July - ABATE of Illinois

4 - From the PREZ!
8 – Making the Numbers
Count
10 - Membership Form
13 - Legislative Report
TREASURER’S REPORT
Tina Carter
15 – Brothers of the
Third Wheel
BEGINNING BALANCE
CREDITS
DEBITS
ENDING BALANCE
$2,848.65
$ 350.00
$ 281.00
$2,902.65
From the Prez!
Summer doldrums are upon us…this is the time of year we think
summertime is going to last forever…oh, if only it were true.
Not much on the legislative front, but don’t let that fool you; you can
bet that some safety-nazi, somewhere, is concocting a bullshit plan
to ram some misguided, feel good, freedom grabbing bill to foist
onto those who ride…and we will be paying them to do it (“…to us”
not “for us”). Please keep your dues current and your membership
active. Talk to your friends who ride and try to get them to join
ABATE…make up your mind to be a literal pain in the ass to them
till they fork over that membership fee…you will be doing them and
yourself a favor. Also…if you are not getting a newsletter in the
mail, from state or chapter, your membership has probably
expired…CHECK YOURMEMBERSHIP CARD FOR OUTDATE!
$25 = 1 beer per month…less than a years supply of condoms (for
those so disposed)…1/3 of a tank of gas for the car…2 tanks of gas
for the bike…1 gallon of paint…1 and ½ dinners for two at
Longhorn Steakhouse…dinner for one at Red Lobster (but you can’t
drink anything but water)…not enough for you and your date to get
drunk on…1/2 of the fine for a seat belt ticket…@6 Big Macs and
fries…OR 1 YEAR MEMBERSHIP IN ABATE!
Tell them we have a payment plan: $25.00 all at once and they can
invest in 1 year’s worth of near-certain protection against the safetynazis. Membership is down both locally and state-wide and if we are
going to remain viable as a motorcycle rights protection
organization, we need members to make that happen…they don’t fall
out of the sky…you, as members, need to do your part and bring
people into the fold (please!).
From the Prez! (Continued)
I need to mention that Sheila Gallagher, after nearly 19
years as membership officer, has finally stepped down from
that position. Sheila…what took you so long to make up
your mind?!?
No one else would have stuck with it for so long and
consistently do the job so well…
THANK YOU SHEILA!
We are now looking for a member to step up and take her
position…and, no – you don’t need to sign up for 19 years.
Help us to help you…help yourself…get involved, if even in
a small way. Don’t let what we’ve built over the last 20
years fall apart: It is your chapter!
See you at the meeting…?
Ron Carter
Prez-O-St. Clair County ABATE
MAKING THE NUMBERS COUNT
I just read another statistical report that had been used to show why helmets
needed to be on every motorcyclist’s head. As was usual the group using the statistical
report felt they had an iron clad case. A careful observer had shown that the statistics had
not proven the case at all. Here are some points to use when considering statistical
reports.
1) Who paid for or performed the report? Reports paid for and performed by
insurance companies or safety boards more than likely have an agenda and the numbers
area appropriated to make that point. Insurance companies are often looking for ways to
not pay out for an injured motorcyclist on their policies. They seek to get laws passed that
will excuse them from paying out if certain criterion is not met by the motorcyclist
2) What is not included in the report? How comprehensive was the report? As
we saw 2 years ago, the statistics used by Senator Trotter to encourage a helmet bill
included deaths of motorcyclists only. But from the same report we could see that almost
an equal number of pedestrians were killed in the same year. No one was asking to have
pedestrians wear helmets. The numbers also did not divide those who died from head
injuries and those who did not. Some reports only cover a very small number as a sample
group. These are estimated statistics not genuine statistics. You have seen this kind of
statistic used when we are told how many lives were saved because of helmet use or how
many lives could have been saved if a helmet was worn. These are bogus statistics and
not based on real truth.
