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AMA APPLAUDS NEW YORK FOR 'JUSTICE,' RENEWS SUPPORT FOR
NATIONAL CRASH STUDY
PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) has
announced that New York has enacted a law supporting the goals of the
AMA's "Justice for All" campaign.
New York AB-4914, which was signed into law by Governor George E. Pataki
on August 16, authorizes mandatory revocation and suspension of licenses
and registrations when a motorist convicted of violating another
motorist's right-of-way causes serious physical injury or death of
another person. The new law also requires offenders to participate in an
accident-prevention course.
"Thanks to exemplary leadership, along with a groundswell of support
from individual motorcyclists and state-level organizations, New York
has demonstrated that it values 'Justice,'" said Edward Moreland, AMA
Vice President for Government Relations. "Motorcyclists nationwide
have
embraced the goals of 'Justice for All' to get laws passed, state by
state, and momentum is still building."
Individual leadership by Larry Schwartz, AMA District 3 President and
AMA-PAC Chairman, and Bob "Prospector" Boellner, Vice President
of ABATE
of New York, along with the activism of their state-level organizations,
were instrumental in the New York victory.
New York joins 11 other states in passing legislation that supports the
goals of Justice for All: Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire,
North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, and West
Virginia. A California bill requiring mandatory penalties for
right-of-way offenders, SB 1021, recently passed the state legislature
with overwhelming support and awaits the governor's signature.
For more information about the AMA's Justice for All campaign, visit
www.AMADirectlink.com/justice.
-- AMA renews support for national crash study
The AMA, in light of recent statistics showing an increase in
motorcycle-related fatalities, has again expressed its support for
comprehensive nationwide research into the causes of motorcycle crashes.
Motorcycle fatalities increased by 13 percent in 2005 over 2004,
according to statistics released yesterday by the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It was the eighth consecutive
annual increase in fatalities, after years of decline during the 1990s.
The transportation bill passed last year by Congress included funding
for the first comprehensive study of the causes of motorcycle crashes
since the well-known Hurt report done in the late 1970s.
"The continued increase in motorcycling fatalities is a matter of
concern for the entire American motorcycling community," said the
AMA's
Moreland, "but these statistics don't tell us why the toll keeps
climbing. We're anxious for the crash study to begin, to show us the
best ways to prevent crashes and save lives."
The crash study will be conducted by the Oklahoma Transportation Center,
part of Oklahoma State University, and is expected to begin in 2007.
The American Motorcyclist Association: rights. riding. racing. Founded
in 1924, the AMA is a non-profit organization with more than 278,000
members. The Association's purpose is to pursue, protect and promote the
interests of motorcyclists, while serving the needs of its members. For
more information, visit the AMA website at www.AMADirectlink.com, or
call 1-800-AMA-JOIN. For the latest news releases, visit the AMA News
Room at http://home.ama-cycle.org/newsroom.
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