Action item... SC Helmet Law Poll http://www.wspa.com
Videos and photos soon to be posted at BikerEzine.com from the past weekend...
1) Internet Poll for All Rider Helmet Law in SC
2) Motorcyclists rally against mandatory helmet law
3) Benefit Run for Gerald Brooks (Owner of County Line)
4) Thunder Riders HOG Chapter 1st Annual Charity Ride for Camp Discovery
5) Helmets protect most motorcyclists
6) Motorcycle hits deer on Highway 521, one woman killed
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1) Internet Poll for All Rider Helmet Law in SC
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Internet Poll by News Channel 7, Upstate South Carolina
Do you think South Carolina should pass a mandatory helmet law for motorcyclists over 21?
Vote at http://www.wspa.com
After you vote read the article "SC Motorcyclists Rally Against Helmet Law: National safety group urges states to pass mandatory helmets" at
http://www.wspa.com/midatlantic/spa/news.apx.-content-articles-SPA-2007-10-08-0013.html
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2) Motorcyclists rally against mandatory helmet law
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http://greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071008/NEWS01/710080319
Motorcyclists rally against mandatory helmet law
Group says better rider education, driver awareness will cut accidents, lower deaths
By Tim Smith
CAPITAL BUREAU
tcsmith@greenvillenews.com
COLUMBIA -- They came by the hundreds Sunday afternoon to the Statehouse, on Harleys and Hondas, wearing jeans and leather, young and old, male and female, with one message for lawmakers: Don't mandate helmets for adults.
"It's not the helmet we oppose," Jeff Coleman, state coordinator pro tem for ABATE, a motorcycle advocacy group, told those seated on the Statehouse steps, to sustained applause. "It's the freedom of choice we defend."
South Carolina law requires helmets for those under the age of 21 riding motorcycles, but not for adults. The federal government is pressing states to require federally approved helmets.
ABATE, which stands for A Brotherhood Against Totalitarian Enactments, sends some members to each legislative session to watch lawmakers and to urge them not to pass a helmet law.
Sunday's rally, an annual event, drew at least 700 riders from across the state, Coleman estimated.
"I believe the South Carolina helmet law should be a voluntary law," said Bob Baxter of Greenville County, an ABATE member at Sunday's rally. "It doesn't make sense to me that anybody should be subject to arrest, possible fines and maybe a jail term simply because they don't want to put three pounds of plastic on their head."
After listening to opening remarks, the riders were treated to a skit in which an ABATE official dressed as a federal safety bureaucrat, "Safety Sam," including a helmet, told the crowd he was there on taxpayers' money to talk to legislators nationwide and convince them of the need for a mandatory helmet law. When the crowd was asked if they wanted him there, they yelled, "No!" An ABATE official jokingly kicked him as he left.
"You've got NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) out there saying everybody should put them brain buckets on, and that's not true, and we all know that," Dean Collins, a coordinator the Lexington ABATE chapter, told the crowd. "We need to get serious with this thing, because they are getting serious."
As Collins spoke to the group, one rider interrupted him.
"It ain't the helmets that kill us. It's the people who pull out in front of us that kills us," he yelled.
Coleman said afterward the group talks so much about the helmet law "because that is the answer to everybody's problem." But he and other ABATE officials said that doesn't mean the group opposes the wearing of helmets or that its work is limited to working against a mandatory law.
"We have people that are working on programs going into high schools to teach driver's education classes about motorcycle awareness, and we're very good at promoting a riders' education program to teach people how to ride motorcycles," he said. "We want to prevent crashes."
There are other concerns, ABATE members said, including the high number of riders who are not fully licensed, the lack of courtesy by people driving cars, and motorcycle dealers who sell bikes without requiring buyers to show they know how to ride one.
Scott Gilreath, 46, is the Greenville County chapter coordinator. He said he only wears a helmet when the law requires him to in other states. But he said he has safety concerns other than the helmet law.
"We've got to improve rider education in the state," he said. "We've got to improve the awareness of the other motorists on the road. We're wanting to educate people so there will be less fatalities on the road."
