U.S. Lawmakers Want Agency To Focus On Motorcycle Crash Prevention

U.S. lawmakers want a federal traffic safety agency to concentrate
on motorcycle crash prevention and rider education -- instead of
trying to lobby state lawmakers to enact mandatory helmet laws, the
American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports.
U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) and his colleagues plan to
introduce a resolution May 2 in support of continuing a ban on
state and local lobbying by the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA). The resolution urges the agency to focus on
motorcycle crash prevention as the first step in motorcycle
safety.
May is traditionally Motorcycle Awareness Month.
To date, others supporting the resolution include Reps. Ken Calvert
(R-Calif.), Walter Jones (R-N.C.), Ron Paul (R-Texas), Tom Petri
(R-Wis.), Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Tim Walberg (R-Mich.).
If approved, the resolution would send a clear message to the NHTSA
that it shouldn't lobby state or local jurisdictions for mandatory
helmet laws. The anti-lobbying language was originally written into
the Transportation Equity Act approved by Congress in 1998.
The resolution states that the House "supports efforts to retain
the ban on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's
(NHTSA's) ability to lobby state legislators using federal tax
dollars, encourages continued growth in the motorcyclist community,
and encourages owners and riders to be responsible road users."
The resolution also says that the House "recognizes the importance
of motorcycle crash prevention as the primary source of motorcycle
safety (and) encourages NHTSA to focus on motorcycle crash
prevention and rider education as the most significant priorities
in motorcycle safety."
Sensenbrenner introduced a similar resolution during the previous
Congress.