Posted On: May 24, 2007, 5:52 pm CDT

Posted By: RustyBongard

I pay in to MCCA on 3 motorcycles. I get nothing out of it unless I am involved in a crash which involves an automobile. 2/3 of all motorcycle crashes are caused by automobile drivers committing a Right of Way violation. It would make more sense to prevent crashes by educating automobile drivers on driving around motorcycles. Also enact a fine and penalty for right of way violations causing the death or injury of a motorcyclist severe enough to make even the worst automobile drivers look for a motorcycle before turning left or entering an intersection. This would also alleviate many of the cases of paralysis, limb loss, blunt force trauma injuries, and comprehensive othopedic injuries far more common in motorcycle crashes than head injuries and will never be prevented by a helmet.
The Insurance Czars of the country are not interested in keeping my head safe, and they are not interested in keeping insurance consumers money in their pocket. They are only interested in keeping their gold lined coffers full. The easiest way for them to do that is to focus on the lie of helmets. Helmets have a limited amount of function in the grand scheme of motorcycle safety. However to many of their automobile driving consumers annually kill and maim bikers and the insurance companies are loathe to pay those claims. So they perpetuate lies upon the american public with the intention of turning the will of the public against bikers. If every biker in this country agreed to wear a DOT approved motorcycle helmet every time they got on a motorcycle, we in ABATE would still be outraged that anyone believes it is enough. Abate is made up of long term motorcyclists with millions upon millions of miles of motorcycle travel on Michigan roads and thousands upon thousands of years of combined experience. We know what comprises motorcyle safety far better than these pharisees and pariahs, these money changers. The have Governor Granholm bought and paid for, having been major contributors to her campaighn. She knows nothing of riding motorcycles and therefore is quick to pay back her dues to her benefactor. Gas prices will have even more motorcycles on the road. We want to be safe. Helmets are nothing more than a piece of crash related safety equipment. There needs to be a comprehensive program put into place that addresses a cell phone ban (proven to be as dangerous as drunk driving), creates comprehensive training of automobile drivers on sharing the road with motorcycles, and enacts severe penalties for right of way violations causing death or injury to a motorcylist.