From the mountains to the sea there are plenty of places to ride this weekend.
1) Government admits motorcycle safety stats maybe flawed?
2) Moonshiner's Reunion and Mountain Music Festival
3) Kings Mountain National Military Park to mark battle anniversary
4) Strong attendance predicted at bike rally
5) Swain urged to tap into motorcycle tourism
6) The North Carolina Court System
7) Vietnam Enacts Motorbike Helmet Law
8) VIDEO: Who Should Control Your Health Care?
9) Group’s ad takes aim at Graham
10) S.C. Democrats pursuing earlier primary date
11) State briefs | S.C. tests among nation’s most difficult
12) Massey on SC Motorcycle Helmet law
13) Reader Feedback: Letter to Spartanburg Herald Journal
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1) Government admits motorcycle safety stats maybe flawed?
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http://www.ntsb.gov/recs/letters/2007/H07_34.pdf
"The FHWA estimates of registered motorcycles may underestimate the number of
motorcycles that are used on the roads each year..."
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2) Moonshiner's Reunion and Mountain Music Festival
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http://www.moonshiners.com/uploads/Reunion.asp?Category=136
Moonshiner's Reunion and Mountain Music Festival
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3) Kings Mountain National Military Park to mark battle anniversary
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http://www.charlotte.com/breaking_news/story/303838.html
Kings Mountain National Military Park to mark battle anniversary
Kings Mountain National Military Park will commemorate the 227th anniversary of the Battle of Kings Mountain on Saturday and Sunday.
Beginning at 10 a.m. both days, an 18th-century military encampment will demonstrate military drills, musket and rifle firing, cooking, bullet and button molding and basket weaving.
Sunday, there will be an 11 a.m. wreath-laying ceremony at the U.S. monument and a 3 p.m. commemorative ceremony featuring the Overmountain Victory Trail Marchers in the park amphitheater.
All activities will be free.
Details: 864-936-7921.
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4) Strong attendance predicted at bike rally
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http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/story/204732.html
Strong attendance predicted at bike rally
Officials predict strong attendance at annual gathering
By Jason M. Rodriguez
The Sun News
Tens of thousands of bikers are expected to make their way to the Grand Strand this week for The Pilgrimage fall bike rally, and they'll be welcomed by some visible and not-so visible changes from last year.
Bikers who come from Wednesday through Sunday will leave with one less hug, Mike Shank, owner of the Myrtle Beach Harley-Davidson dealership has said.
That's because Sandra Leone, a key special events coordinator for the dealership and the fall and spring rallies, was shot and killed earlier this year.
Rally-goers also will be without a favorite north-end stop. But although H.B. Spokes was destroyed by fire earlier this month, vendors will still congregate there for the fall rally.
Officials are predicting a good turnout this year, based on hotel reservations so far. Vendor permits were running a bit behind last year's turnout, but officials expect about the same number of sales spots by the time the rally gets rumbling.
Rally-goers also will see increased police presence and more of an empha sis on safety, following the record number of motorcycle fatalities in the state last year.
"It's been challenging," Shank said of organizational efforts for the fall rally without Leone's expertise. "A lot of people have taken on some different roles."
"But, we feel good about it. "We want to do the best we can for the bikers in her honor," Shank said. "She always wanted everything to be perfect."
Leone, 55, was killed June 17 in Altamonte Springs, Fla. Police say her stepfather shot her and his wife before committing suicide in a nursing home.
Leone, hired at Myrtle Beach Harley-Davidson in 2000, played a pivotal role in organizing the spring and fall Harley-Davidson rallies.
Shank has called her the best vending coordinator in the country.
Down S.C. 9 in Longs, a Sept. 10 blaze at H.B. Spokes Saloon knocked the bar out of commission for this rally, but vendors are scheduled to be at the 4-acre site, said Horry County spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier.
Bourcier said 169 vendor permits were issued last year, and as of the middle of last week 111 had been issued.
