11NR09 - MRF News Release - United States House of Representatives Bill to Prohibit Funding for Motorcycle Checkpoints
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
03 March 2011

Contact: Jeff Hennie, Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs

United States House of Representatives Bill to Prohibit Funding for Motorcycle Checkpoints

Today in Washington, Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) introduced legislation, H.R. 904, a bill to prohibit the United States Department of Transportation funding for motorcycle-only roadside checkpoints. Representatives Tom Petri (R-W) and Paul Ryan (R-W) are original co-sponsors.

Last year, the USDOT set aside a pool of federal monies to fund motorcycle-only roadside checkpoints. One grant was awarded to the state of Georgia in the amount of $70,000. The Georgia Department of Public Safety, through the Georgia State Patrol, plan to begin the motorcycle-only checkpoints this spring, targeting motorcyclists heading to Daytona, Florida for bike week.

The grant was supplied by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) whose goal is supposed to be accident avoidance not injury reduction. Clearly motorcycle checkpoints do not promote accident avoidance. H.R. 904 will not stop the Georgia checkpoints, only future funding of motorcycle checkpoints.

"We introduced this important piece of legislation because Secretary LaHood and NHTSA remain adamant that mandating helmet use will prevent motorcycle crashes," Sensenbrenner said. "The first step in motorcycle crash prevention should be rider education and increased awareness. Taxpayer money should not be spent on helmet checkpoints that do not prevent crashes."

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation thanks Congressmen Sensenbrenner, Petri and Ryan for their support and defense of the motorcyclists of this country.

The MRF urges you to contact your Representatives and ask them to co-sponsor H.R. 904. You can reach your Representative through the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. /font>