May Begins AMA Motorcycle Awareness Month

With the beginning of Motorcycle Awareness Month on May 1, the American Motorcyclist Association is issuing a special appeal to motorists to be aware of their driving environment, check mirrors and blind spots before changing lanes and, especially, to watch for motorcyclists.

"The warmer weather in May brings out the riders who have been unable to ride all winter, so it presents an excellent opportunity for us to educate the non-riding public about the safety issues that affect motorcyclists every time we roll out of our driveways or onto a trail," said Rob Dingman, AMA president and CEO. "The AMA is monitoring more than 1,124 state and federal bills that would affect motorcycling safety or motorcyclists' rights, including many that deal with rider safety."

Among the top awareness issues in 2015 are distracted driving and the need for motorcyclist and driver training.

Sean Hutson, AMA government affairs manager for on-highway issues, said state legislatures are considering more than 150 bills that deal with distracted driving. Those bills range from prohibitions on minors using personal electronic devices to bans on the use of electronic devices by any driver.

Rather than solely seeking bans on specific forms of behavior, though, the AMA advocates legislation that includes enhanced penalty options to be determined by the courts in cases where distracted driving results in a crash.

In addition, the AMA supports training programs for motorcyclists -- including advanced skills courses - and more thorough education for motorists. A new law in Michigan, for example, requires motorcycle- and bicycle-awareness and safety instruction in all of the state's courses for new drivers.

Drivers can avoid crashes with motorcyclists by taking extra care and looking twice to spot motorcycles in traffic -- especially at intersections -- respecting the motorcyclists' space on the road and by not following too closely.

Motorcycle Awareness Month, launched by the AMA in the early 1980s and adopted by many state motorcycle-rights organizations, government entities and AMA-sanctioned clubs, is observed each May. Video and audio messages can be downloaded at www.americanmotorcyclist.com/Rights/Resources/PublicServiceAnnouncements.aspx.

AMA position statements on distracted and inattentive vehicle operation and rider education, as well as other subjects, can be found here: www.americanmotorcyclist.com/rights/positionstatements.

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Motorcycle Awareness Month - Drivers "Must Share the Road"

Riding a motorcycle does not have to be dangerous. In addition to educating riders about motorcycle safety, which Pete's Cycles and this blog has helped accomplish, we also need educate automobile drivers about the plight of motorcyclists. Thankfully, just this past wednesday the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration and the motorcycle riding community announced that the 2014 BikeSafe Maryland educational campaign is now underway. The campaign rides the pronouncement of Governor Martin O'Malley that May is Motorcycle Safety Month. This campaign is not to be confused with the American Motorcyclist Association’s national Go Ride! Month, which was in April.

Some good news from officials has it that "motorcycle-involved traffic fatalities in Maryland dropped to the lowest levels in a decade, declining from 77 fatalities statewide in 2012 to just 61 in 2013." However, despite a steady drops in fatalities beginning in 2008, Anne Arundel Country was a rare exception that saw an increase to five motorcycle fatalities in 2013. For obvious reasons, Anne Arundel county is stepping up is safety measures this month, and offering classes as well.

Bikers will be thankful to the safety month for a stepped-up public awareness campaign that will post on boards, yard signs, banners and internet advertisements messages to look for cyclists before changing lanes.

The obvious question is--does any of this stuff work? According to an article posted by WBAL, the BikeSafe campaign led to a 25% reduction in U.K. motorcycle fatalities since its inception in 2003. The program began in the United Kingdom. And across the pond in North Carolina, which began the program in 2007, there as been a reported 20% reduction in fatalities. 

Don't forget that Pete's Cycles stocks all the gear you need to keep you safe on the road, such as clothing, helmets and accessories!

For more information regarding BikeSafe Maryland contact Lt. David Ennis, Commander of the Anne Arundel County Police Department's Traffic Safety Section, at 410-222-8573.