"It's kind of been a slower start than last year," she said. "We'll be pretty similar to where we were."
The Center for Economic and Community Development at Coastal Carolina University tracks reservations at area hotels year-round.
Gary Loftus, director of the center, said the occupancy rate for the upcoming bike rally weekend is growing.
"We are at between 78 and 80 percent for the weekend, which is excellent for this time of year," Loftus said.
"If the weather holds, we should be pushing the 90 percent range."
Temperatures are expected to be in the mid-80s Wednesday through Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
There is a 30 percent chance of isolated thunderstorms Wednesday through Friday, with sunny skies predicted for Saturday and Sunday.
Ed Harmon, planning and evaluation manager of the S.C. Office of Highway Safety - a division of the S.C. Department of Public Safety - said the Highway Patrol will have a major presence on area highways, as they usually do. But this year, there will be more signs and banners to educate motorcyclists about bike safety, which is part of a new initiative started by the Motorcycle Safety Task Force.
"We're going to have some presence in Myrtle Beach in terms of education," Harmon said, noting there were 106 motorcycle fatalities last year in South Carolina, which was a record. "It's an issue we need to address."
Biker education this week will center around the department's overall efforts to encourage motorcycle safety.
Harmon said some key areas in the coming year will include the encouragement and proper use of personal protective equipment, drafting legislation to require permit holders to routinely take skills tests to renew their licenses and encouraging motorcycle advocacy groups to clarify their stance on the use of personal protective equipment, such as helmets.
He said the advocacy groups encourage the use of helmets, but - for the most part - will not support a law that requires helmet usage.
Shank said the fall crowd is typically low key compared to the spring rallies.
He said they are generally empty-nesters who come from both North Carolina and South Carolina, with some attendees from the upper Midwest.
Less expensive hotel rates, less traffic and cooler weather help draw the fall crowd, Shank said.
"They enjoy the cooler weather," he said of the five-day rally.
"Although it's not as revved up as the spring rally, we expect the average crowd. With this one being a shorter event, it really relies heavily on the weather."
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5) Swain urged to tap into motorcycle tourism
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http://www.smokymountainnews.com/issues/10_07/10_03_07/fr_swain_urged.html
Swain urged to tap into motorcycle tourism
By Julia Merchant
The roar of motorcycles is a familiar sound in the mountains of Western North Carolina. And for many business owners, it’s music to their ears.
Bikers mean warm bodies to occupy beds, eat in restaurants, and shop in stores. This means dollars for the local economy. So why aren’t counties doing more to advertise to this fast-growing segment of the population?
That was the topic of discussion at a recent meeting of the Swain County Tourism Development Authority. Brad Talbott, co-owner of Deal’s Gap Motorcycle Resort, spoke to board members and explained why they might be missing out on a money-making opportunity by failing to advertise to motorcycle riders.
“More and more motorcycles are coming to Western North Carolina,” Talbott told the TDA. Talbott said his resort, located along the North Carolina and Tennessee borders, is at close to 90 percent capacity on weekdays and 100 percent on weekends. Deal’s Gap is currently booking reservations as far ahead as 2009.
Talbott said his numbers are just an example of how popular Swain County and Western North Carolina are becoming with motorcyclists.
Swain County is near several nationally known biking destinations. Graham County boasts the Dragon, an 11-mile stretch of road along U.S. 129 named the number one twisty road in the United States in a 2002 poll at motorcycle brand Buell’s Web site. The same poll listed the Blue Ridge Parkway as the second best twisty road to ride. The top featured road on Harley Davidson’s Web site this week is the Cherohala Skyway, a 36-mile scenic byway that ends in Robbinsville, only minutes away from Swain County.
Talbott also said that riders who attend rallies in close proximity to Swain County often make a trip through the Carolina mountains. These include bikers attending one of the largest Harley Davidson rallies in the nation in nearby Knoxville (more than 160,000 people attended this year) and the Cherokee Survivor’s rally, which had the biggest attendance in its 20-year history, said Talbott.
