Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Training In Danger?
Safety Training Funds Could Be Diverted To Helmet Programs
AMA VP for government relations, Ed Moreland, is raising a red flag after U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters sent a letter to House and Senate leaders urging Congress to allow states to divert federal money now used for motorcycle training and awareness programs to specifically promote helmet use.

Moreland expressed concern that diverting federal 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," says 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.

So what can you do about it? Call your state representative and chime in on the issue, it's a free country after all! Don't know where to start? Visit www.amadirectlink.com for more information and click on the "Rights" tab.

Promote Helmet use? Isn't a helmet required in most states? Don't the classes already promote helmet use?

Not cool Hopefully it does not happen!

I don't understand the logic here; if someone is willing to pay money to take a safety course, then they're obviously trying to protect themselves, and hopefully will realize the importance of a helmet. Taking funds away from that training, most likely reducing its efficiency and quality, is not going to help protect anyone, with or without pro-helmet advertisements.

Would you rather have a road full of trained bikers, most of whom wear a helmet by choice, or a road full of poorly trained/not trained bkers with helmets?

For safety classes you must have eye protection, be licensed, have protective clothing, have boots and a helmet, to get federal funds it's required, never mind what the state says about helmets.

SHADOW1100T wrote:For safety classes you must have eye protection, be licensed, have protective clothing, have boots and a helmet, to get federal funds it's required, never mind what the state says about helmets.

you have to be licensed to drive an auto. You dont have to even have a moto permit to take an MSF course (or at least thats how it is in WI)

Jthmeffy wrote:

SHADOW1100T wrote:For safety classes you must have eye protection, be licensed, have protective clothing, have boots and a helmet, to get federal funds it's required, never mind what the state says about helmets.

you have to be licensed to drive an auto. You dont have to even have a moto permit to take an MSF course (or at least thats how it is in WI)

and i didn't have to have a permit to take drivers ed and get behind the wheel of a car in the schools parking lot. same thing.

We have never had government funded motorcycle courses here in Canada. Count your blessings down there in the US that you had a free ride for so long. (free =cheap)

blues2cruise wrote:We have never had government funded motorcycle courses here in Canada. Count your blessings down there in the US that you had a free ride for so long. (free =cheap)

You guys have socialized health care, we have quasi-socialized motorcycle safety training.

Come to think of it, my first rider training was not subsidized by the state or federal government. Bah!

Skier wrote:

blues2cruise wrote:We have never had government funded motorcycle courses here in Canada. Count your blessings down there in the US that you had a free ride for so long. (free =cheap)

You guys have socialized health care, we have quasi-socialized motorcycle safety training.

Well...you have a point there. Although it is costing us more all the time.
It's written into the constitution.....we have the right to medical care...just like you have the right to bear arms...
Different examples, I know....but both written into the constitution.

We also pay a monthly fee to our medical system just like you would pay your HMO. (? is that correct?)

Boy, it'd be great if there were enough money for both helmet promotion & MSF training, but if I have to choose, I'd go with MSF. The MSF makes a pretty strong case for people to wear helmets throughout the course, and exposure to them thru actual use of one. It'd be great if the course were mandatory to getting a license.

People who don't wear them don't seem to care. I have seen stickers and patches that say "helmet laws suck." I don't think promotion is going to reach that crowd.