Follow BikeSafe Maryland on Twitter: @BikeSafeMD

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Ethanol and Combustion Engines--Not a Good Mix

This week's post affects all ATV and motorcycle riders, since it is about the increasing amounts of ethanol being mixed into our gasoline. It is about fuel and how our engines react to that fuel--this is a topic dear to Pete's Cycle and all our riders. 

According to a recent American Motorcyclist Association press release, "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has publicly acknowledged that ethanol in gasoline can damage internal combustion engines by increasing exhaust temperatures and indirectly causing component failures." To make a long story short, this is not good news for ATV and motorcycle owners who use fuel from the pump.

The Federal Trade Commission has recently proposed a rule that would require more labeling at the gas station for fuel blends and mixtures over 10% ethanol. However, the proposed rule would exempt the new EPA’s E15-approved label (15% ethanol, 85% gasoline).

The AMA is clear that this is not really a solution. The AMA claims that:

• the proposal will cause more confusion given the introduction of E15
• E15 can cause engine and fuel system failure; and can void manufacturer's warranties
• gasolines with higher than 10% ethanol are bound to enter the marketplace with greater frequencies

The AMA press release cites language from the EPA. According to the EPA: “[e]thanol impacts motor vehicles in two primary ways. First … ethanol enleans the [air/fuel] ratio (increases the proportion of oxygen relative to hydrocarbons) which can lead to increased exhaust gas temperatures and potentially increase incremental deterioration of emission control hardware and performance over time, possibly causing catalyst failure. Second, ethanol can cause materials compatibility issues, which may lead to other component failures.”

Another issue is where the label will be at the pump. To play a part in this issue, the AMA says that June 2^nd is the deadline for comments.

Here is what the AMA recommends:

1) To submit comments, please copy the prewritten comments below (on their website here).

2) Then go to https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/autofuelratingscertnprm/. 3) Once you are on the site, paste the pre-written comments in the ‘Comments’ field box. Before submitting, please complete the rest of the fields.

Read the AMA press release here.

http://www.cycleworld.com/2014/04/19/ama-epa-acknowledges-ethanol-damages-engines/

If you have any other information, please visit Pete's Cycle website or post a comment on this blog. Thanks.

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The American Motorcyclist Association’s National Go Ride! Month Has Begun

The American Motorcyclist Association’s national Go Ride! Month is now upon us. The official date was April 1^st. Go Ride! Month will last through the end of April, and will welcome the 2014 riding season in style—contests, information, give aways, etc.  

In the chance you are unfamiliar with the AMA, it is a nonprofit of a quarter of a million riders whose mission statement is "to promote the motorcycling lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling." The AMA is also very active in supporting motorcyclist’s legal rights.

The Go Ride! campaign is a public outreach of sorts by the AMA, a way to bring cycle enthusiasts together, share ride information, tips, photos, stories, and, of course, give things away. Riders of all stripes are encouraged to post their pics to AMA’s Facebook page. Or, Tweet using #AMARideYourWay. More information can be found on their Facebook page as well.

In terms of prizes, AMA has partnered with BikeBandit.com, Avis, ColorRite, FLY Street and FLY Racing, PowerTye, Red Roof Inns and Tour Master. During its first week, to be eligible for a $50 gift certificate from one of these companies all you have to do is “like” a post or comments on a post on the AMA’s Facebook page. You must do this by 5 pm on April 4^th. But don’t worry if you don’t make the cut this week, you can give it a shot the following week. And to participate in all this you do not have to be an AMA member.

You can find contest rules posted here: www.americanmotorcyclist.com/GoRideContest

Also, since we are on the topic of events, don’t forget about Bikes to the Beach 4th Annual Rally (Ocean City, Md.), which goes from April 24-27. The Spring rally will host everything from bull riding, bike shows, custom builders, awesome vendors, great food and lots of drink specials. See an earlier post of mine at Pete’s Cycle blog for more on this and other events.

And, of course, come stop by Pete’s Cycles at any one of our three locations--Baltimore, Bel Air, Severna Park—for all of your cycling needs.

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