Today's ezine has links to plenty of recent photos across the Carolinas... ~FF
1) SC Motorcycle task force to meet
2) Brewgrass 2007 at MLK Park in Asheville, North Carolina
3) A Sunday ride from WNC through Columbia
4) Celebrating victory in the mountains of WNC
5) Helmet debate pits safety against freedom
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1) SC Motorcycle task force to meet
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FF Note: ABATE of South Carolina has three compentent representatives on the task force. Granted the numbers are stacked against us at leaset we have a seat at the table to remain aware and up to date.
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/breaking_news/story/197846.html
Motorcycle task force to meet
By Jonathan Tressler - The Sun News
The S.C. Department of Public Safety's motorcycle safety task force on Wednesday will meet in Columbia again to address the increasing number of motorcycle-related fatalities in the state, the department reports.
Motorcycle fatalities are on the rise in S.C. and nationally, said Ed Harmon, planning and evaluation manager with the department's Office of Highway Safety.
"In the last five years, fatalities increased by 50 percent nationally," Harmon said of motorcycle wrecks. "There were 106 in South Carolina in 2006. That was a record..."
Harmon said the task force began meeting last November and is composed of representatives of state agencies like the department of transportation, the department of motor vehicles, state and local law enforcement agencies, motorcycle safety advocacy groups and the state technical college association.
"It's a diverse group that represents a pretty good cross section of motorcycle safety stake holders here in South Carolina," Harmon said.
He said the group is working to address a number of recommendations made in draft report presented in April by a group of motorcycle safety experts assembled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration who conducted interviews over several days in S.C.
The task force will meet at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the S.C. Department of Public Safety headquarters in Blythewood, 10311 Wilson Blvd.
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2) Brewgrass 2007 at MLK Park in Asheville, North Carolina
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Brewgrass 2007 at MLK Park in Asheville, North Carolina
Photos and article by FastFred Ruddock, September 2007
Celebrating the Autumn Equinox in Asheville at the 11th Annual Great Smokies Craft Brewers Brewgrass Festival. 39 breweries brought beer to brewgrass and six live bands provided the music. I enjoyed all the local brews and visiting with my friends ... Full Story and Photos >>
http://www.fastfreds.com/trips/brewgrass/index.htm
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3) A Sunday ride from WNC through Columbia
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A Sunday ride from WNC through Columbia
Photos and article by FastFred Ruddock, September 2007
The day after Brewgrass I stepped outside into the Cathedral where I spent a couple of hours. I found a bat in the edge of the river that appeared to be agitated. I took a few photos of the bat and left it alone. Afterwards I rode to the Tuxedo Hydro Station to see ... Full Story and Photos >>
http://www.fastfreds.com/trips/sundayride20070923/index.htm
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4) Celebrating victory in the mountains of WNC
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Celebrating victory in the mountains of WNC
Photos and article by FastFred Ruddock, September 2007
September 13th was a lucky day as my most recent helmet ticket was dismissed by the Assistant District Attorney. I had an enjoyable ride to Lanrum for cheap gas and a scenic ride through Tryon, Saluda, Hendersonville to Asheville. I saw some old friends and ... Full Story and Photos >>
http://www.fastfreds.com/victory/index.htm
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5) Helmet debate pits safety against freedom
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http://www.star-telegram.com/state_news/story/245349.html
Helmet debate pits safety against freedom
By ANNA M. TINSLEY
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Ken Keating doesn't fire up his Harley or BMW motorcycles without first strapping on his helmet.
All because of a dirt bike accident nearly three decades ago.
"I split my helmet on a tree," said Keating, now 40, of Fort Worth. "It made a lasting impression. I realized that could have been my head that split open."
In Texas, motorcycle riders like Keating who wear helmets do so by choice.
But that choice may soon slip away, as the National Transportation Safety Board is asking Congress to make states require motorcycle riders to wear helmets at all times.
The group says that motorcycle riding has become more popular in recent years and that motorcycle-related deaths, with and without helmets, have gone up as well. In Texas and the rest of the nation, motorcycle fatalities now make up about 10 percent of all traffic fatalities.
"The simple act of donning that helmet can begin the process of preventing that type of fatality and serious injury," board Chairman Mark Rosenker said.
Some Texans say Congress needs to stay out of their business.
"I have never owned a motorcycle helmet and therefore have never worn one no matter what the law says," said H.W. "Sputnik" Strain, state chairman of the Austin-based Texas Motorcycle Rights Association.
"It is not a case of wearing a helmet but rather a case of a few elected and appointed officials believing they have the power to refuse me my God-given right to make my own choices about my personal right or how to raise my kids."
A question of freedom
Maybe it's the wind blowing through their hair. Or maybe it's their sense of freedom.
Either way, some motorcyclists say they won't wear helmets. They successfully rallied Texas lawmakers a decade ago into repealing the state's helmet law for riders 21 and older -- and have fended off potential challenges to it ever since, said Strain, a key leader in the effort.
Now, in Texas, motorcyclists over 21 choose whether to wear a helmet. If they don't, they need to carry extra health insurance or go through additional safety training.