FF Note: It would be wise to know the facts before speaking with the press or legislators. Only a small percentage of South Carolina bikers die from the error of another driver. Most bikers have died because they cannot ride or they were intoxicated during the past year. Helmet will not correct either of these problems
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3) Benefit Run for Gerald Brooks (Owner of County Line)
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http://www.rd-ranch.com/Oct_14th_Flyer.pdf
October 14, 2007 - Benefit Run for Gerald Brooks (Owner of County Line). Sponsored by Columbia Riders ABATE. Start at Darrell's. 1727 Percival Rd. exit 15 off I-77), Columbia, SC. 29223 (803) 788-2993. Registration: 11:30 AM. First Bike Out: 12 PM. Last Bike Out: 12:30 PM. $15 Single, $20 Couples. (includes Food). Food is $5 for non-riders. Ends at: County Line Bar. 1041 McCords Ferry Rd. (Hwy 601), Lugoff,SC. (803) 699-9939. Best Hand - Cash, Worst Hand - 6 Pack. Chili Cook-Off ($5 Entry Fee, Winner takes all & Trophy). 50/50 and door prizes. Music 1:00 - 5:00 PM provided by Rocket Ron.
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4) Thunder Riders HOG Chapter 1st Annual Charity Ride for Camp Discovery
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http://www.thunderridershog.com/uploads/Charity_Flyer.pdf
October 27, 2007 - Thunder Riders HOG Chapter 1st Annual Charity Ride for Camp Discovery (Blythewood). Thunder Tower Harley-Davidson- 190 Pontiac Bus. Ctr. Dr. (Off Spears Creek Rd. Exit 82 on I-20), Columbia, SC. (803) 461-1121. Registration starts at 9:00 AM. First Bike Out: 10 AM. Last Bike Out: 12:00 PM. All bikes in at 2:00 PM. Cost: $25 (Pre-Registration includes food).. Food at Texas Roadhouse on Two Notch Rd., Columbia, SC. Bike Show: 2-4 PM, Bike Games: 3-4 PM. Best Hand: $300. 50/50 Drawing, Music and Raffles with awesome items from Harley-Davidson and local businesses. Click link below for Flyer and contact information.
FF Note: This event will provide an excellent venue to recruit more members to ABATE and the MRF.
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5) Helmets protect most motorcyclists
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http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071006/OPINION04/710060314/1035/OPINION
Helmets protect most motorcyclists
Tom Cox's argument against motorcycle helmet use misses the point ("Leave the Helmet Choice To Motorcyclists," Sept. 25 letter). The point is not that 10 out of 57 who were wearing a helmet at the time of an accident died. The point is that 47 didn't. That's a survival rate of more than 82 percent.
Motorcyclists hit trucks, cars and trees because they lose control, especially on curves. In Iowa, it's possible to buy a motorcycle without an endorsement that proves one is trained to ride it. A major thrust of the training, readily available at Des Moines Area Community College, is how to control the bike.
It's too bad that Cox chooses to raise the straw man of illegal immigration to offset the obvious argument that maintaining a head-injured motorcyclist on life support drives up health-care costs.
I like Lloyd Miller's suggestion that helmetless motorcyclists have organ-donor cards on file (Sept. 25 letter). Here's another: Give a discount on health-insurance premiums to motorcyclists who wear helmets and require dealers to see proof of passing the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic Rider Course before selling a bike.
- C.E. Bryant,
Baxter.
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6) Motorcycle hits deer on Highway 521, one woman killed
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FF Note: The victims of this accident were both ABATE of SC members in good standing. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7179461
Motorcycle hits deer on Highway 521, one woman killed
SUMTER, SC (WIS) - A motorcycle accident killed one woman Saturday night on Highway 521.
Two people were on the motorcycle when it hit a deer right near the Sumter-Clarendon county line at around 9:50pm.
The passenger of the 2005 Yamaha motorcycle, 45-year-old Carol Lynn Hauptman of Sumter, was not wearing a helmet and was ejected from the bike. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the motorcycle was 39-year-old Bruce Hauptman of Sumter. He also was not wearing a helmet and was airlifted to Palmetto Richland. His current condition is unknown.
The accident is still under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
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