Also, the Wheels Through Time transportation museum in Maggie Valley has become a favorite stopping place for motorcycle enthusiasts dues to its collection of vintage bikes.
It appears, though, that counties in Western North Carolina are largely overlooking these numbers. Swain County has never advertised in a magazine geared toward the motorcycling population, and it’s not alone. Jackson County has never devoted any money to placing ads in a motorcycle magazine, said Julie Spiro, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce. Neither has Macon County, according to chamber executive director Linda Harbuck.
Haywood County has placed an ad in a BMW publication, but doesn’t any longer, TDA Executive Director Scotty Ellis said.
Motorcyclists, though, have evidently already found their way to Swain. Of four local Swain County hotels randomly called — Sleep Inn, Two Rivers Lodge, Relax Inn and Mountain Laurel Motel — all said, without hesitation, that motorcyclists make up a good portion of their clientele.
“We have quite a few motorcyclists. They get along very well with other clientele,” said Barbara Hindman, owner of Two Rivers, who said her lodge also caters to families. She said the mix has never posed a problem.
At Mountain Laurel, owner Kathi Butman has developed a relationship with certain groups of bikers that return again and again to stay at her motel.
The return rate of motorcyclists to the area doesn’t surprise Talbott, who said Bryson City is an ideal town for them.
“Bryson City really has the mystique that they’re looking for. It has a clean Main Street, little shops,” and more, Talbott said.
In Graham County, which borders Swain and also shares proximity to some of the most popular roads for motorcyclists, tourism officials have caught on and are reaping the benefits.
“We do have a lot of visitors who are motorcycle riders,” said Judy Jones, a host at the Graham County Visitor’s Center. Jones said the county spends about 10 to 15 percent of its tourism dollars advertising in motorcycle magazines.
Jones also said she’s sure the motorcyclists in Graham County pass through Swain. That’s because most riders leaving Graham County must pass through Swain to get to a major interstate like I-40, said Jones.
Talbott’s presentation prompted the TDA to look more closely into a population the county may be ignoring. Talbott will work with the TDA’s advertising agency, Kelso, at picking out a motorcycle magazine where an ad will possibly be placed.
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6) The North Carolina Court System
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The North Carolina Court System
http://www.nccourts.org/
Rules and Policies:
http://www.nccourts.org/Courts/CRS/Policies/Default.asp
Court Costs:
http://www.nccourts.org/Courts/Trial/Costs/Default.asp
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7) Vietnam Enacts Motorbike Helmet Law
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http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i1OCtTZuM179rN13s7fsvqvs8AyAD8S1UR2O0
Vietnam Enacts Motorbike Helmet Law
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — The head trauma ward at Viet Duc Hospital in Vietnam's capital is so crammed with beds, they line both sides of the room and spill out in the hallway. All are filled with unconscious patients with head injuries — motorcyclists who crashed with no helmets.
Vietnam has one of the world's highest traffic fatality rates, with nearly 13,000 deaths recorded last year alone — the majority involving the ubiquitous motorbike. Few people bother with helmets, saying they are hot, bulky and unfashionable. But as of Dec. 15, everyone will be required to don the so-called "rice cookers" as the government enforces a new law intended to save lives.
The Health Ministry kicked off a traffic safety campaign Wednesday to raise awareness before the new rules take effect.
"It's not only the deaths, it's the tens of thousands of injuries. Some people become like vegetables," said Jean-Marc Olive, World Health Organization representative in Vietnam. "Also what is quite sad is that the major proportion of accidents occur in young adults."
More than 20 million motorbikes cram Vietnam's busy streets on an average day, and their numbers are growing as the country becomes wealthier. The roads are also some of the most hazardous on earth. Few drivers look before pulling into traffic. Speeding, weaving, underage driving and drunk driving are common.
Vietnam's traffic fatality rate is about 27 per 100,000 — nearly double that of the United States and among the highest in the world, according to WHO.
