Blue Knights AZ IX

I was recently contacted through our Web Page by a Blue Knight from Quebec Canada, Tony Berardiucci, QC XIII.  He was staying in Mesa during his trip around the US.  He was driving his truck towing his Yamaha Venture behind.  I provided him with the other Arizona Chapters so he might be able to connect with other BK’s in Arizona.  We met at Picacho Peak Travel Center on Moday 12/29 and decided to take a little ride.  We departed there and headed back into Tucson.  We exited @ Tangerine and went to Oracle Rd., Rt.  77, where we headed north.  Heading north we went past Catalina, the Biosphere, and into Winkelman where we stopped for gas.  From there we headed NE through Kearny and Hayden past the open pit mines to US 60.  We stopped at the Visitors Center which is an old Red Caboose.  From there we continued east until I departed, heading south at Rt 79 back to Tucson while he continued on to Mesa.  We had great weather and a very nice ride of over 250 miles.  On Tuesday he met with the Blue Knights from Prescott.  Below are a few pictures from his meeting with them.

Federal task force preparing recommendation for mandatory motorcycle helmet laws November 08, 2013 – Reprinted from Blue Knights Chat Group

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — A federal task force is poised to recommend that all states have mandatory helmet laws for all motorcyclists, which the task force says would reduce injuries and deaths as well as result in economic benefits, the American Motorcyclist Association reports.

“The AMA continues to strongly encourage the use of personal protective equipment, including gloves, sturdy footwear and a properly fitted motorcycle helmet certified by its manufacturer to meet federal safety standards,” said Wayne Allard, AMA vice president for government relations, on Nov. 7. “But we also believe that adults should have the right to voluntarily choose to wear a helmet.”

The Community Preventive Services Task Force, whose 15 members are appointed by the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, makes recommendations to the CDC and reports to the U.S. Congress about community preventive services, programs and policies to improve health. The task force is preparing to recommend that all states have universal helmet laws, which means that all riders, regardless of age, would be required to wear helmets.

The task force is ready to make the recommendation based on its belief that a universal helmet mandate would reduce motorcyclist deaths and injuries, and that mandating riders to wear helmets would result in economic benefits. The task force believes health care costs for injured helmeted riders wouldn’t be as high as those of injured unhelmeted riders, and also that universal helmet laws would result in fewer missed days of work for injured riders.

The CDC, which oversees the task force, is a federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services and is headquartered in Atlanta. Its official mission is to protect America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and in the United States. “Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, CDC fights disease and supports communities and citizens to do the same,” the agency says on its website.

“The AMA strongly advocates helmet use, but helmet use alone is insufficient to ensure a motorcyclist’s safety,” said Allard. “There is a broad range of measures that can be implemented to improve the skill of motorcycle operators, as well as reduce the frequency of situations where other vehicle operators are the cause of crashes that involve motorcycles.”

In its position on voluntary helmet use, the AMA noted that mandatory helmet laws do nothing to prevent crashes.

“The AMA supports actions that help riders avoid a crash from occurring, including voluntary rider education, improved licensing and testing, and expanded motorist awareness programs,” said Allard. “This strategy is widely recognized and pursued in the motorcycling community.”

Concerning the task force claim of economic benefits, the AMA noted that injured motorcyclists are less likely than the general population to use public funds to pay for injuries sustained in crashes, and are just as likely to be insured as other vehicle operators.

In addition, the AMA said the costs associated with the treatment of motorcyclist injuries account for a tiny fraction of total U.S. health care costs. An even smaller portion of these costs is attributable to unhelmeted motorcyclists, the majority of which are paid by privately purchased insurance. In 2000, for example, approximately 1.55 percent of total U.S. health care costs were attributable to all motor vehicle crashes. Motorcyclists involved in crashes represented a miniscule percentage of this figure.

In an effort to prohibit the availability of E15, a gasoline formulation that contains up to 15 percent ethanol by volume, the American Motorcyclist Association supports U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte’s (R-Va.) H.R. 1462, the RFS Reform Act of 2013. The bipartisan bill would amend the Renewable Fuel Standard to recognize market conditions and realities. It would also prohibit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from allowing the introduction into the marketplace of gasoline containing greater than 10 percent of ethanol by volume. In other words, E15 would no longer be permitted if this legislation becomes law.

The AMA has repeatedly expressed concerns to government officials and federal lawmakers about possible damage to motorcycle and all-terrain vehicle engines caused by the inadvertent use of E15 when the new fuel becomes widely available.

In October 2010, the EPA approved E15 for use in model year 2007 and newer light duty vehicles (cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty passenger vehicles). In January 2011, it added model year 2001-2006 light duty vehicles to the approved list.

This new legislation would help protect the 22 million motorcycle and ATVs in the country – and the riders who depend on their safe operation – from inadvertent misfueling.

Preventing these inadvertent misfuelings has been one of the AMA’s top priorities due to the fact that motorcycles and ATVs aren’t designed to run on ethanol fuel blends higher than 10 percent, and many older machines favored by vintage enthusiasts may have problems with any ethanol in the fuel. In fact, simply using fuel with blends of ethanol over 10 percent could void a vehicle manufacturer’s warranty, potentially leaving motorcyclists with thousands of dollars in additional repair costs.

We need your help to pass H.R. 1462. You can send a pre-written email to your representative immediately by following the “Take Action” option and entering your information. The AMA encourages riders to personalize their messages by drawing on their own personal riding experiences.