhere else in the world - we should be thankful instead of fighting. They want to take away our right to choose helmets or not...no biggie. They want to take away our pipes and make all our machines as quiet as e-bikes...no problem. We don't put up much of a fight - hell for a bunch of freedom lovers we too often wait for someone else to fight what we deem tyranny. We are a complacent lot for the most part these days, we pay a lot of lip service to the notion of fighting for our rights, but that is all it is for the most part, lip service. I wonder what our fore fathers would think of what we have become...
I want you all to consider something...Imagine owning a motorcycle repair shop or a parts shop and being told that you have to move it because your shop is an eyesore to our down town core and your patrons are hooligans that we don't want down town. They are reckless and endanger people's lives - get out, move to the suburbs and while you are moving your business, we are going to also fine you.
That is the lot of a number of motorcycle repair shops in Abu Dhabi Saudi Arabia.
Reportedly they, the public officials, want to prevent the city from looking like a "maintenance garage".
Motorcyclists are also going to be restricted to using the right hand lanes - "The use of these designated lanes will allow motorcyclists to ensure their own safety as well as those of other motorists, Al Mazroui said."
Now comparing a regime like Saudi Arabia to Canada or the US might seem ludicrous to some but I want you to look at the mind set of the officials there and here...
With more and more restrictions on us here in North America - with more and more people complaining about noise, about reckless riders, the officials in our countries are attempting to curb our freedoms and privileges because of the actions of some. The same is happening in places like Saudi Arabia, Manila, China, Korea, India - we riders are being painted into corners because of the actions of a few.
How many people are there that would like to see motorcycles legislated right out of existence? There was an article in a Florida newspaper where in the writer wanted to see motorcycles banned as unsafe...folks - this is not a joke any more. This is serious stuff here and I am not sure we can live with our heads in the sand too much longer cause when we do finally lift them it will be to discover a very different world of riding. The point of my little diatribe this morning is that we need to know what is coming down the pipes and we learn that by reading what is going on around the world - to be forewarned is to be forearmed.
Knowledge used well is power. The key is we HAVE TO DO SOMETHING with the knowledge we have about the police and the municipal officials and their mind set. If we look at the mind set of police officials around the world you will see one common thread...the few ruin things for the many and we ALL get tarred.
Knowing that - what can WE DO?
I want you to consider something...what if we riders started to push back? What if we started reporting every driver we saw who has a cell phone to their ear while driving?
What if we started reporting the cars with boom boxes so loud the windows in your house rattle or the trucks and cars with no or after market mufflers that are way too loud?
What if we started shunning the stunters and the persons who show off doing burn outs at stop signs and street lights and reporting them? What if we wrestled the keys from an impaired rider instead of shaking our heads in the parking lot as we see them fumbling around? What if we reported the guy with the straight pipes who purposely is setting of car alarms for blocks instead of encouraging them? (We know that you can ride a loud motorcycle with respect so that it is not obnoxious and don't upset the neighbors and business people).
It is long past time where we realize that the actions of one person can tar the rest of us.
And it is time we quit encouraging the few and start shunning them as UN COOL.
The single biggest need for those who like to stunt on the roadways is for attention and they don't care if it is negative or positive attention - but if we gave them none - turned our back on them, refuse to talk to them, could we change the tides? What if we reported them when we saw them? I don't know, but nothing else seems to be working - so my questions is what do we have to loose by trying?
Appealing to them one at a time - trying to change their minds, pointing out that they are selfish and ruining it for the rest of us doesn't seem to work in any broad way. I have had some positive results by talking to people but...
What is the answer to protecting our community and the privilege of riding?
I really don't know - but I think we need to find an answer that works more often than not...we can't prevent or stop all of the selfish or thoughtless people but we can take a stand within our own communities - we can make sure that we are not fueling their need for attention.
If we riders in Canada and the US united our voices we would be almost 12 Million strong.
I know that the likelihood of 12 million people who are for the most part independent thinkers; "A" type personalities uniting their voices is a stretch, but imagine if you will 12 million people acting in a similar fashion...what would the chances be that we could POSITIVELY Impact the behaviors and mindsets of the thoughtless and selfish?
I welcome your thoughts on this topic - like everyday - I invite you to jump into the conversation...who knows what ideas will come from the sharing and discussions...