But those statistics mean little to most motorbike commuters in Hanoi.
"It is an unenforceable law. Wearing helmets in cities is ridiculous," said Nguyen Tung Anh, 21, a student in Hanoi. "It will reduce drivers' vision, hearing and it is not suitable for the weather conditions here."
For those who need more convincing, Dr. Vu Hong Phong says perhaps a visit to Viet Duc Hospital would work. As the chief neurosurgeon there, he races in and out of surgery every day trying to salvage what's left of motorcyclists who slam their heads onto the pavement without helmets.
"The problem is getting worse and worse," Phong said. "The number of deaths I've seen over the past several years has increased too much and I feel very sad about that."
He lectures surviving patients and their families about the importance of wearing helmets but said his advice is heeded only about half the time, even among those who narrowly escape death.
In the head trauma ward, blood fills cotton stuffed into patients' ears as loved ones massage limp arms and legs. Some victims thrash in pain, their arms and legs tied to bed rails. Others lie still, their heads swollen and bruised. Tubes and machines keep them alive.
"He is in a coma and there is blood on his brain," said Dang Thi Tu, standing over her 21-year-old son, Cong. He was driving home from a wedding when he hit a rock in the road and lost control of his bike. She wishes now that his head had been protected.
"He was only a few kilometers from home, and he didn't wear a helmet."
Currently, helmets are only required on highways outside cities where fines the equivalent of $1.25 are levied on violators. All government employees have also been required to wear helmets since last month.
Government officials are discussing whether to raise the fine when the new law kicks in. Helmets must also be certified with a stamp verifying they meet Vietnamese safety standards.
But enforcement will be tough. When Vietnam tried to impose a helmet law in 2001, angry drivers protested and the government backed down. Some say they will only abide this time if forced.
"I cannot imagine myself wearing trendy clothes together with a helmet," said Le Tra My, 18, who was shopping for hats at an upscale store in Hanoi. "It will look awful."
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8) VIDEO: Who Should Control Your Health Care?
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FF Note: Likely socialized health care plan would come with louder cries to control our lifestyles to reduce medical costs.
http://demint.senate.gov/public/
VIDEO: Who Should Control Your Health Care?
Washington Politicians or You?
America is at a crossroads on the issue of health care. Over the next few years, decisions made by politicians in Washington will determine whether our nation slides toward socialism or reaffirms the freedom that has defined our country.
http://demint.enews.senate.gov/mail/util.cfm?mailaction=clickthru&gpiv=1999931869.12591.90&gen=1&mailing_linkid=712
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9) Group’s ad takes aim at Graham
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http://www.thestate.com/politics/story/191243.html
Group’s ad takes aim at Graham
TV spot spoofs Craig sex scandal, says senators profit as food companies make U.S. kids fat
By JAMES ROSEN
McClatchy Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — Call it toilet humor — with a political edge.
Television viewers in the Midlands and part of the Pee Dee will see a provocative ad tonight that accuses Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and other senators of putting campaign donations from giant agribusiness firms over the health of children.
The ad, sponsored by a public health group in Washington that is targeting childhood obesity, spoofs the sex scandal surrounding Sen. Larry Craig, the Idaho Republican who was arrested June 11 in a Minneapolis airport bathroom. Craig pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly behavior charges but is contesting the case.
The ad was the brainstorm of Dr. Neal Barnard, head of Physicians for Responsible Medicine.Barnard offered no apologies for the ad’s unsavory visual reference to an unrelated scandal. “We’re trying to get desperately needed attention to a critical problem. Kids today are in the worst shape they’ve ever been in the history of our country.”
The ad will air this evening on CNN, Fox and MSNBC in Richland, Lexington and eight surrounding counties. Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which says its 6,000 members include doctors in South Carolina, is targeting Graham and 20 other senators on the agriculture panel for backing federal subsidies to giant agribusiness firms.
