Congressmen Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Tom Petri (R-WI) today took the lead to address concerns in the motorcyclist community. Several Members of Congress joined Sensenbrenner and Petri in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to inform him of numerous concerns regarding the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Motorcycle Law Enforcement Demonstrations Grant Program.
The widely criticized program creates motorcycle-only checkpoints that only take into account factors that contribute to motorcycle safety and do not help prevent crashes, such as USDOT-approved helmet compliance, tailpipe standards and motorcycle modifications.
“Crash prevention is the first priority for motorcyclists. It makes little sense to me why NHTSA continues to advocate programs that haven’t proven to prevent motorcycle accidents in the first place,” Congressman Sensenbrenner said.
Congressman Petri added, "What's the safety benefit of this? We have limited resources, and motorcycle checkpoints won't get us the biggest bang for the buck. Also, it's outrageously intrusive."
The State of New York has implemented the check-point program. The letter urges Secretary LaHood to detail the benefits of the program, including the types of infractions that have been recorded that will help prevent accidents. The letter also seeks the criteria NHTSA will use to determine whether motorcycle-only checkpoints prove helpful in preventing crashes and ensuring motorcycle safety.
“Until these concerns are addressed, we encourage you to suspend Administrator Strickland’s Motorcycle Law Enforcement Demonstrations Grant program. The funding for this program would be better spent on awareness programs and crash causation studies unless evidence suggests otherwise.” the Congressmen noted in the letter.
Congressman Sensenbrenner, along with several of his colleagues including Congressman Petri also introduced H. Res. 1498 on July 1. The resolution “supports efforts to retain the ban on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s ability to lobby state legislatures using federal tax dollars and urges NHTSA to focus on crash prevention and rider education” to bring attention to the concerns of motorcyclists in Wisconsin and around the country.
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