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AMA concerned about new threat to motorcycle safety training funds
U.S. Transportation
Secretary Mary Peters is urging Congress to allow states to divert
federal money now used for motorcycle training and awareness to instead promote
the use of motorcycle helmets, the American Motorcyclist Association
reports.
Peters sent letters to
House and Senate leaders this week asking for the change.
Ed Moreland, AMA Vice
President for Government Relations, expressed concern that diverting
federal motorcycle safety funds to promote helmet use could harm rider
training courses and motorcycle awareness programs that are already
underfunded in many states.
"Helmet use is
certainly one part of a comprehensive approach to motorcycle safety,"
said Moreland. "But this step is a direct raid on funds that were
appropriated by Congress to address the specific safety concerns of the
motorcyclists' rights community. Furthermore, the use of motorcycle
helmets is already advocated in existing motorcycle safety initiatives.
"Funding for
rider-training courses is frequently under threat in cash-strapped
states, and cutting the same-size pie into thinner slices is not the
comprehensive, thoughtful, national motorcycle safety strategy we
need."
Moreland also
expressed concern that Peters' proposal could contradict sections of
transportation bills passed in 1998 and 2005 that ban the use of federal
motorcycle safety funds to lobby state legislatures in favor of mandatory
helmet laws and could effectively reverse those bans.
The AMA strongly
advocates the voluntary use of helmets by adults, along with other
appropriate safety gear, and does not oppose laws requiring helmet use by
minors. But the Association believes adults should be allowed to make
their own decisions about when to wear a helmet.
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