The ads are running as the Senate is trying to reauthorize the farm bill. Rewritten every five years, it pays small farmers and huge agribusiness operations subsidies for some crops while buying surplus meat, produce, milk, cheese and butter.
Those companies, the physicians group says, are fueling a major public health crisis by supplying pizza, hamburgers, high-fat cheese and other unhealthy foods to public school lunch programs.
The group’s ad asserts senators are afraid to challenge the agribusiness companies because those firms give them millions in campaign contributions.
In the ad, a well-dressed man is seen going into a public restroom. After entering a stall, he taps his foot on the floor, then receives bundles of cash handed to him from under the stall divider.
As the man stuffs the cash into a briefcase, the narrator says: “Companies get rich; kids get fat. Is your senator on the gravy train?”
The ad doesn’t mention anyone’s name. Instead it provides a link to a Web site — www.stopchildobesitynow.org —that lists the Senate Agriculture Committee members and how much money agribusiness political action committees have given each since 2000.
Graham got $181,365, less than 14 senators on the panel and more than six, according to the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington.
Kevin Bishop, a spokesman for Graham, said the Seneca Republican recognizes the health threat faced by the growing number of overweight children, “but the creation of healthy school-lunch menus is best handled by parents and educators in our local schools.”
Erika Bolstad of the McClatchy Washington Bureau contributed.
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10) S.C. Democrats pursuing earlier primary date
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http://www.thestate.com/news/story/191387.html
S.C. Democrats pursuing earlier primary date
Presidential vote would be Jan. 19
By AARON GOULD SHEININ
asheinin@thestate.com
S.C. Democratic Party chairwoman Carol Khare Fowler will ask the Democratic National Committee for permission to move the 2008 presidential primary up 10 days to Jan. 19 to coincide with the S.C. GOP primary.
Changing the date from Jan. 29 would preserve the state’s designation as the first in the South to cast primary votes. Voting early gives South Carolina influence on which candidates will be positioned to capture the nomination.
The move, Fowler told The State newspaper Wednesday, is not about Florida’s decision to hold both of its primaries Jan. 29, the date the DNC had reserved for South Carolina alone.
“I’m not comfortable being 10 days after the Republicans,” Fowler said. “This is a South Carolina thing, not a Florida thing.”
Moving the date requires approval from the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee, which sets the primary calendar. No meeting of the committee has been scheduled, Fowler said, but she added that if anything is going to happen with the date, it will happen during the next two weeks.
DNC spokesman Damien LaVera said the committee would consider any request, but would not comment as to whether it would approve one. He said a committee meeting is expected “in the next couple of months.”
Fowler is not sure when she will formally make the request, but said it will be “when I think the time is right to ask.”
Published reports in Nevada and on TheAtlantic.com have speculated that Democrats in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina have agreed in principle to a calendar that has Iowa’s caucus Jan. 5, New Hampshire’s primary Jan. 8, Nevada’s caucus Jan. 12 and the S.C. primary Jan. 19.
That would likely result in Democrats and Republicans voting on the same day in all four states.
Meanwhile, Michigan has scheduled both its primaries for Jan. 15, and Florida moved to Jan. 29. A dozen states, including powerhouses New York, California and Illinois, are set for Feb. 5.
The presidential campaigns are mostly claiming indifference to the shifting calendar.
“No matter the date, we look forward to competing and running a strong campaign in South Carolina,” said Lachlan McIntosh, spokesman for New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson’s campaign.
But the reality is that keeping small states like Nevada and South Carolina on dates by themselves most benefits candidates not named Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.
Clinton, the U.S. senator from New York, and Obama, the U.S. senator from Illinois, are the Democratic front-runners and have raised millions more in campaign dollars than the rest of the field.
Clinton and Obama alone likely have the money to compete in every state no matter the date. Other candidates, such as Richardson and former U.S. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, would count on strong showings in the early states to give them momentum down the line that they could not buy through advertising.