Join us in the forums on www.beltdrivebetty.com, on my personal Face Book Page: Belt Drive Betty or our fan page: Belt Drive Betty & The Busted Knuckle Chronicles or here in this blog.
In other news:
In Arizona 7 alleged members of the Vagos are indited on felony counts of aggravated assault and one count each of riot and assisting in a criminal street gang.
In Santa Clara California a police officer has been charged with providing a member of the Hells Angels with DMV information on people.
In France a clothing designer who happens to ride set out on a mission after a spill on his motorcycle. He wanted to find a fibre that could beat Kevlar, (Kevlar has some major flaws when it comes to apparel. It doesn't 'breathe', in the woven form it is uncomfortable to wear and starts to disintegrate when it's exposed to the ultraviolet in sunlight.) Pierre-Henry, after extensive research, lit upon a fibre known as 'ultra high molecular weight polyethylene' (UHMWPE). It is a form of polyethylene, the world's most common plastic, but the fibres are twice as strong as Kevlar, and 10-100 times stronger than steel.
In the UK, the Hairy Bikers are helping launch a special charity cookbook.
Porsche becomes the newest company with a tribute motorcycle.
There are a number of sports articles for you motor sports fans and a few others on different gadgets for your bike. Visit www.beltdrivebetty.com to read up on the happenings in Canada and around the world.
Have a day filled with thoughts of motorcycles and freedom, open roads and twisties and positively impacting others who ride in a not so positive way to protect our privileges.
Please if you are attending parties, plan your way home in advance!
If you are driving home from Christmas feasts and visits please take care on the roads and cherish those you love the way you cherish your motorcycle.
The day of celebration we call Christmas is over for another year. The mobs of people shopping the boxing day sales have hopefully found what they were looking for - the things they didn't get as presents but I am hoping you found something else.
Presents, gadgets - they are all just things. They wear out, the get broken.
I am hoping you found the spirit of Christmas in your heart.
There are some heart warming stories that came out over Christmas - like the gang of people in Kelowna BC giving away free hugs in memory of their friend, Wayne Cobb, who died last year in a motorcycle accident.
And the story out of the States where in a young Utah man who had not been able to go to his parents home because of a life altering collision on his motorcycle that sees him wheelchair bound, and was helped out by Santa's Subcontractors....he can now visit his mom and dad!
The biggest, the BEST gift that anyone can give or receive is LOVE.
I have friends who have very little in the way of possessions but they are wealthier than many because they have each other and know that no matter what, Love will see then through.
I hope you found it...
On the personal front, I spent some time with my motorcycle.
No - with all of the snow on the ground I did not get to ride.
I got out a heater with a good fan, put on some shades, threw my feet up on the highway pegs, turned on the stereo, leaned back against the back rest and relived the miles of riding I put on this summer. I remembered the rain, the sun, the smells (its amazing when you use your imagination and power of recall just how vivid those memories are.)
I remembered the faces and smiles of the people I met, the sorrow of loosing my brother to Cancer, the magnificence of the ocean, the rock faces, the trees, the wildlife I saw and as sad as I was, I found that freedom, that happiness again. It is amazing the power of your imagination - for a brief moment I was transported back to simpler days where it was just me and my machine and the elements...that is until my husband walked in and caught me pretending again!
I have it bad...PMS that is - Parked Motorcycle Syndrome and I am truly looking forward to our Beat the PMS Blues On Line Show 'n' Shine that kicks off on Saturday.
I can not wait to see everyone's rides, the modifications and personalizations.
We have some incredible prizes too.
Everything from leather goods and meals to event tickets and hotel stays.
Our two really big prizes this year are:
A Doran 360M Tire Pressure Monitoring System for the Best Touring Machine be it a Metric or American Touring bike and for the people's choice - the bike with the Over all most votes - a Drift High Definition Video Camera from Drift Camera Canada.
All of the prizes we are offer are transferable so if you win something you can't use you can ask that it be shipped or transferred to a friend or family member.
I hope you have your pictures chosen!
Well folks, I have a busy day ahead. Time to get after it and git er done!
Have a day filled with thoughts of motorcycles and freedom, open roads and twisties - I know mine will be...Please if you are attending parties, plan your way home in advance!
If you are driving home from Christmas feasts and visits please take care on the roads and cherish those you love the way you cherish your motorcycle.
