MOM Conference Report

The first evening of every Meeting of the Minds is highlighted by the Meet the States presentation. No, this isn’t one of those exercises where you’re forced to mingle and meet folks from other tables around the room. Instead, it is a chance for every state to talk about what they’ve accomplished, failed to do, and what they are working on. By putting the information out there, other states can learn from these achievements or can offer advice based on their attempts on these issues. 

You might wonder just how much overlap there is on issues in various states. After reviewing the presentations of 29 states/SMROs there were clearly many issues that are specific to the state that was talking. But there were about a dozen issues that showed up in more than one presentation. Now 29 presentations are a lot to review here, the most anyone can recall for a Meet the States presentation, so I’m going to focus on the issues that we seem to be addressing in common. 

The single most common issue brought up was profiling. I’m going to separate the Resolution that the MRF is championing at the Federal level. Eight presentations named bills or state resolutions addressing the profiling of motorcyclists. Special kudos to New Hampshire which in 2022 became the fifth state to enact legislation forbidding profiling based on what we wear or the fact that we ride motorcycles. This is an issue that is gaining traction across the nation. 

The next most common subject being addressed surprised me. Lane filtering and to a lesser degree lane splitting are clearly hot topics! If you don’t know the difference between them, it’s clearly the time to learn as some states made progress simply by clarifying what they were asking for. There was even a link circulating to documentation that NHTSA had done a study five years ago that showed that lane filtering could have a positive effect on motorcycle rider fatalities. 

The eternal nemesis of helmet legislation comes in as the third most common topic. Whether we’re fighting to stop government from legislating away our choice on helmets or just trying to stop them from adding useless rules to existing helmet laws, the topic remains one where we as freedom fighters must remain vigilant. We’ve never stopped fighting for the right to choose on this issue and our opposition is unlikely to ever stop fighting to take that choice away. 

Also, up there with helmet legislation was distracted driving. Whether it’s phones, texting, putting on makeup, or turning around to deal with children, drivers are not paying attention to what they are doing. At 70 MPH that is a fatality waiting to happen. I encourage the four states that brought this issue up in their presentations to keep leading the charge. They are working to save everyone, not just bikers! 

This will lead us into another long-time nemesis, the noise ordinance. There are so many things wrong with noise ordinances. No good ways to define them, no good ways to check them or enforce them, and even if there were, isn’t there truth to the statement that loud pipes save lives? If you or your autonomous car can’t see the biker next to you, at least you can hear them! 

The last of the hottest issues are those autonomous vehicles I just referenced. They’re here and they’ll likely be staying. But no one tested them with motorcycles before putting them on the road with us! Making sure they’re tested with motorcycles, making sure drivers know they are still responsible, and making sure that motorcycles don’t become a victim of this new technology is what three states listed as top priorities. How do motorcycles become a victim? The same way horses became victims of the automobile. 

A couple of states have already started dealing with back-door ways of eliminating motorcycles from the roads. There is a logic to it. Motorcycles are statistically 3% of registered vehicles, but 14% of traffic fatalities. Combine that with the difficulty that automated driving vehicles have recognizing them, suddenly legislating motorcycles off the roadways makes perfect sense! We need to be prepared for this and we need to stand up for our rights to continue our lifestyle. 

The remaining topics being focused on by multiple states are rider education & training, ethanol awareness, definition of a motorcycle and support for our friends in congress. While motorcycles are only 3% of registered vehicles, that has a lot do with multi-vehicle households. Almost 10% of Americans own a motorcycle. We are not some strange anomalies. We have been on the roads for as long as there have been motor vehicles and as long as those of use with the freedom fighter genes are here, these topics will be addressed across our great nation. 

Cathy Dial & Seven RRMC