“South Carolina is very important to John Edwards,” Edwards spokeswoman Teresa Wells said. “We believe in the importance of South Carolina maintaining its first-in-the-South status, and Senator Edwards has signed a pledge to show his commitment to the voters of South Carolina, many of whom helped him win the state four years ago.”
All the Democratic candidates have signed pledges vowing not to campaign in Michigan and Florida after those states moved their primary dates forward.
The DNC in August 2006 agreed to a 2008 calendar that had Iowa’s caucus Jan. 14, Nevada’s caucus Jan. 19, New Hampshire’s primary Jan. 22 and the S.C. primary Jan. 29. No other state was allowed to vote before Feb. 5.
But Florida — and South Carolina’s Republicans — threw that calendar into chaos. Florida lawmakers voted to set both its Republican and Democratic primaries for Jan. 29.
South Carolina’s Republicans had tentatively been scheduled to hold their primary Feb. 2, but state GOP chairman Katon Dawson vowed to keep his primary first-in-the-South. Florida’s move forced his hand, and Dawson set the primary here for Jan. 19.
For her part, Fowler said she is concerned that having the Democratic primary 10 days after South Carolina Republicans vote would hurt Democratic turnout.
Dawson said it makes sense for everyone to vote the same day.
“It will save the state of South Carolina some money, and being a good conservative Republican, I’m all for that,” he said. “I am first and foremost a South Carolinian and second of all a Republican, but this primary process has been good for both parties and for South Carolina.”
Reach Gould Sheinin at (803) 771-8658.
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11) State briefs | S.C. tests among nation’s most difficult
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http://www.thestate.com/education/story/191238.html
State briefs | S.C. tests among nation’s most difficult
Standardized math and reading tests taken by South Carolina’s public school students are among the nation’s most difficult, according to a report to be released today.
State education officials said the study by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute again confirms what they have said for years — that it is impossible to compare the quality of education between states by test scores alone.
Each state developed its own test to measure whether students are meeting academic goals set by No Child Left Behind. When the standards measured by the tests are low, states look more successful, according to the report titled “The Proficiency Illusion.”
CAMDEN
• Carolina blues festival begins tonight
Looking to get away this weekend?
Take a short drive to Camden for the Carolina Downhome Blues Festival, which begins tonight.
In its 11th year, the three-day festival is more like a miniparty on the main drag of a historic town. Why drive home when you can stay in a hotel and turn the weekend into a minivacation?
Performers include Harper, Chick Willis, Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble, Drink Small, Miss Wanda Johnson, Robert Lighthouse, The King Bees and Studebaker John and the Hawks.
More than 10 venues in downtown Camden will host performances. Tickets cost $15 per night, or $40 for a three-day pass. Visit http://camden.bluesbash.com, or call (803) 425-7676, ext. 300.
CHARLESTON
• Officials subpoenaed for files in deadly blaze
Attorneys representing the family of one of nine firefighters who died in a furniture store blaze have subpoenaed Charleston’s mayor and fire chief.
Melvin Champaign’s estate didn’t sue Mayor Joe Riley or Fire Chief Rusty Thomas, but its lawyers want them to turn over Fire Department personnel files, firefighting policies and procedures, as well as code and building paperwork for the Sofa Super Store.
Champaign and eight other firefighters died from burns and smoke inhalation in the June 18 blaze. Champaign’s family is suing the building’s owner, contractors who installed fire doors and did other improvements, and seven furniture makers for negligence and is asking for an unspecified amount in damages.
AIKEN
• Lawyer wins GOP nod for Senate run
A 32-year-old lawyer from Edgefield County has won the Republican nomination for the Senate seat vacated this summer by long-serving Democrat Tommy Moore.
Shane Massey will face state Rep. Bill Clyburn, D-Aiken, in the Nov. 6 general election.
Massey, who practices law in Aiken, won a primary runoff with Republican Bill Hixson.