Keating, a member of the Boozefighters Motorcycle Club, said he wears a helmet for safety. But, he said, it has other benefits as well.
"I'm in a motorcycle club, and I don't want to give the cops one more reason to pull me over, whether it's the law or not," he said. "They may have repealed the law, but they haven't repealed the cops' rights to pull you over."
National officials say motorcycle-related fatalities in Texas have gone up in recent years, from 243 in 2001 -- of which only 71 were riders wearing helmets -- to 360 in 2005, 145 of those with helmets, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
"You should have a helmet on every time you get on the motorcycle," said James Boyle, who teaches safety classes at Texas R.I.D.E.R., a Fort Worth-based motorcycle safety school. "Imagine going down at 60 mph without it. You've got to be prepared -- it could happen at any time."
Laws, laws, laws
All but three states have some sort of helmet law, even if it's just to cover riders under 21.
Texas was among six states to repeal helmet laws in 1997, although Louisiana has since put its law back in place. Gov. Rick Perry is among those who support the current law in Texas, spokeswoman Allison Castle said.
"Some people ride without them," said Kenneth Smith, director of the Fort Worth and D-FW chapters of the Texas Harley Owners Group. "They don't think a lot of their head.
"I have always worn a helmet," said Smith, 66. "It's common sense."
NTSB officials say riders without helmets are three times more likely than those who wear helmets to have a brain injury in a crash. And last year, 4,810 motorcyclists died in crashes nationwide, statistics show.
But some Texans some say they fear that congressional leaders may go too far if they put in place new helmet rules for riders nationwide.
"States should make that decision," said state Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth. "It shouldn't be something coming from Congress."
U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Lewisville, agrees.
He's not in any hurry to put new restrictions on states, but he is urging national transportation officials to finish a study on causes of motorcycle crashes that he included as part of the highway bill.
"Helmet laws should be a decision made by state legislatures and not the federal government," spokeswoman Michelle Stein said. "Studies do show that it is safer for riders to wear a helmet, but that should be a personal choice within the purview of applicable state laws."
RECENT NORTH TEXAS FATALITIES OF HELMETLESS MOTORCYCLISTS
Dec. 31, 2005, Fort Worth. Scott Lowry, 43, died and his passenger was critically injured when his motorcycle struck a curb.
April 17, 2006, Fort Worth. Donald Bise Sr., 55, of Newark lost control on a curve on Boat Club Road. His passenger, Sandra Bise, was injured.
May 29, 2006, Tarrant County. Orrin Janvrin IV, 33, lost control and hit a tree on Morris Dido Newark Road.
July 1, 2006, Burleson. Timothy Duggan, 25, lost control on Northeast Burleson Boulevard.
Aug. 14, 2006, Arlington. David DeLatorre, 13, crashed his minimotorcycle into a parked car.
Sept. 23, 2006, Johnson County. Matthew Ogle, 28, of Joshua and Bobby Hopkins, 24, of Arlington were thrown from the motorcycle they were riding on County Road 429.
Sept. 21, 2006, Haltom City. Danny Hart, 62, of Hurst was thrown from his motorcycle when he braked suddenly to avoid another vehicle. He died the next day.
March 11, Denton County. Jesse Wayne Lee, 26, of Rhome struck a Mack truck on Texas 114.
April 20, Arlington. Andre Booker, 22, collided with another vehicle on Cooper Street.
May 9, Allen. Ty Parker Tindell, 38, struck a vehicle while turning near Bethany Lake Park.
May 22, Arlington. Charlie Alexander, 34, lost control and struck a tree near North Green Oaks Boulevard.
Aug. 18, Carrollton. Gary McManus, 22, was thrown from his motorcycle in the 5000 block of Plano Parkway.
Source: Researcher Marcia Melton
THE DEBATE
The issue: In an effort to save motorcyclists' lives, the National Transportation Safety Board has asked Congress to make states require all motorcycle riders to wear proper helmets.
In Texas: In 1997, state lawmakers repealed a mandatory helmet law for those who are at least 21 and carry at least a $10,000 health insurance plan or successfully complete a safety training course.
Some thoughts on the proposal:
"If helmets wouldn't do you any good, then football players, racecar drivers and firemen wouldn't wear them," said Ken Keating, a longtime motorcycle rider. "If they didn't do you any good, they wouldn't have been invented."
"It's all about the adventure of riding, being free -- but also the peer pressure of riding with friends who don't have a helmet on," said James Boyle, who teaches safety classes at Texas R.I.D.E.R., a Fort Worth-based motorcycle safety school. "I don't know if they should make it law, though."
"I am a card-carrying Cherokee Indian, a senior citizen and a disabled veteran," said H.W. "Sputnik" Strain, state chairman of the Austin-based Texas Motorcycle Rights Association. "Any contact I have had with the federal government has cost me and my ancestors big time. I don't need the government telling me how to live my personal life or how to raise my kids."
"I wear a helmet to protect my head," said Kenneth Smith, director of the Fort Worth and D-FW chapters of Texas HOG.
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