3) Statistical reports frequently use motorcycle-only collisions to prove their
point. When you see such a report, ask also for the report on automobile collisions as well
and how many of those auto collisions resulted in death by a traumatic blow to the head.
If the report is about the lengthy amount of time traumatic brain injuries are taking for
treatment. Ask to see the exact number of those being treated who are motorcyclists and
how many of them are having their injuries covered by private insurance. You will be
surprised to find that the number for motorcyclists is well below that of motorists. Yet no
one is seeking helmets for automobile drivers in addition to their seat belts.
4) Get creative when reading such reports. Think of other ways in which
traumatic brain injuries could occur. Sometime just for kicks see how many people are
treated each year for traumatic brain injuries due to a fall in the bath tub. It surprise you!
Do not let statistical reports drag you down. Let them be your friend! For every
report you find that opposes you there may be many others which support your cause or
thoughts. I saw a report recently that stated the greatest cause of motorcycle collisions is
no longer left hand turns performed in the motorcyclist’s lane. More injuries now are
being attributed to driver error due to inexperience, not carefully assessing road
conditions, curve judgment error and errors due to intoxication or under the influence. We
have also seen by NHTSA’s own reports that motorcycle collisions and deaths are down
for the second year in a row and that with more motorcycles on the road than ever before.
Pastor Doug White
LEGISLATIVE REPORT
Mike Gallagher
Reprinted from the Motorcycle Riders Foundation
National Transportation Safety Board Updates
“Top Ten Most Wanted” List
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released
its yearly update to its "Top Ten Most Wanted" list
Thursday, June 23rd. The list is a targeted group of the safety
board's ten priorities for the year.
Last year for the first time, motorcycle safety was a target.
However, the safety board missed the mark. Their answer to
motorcycle safety, at the time, was to ask each State to pass
mandatory helmet laws. This was not acceptable to the
Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF).
The NTSB has an extremely brief and inexperienced history
with motorcycle safety, so the MRF led the charge with
educating their board members and staff. The agency has
investigated just 6 motorcycle accidents in their 44 year
history of surface transportation investigation. Compare that
to the 60,000 other surface transportation incidents and their
lack of expertise is obvious.
The MRF is pleased that the new recommendations for
motorcycle safety no longer call for a helmet law. What the
NTSB is now asking for is voluntary helmet use and puts
equal importance on crash prevention. The MRF has been
key in getting all government agencies to focus on crash
prevention over injury reduction for decades.
LEGISLATIVE REPORT (Continued)
"Of course, the NTSB has a long way to go before they can even
be considered amateur motorcycle safety specialists, but this is
certainly a step in the right direction" said Jeff Hennie,
Vice
President of Government Relations and Public Affairs for the
Motorcycle Riders Foundation. "This should be considered a
victory for motorcycle rights groups who have engaged on this
issue" he added.
To read the entire "Top Ten Most Wanted”
http://www.ntsb.gov/news/2011/110623.html
To read the specific motorcycle recommendations,
http://www.ntsb.gov/safety/mwl-10.html
The NTSB is an independent government agency charged with
determining the probable cause of transportation accidents and
promoting transportation safety, and assisting victims of
transportation accidents and their families. Formed by Congress
in 1926, their original charter was to investigate only airline and
airplane accidents. In 1967, that charter was expanded to
include; marine, pipeline, railroad and highway modes.
Brothers of the Third Wheel
Any ABATE members who have trikes or who are interested in
trikesare invited to contact Brothers of the Third Wheel (BTW)
for a free copy of our TRIKER magazine. BTW is a not-forprofit organization in its 29th year. Our purpose is to put
trikers in touch with trikers for funfriendship and technical
help. We have chapters in every state and province and several
foreign countries.
The founders of BTW were instrumental in starting ABATE of
Illinois Blackhawk Chapter and are always anxious to help fellow
trikers and ABATE members.
BTWHC-71
Box 183-5
Ava, MO 65608-8938
btw1@btw-trikers.org
or call us at
417-683-9096