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12) Massey on SC Motorcycle Helmet law
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http://www.aikenstandard.com/2007redesign/news/289945169877341.php
Massey on SC Motorcycle Helmet law
"I strongly encourage everyone riding motorcycles to wear helmets, but I would not support a law mandating their use for adults. I believe it should be the personal decision for those who choose to ride motorcycles..." ~Shane Massey
FF Note: Massey is ruunning for Tommy Moore's seat in the SC State Senate.
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13) Reader Feedback: Letter to Spartanburg Herald Journal
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Below is a copy of the letter I sent today to the Spartanburg Herald Journal. I doubt they will print it but I hope that it helps our cause. If all works out, hope to join you all in Columbia on Sunday
Mike Poole
abate membership # 0805-A
I am very disappointed in the Helmet Law proposal editorial in The Sunday September 30th edition of the Spartanburg Herald Journal. I do not feel that it is the right of a newspaper to tell our Senators how to vote on this issue, but the right of the motorcycling communities. While it is true motorcycle fatalities are increasing, making everyone on a motorcycle in South Carolina wear a helmet is not the answer to decreasing these deaths. Most newspaper articles say "rider was not wearing a helmet" but fail to mention the following: length of motorcycling experience, if alcohol was a factor, if the driver had a license or just a permit, if the motorcyclist was at fault or if excessive speed was a factor.
By enacting an all inclusive helmet law in South Carolina, the whole South Carolina population will suffer. Why? Motorcycle registrations will drop, causing a decline in tax revenue, Motorcycle sales will drop, causing indepedent shop owners to suffer a loss of business, therefore causing a decrease in sales tax and income tax revenue, and participation in the country's 3rd largest bike event, Myrtle Beach Spring Bike Week, will fall causing a loss of revenue for motel owners, restaurant owners and once again a decrease in sales tax revenue.
One must also look at the safety impact of requiring motorcyclists to wear a helmet at all times. Helmets cause fatigue, blind spots and studies have proven when motorcyclists are involved in accidents while wearing a helmet, chances for neck and spine related injuries sharply increase. While the biker may not die immediately from head injuries, he may either suffer the rest of his like from complications of the neck and spine injuries or die from complications of these injuries, which is often not reported in newspapers.
Please be advised of the following findings in previous motorcycle studies:
Relative to the number of registered motorcycles, states with mandatory helmet laws had 12.5% more accidents and 2.3% more fatalities than free choice states for the 14 year period 1977-90. (Accident and Fatality Statistics, analyzed by A.R. Mackenzie, M.D.)
Fact: There is no discernible difference in motorcycle accident or fatality rates between states with mandatory helmet laws and those which allow for freedom of choice. In fact, states which support voluntary use routinely achieve accident and fatality rates equal to or better than states with mandatory helmet laws for all riders. (American Motorcycle
Association, 1995)
"It is concluded that: 1) motorcycle helmets have no significant effect on probability of fatality; and 2) past a critical impact speed, helmets increase the severity of neck injuries." (Dr. Jonathan Goldstein, Bowdoin College)
Fact: Helmets are minimally effective in preventing most injuries. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report to Congress, the CODES Study, 1995)
Automobile accidents account for 45.5% of all head injured patients and are responsible for 37.1% of all fatalities involving head injury. (The Journal of Trauma, 1989)
Fact: There are no appreciable differences found relative to fatality rate, severity of injury, hospital stay, and discharge status between motorcycle accident victims who wore helmets and those who did not. (Arizona's Governor's Office of Highway Safety Study, 1990)
Therefore, I would say that proposing a mandated helmet law for all motorcycle riders in South Carolina is not the way to reduce motorcycle related fatalities in the state. More can be done in rider education, motorcycle awareness, and a strengthening of the current motorcycle permit requirements for South Carolina residents.
In the words of Helen Keller "Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is a daring adventure, or nothing."
Mike Poole
Gaffney SC, 29340
PS - I may be reached at 864-487-5480 if you would like to discuss this letter. It may not be altered for reprint without my prior approval. Thanks
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