MRF CALL TO ACTION

For the past several weeks the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) has

been actively working on a multi-tiered strategic initiative to

counter the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) program to

pressure states into enacting mandatory helmet laws. We are prepared

today to launch the program beginning with a Call to Action to our

State Motorcycle Rights Organizations (SMROs).

The MRF's Call to Action is to encourage our SMRO partners to send

their top lobbying teams to Washington D.C. in late October and early

November to visit with their members of Congress to voice opposition

to the NTSB's lobbying efforts. It is our position that the NTSB is

proposing to directly lobby the states with federal tax money based on

poorly-drawn conclusions, using a very narrow scope, and not employing

the rigors of research to which they normally hold themselves. This

is simply not acceptable to the MRF and our SMRO partners. A clear

message was sent by the Senate in the 109th Congress when they voted

69-28 to defeat the Lautenberg Federal Helmet amendment, which would

have pressured states into passing mandatory helmet laws, based on the

fact that this issue is clearly a State's rights issue. Accordingly,

we will be asking members of Congress to write a letter to the NTSB reminding them of this fact.

During these SMRO visits we will also be presenting a bullet point

statistical fact sheet developed in conjunction with the MRF

Legislative, Motorcycle Safety, and Statistics Committees that clearly

shows that the answer to motorcycle safety and reducing fatalities is,

in fact, an aggressive approach toward CRASH AVOIDANCE and NOT safer

crashing. In addition, we will be educating members of Congress on

the many points contained in our Motorcycle Safety Action Plan,

pointing out to them that states with the highest reductions in

motorcycle fatalities and states with low fatality rates per

registered motorcycle are not those with mandatory helmet laws, but

rather states that utilize the many tools in the motorcycle safety

action plan. Additionally, we will thank many of them for their

belief in motorcycle safety shown by the creation of the 2010

motorcycle safety grants and the creation of the Motorcycle Advisory

Council in TEA-LU. We will take advantage of this time to inform them as to how these programs are being used effectively.

The second phase of the MRF's strategic initiative involves the MRF

holding a press conference in the first week of November in one of the

office buildings of the United States House of Representatives in

Washington, DC. The press conference will feature a prominent member

of Congress. Expect another Call to Action encouraging our members,

our SMRO partners, motorcyclists in general and other concerned citizens to attend.

At that time we will be issuing a formal letter to the Chairman of

the NTSB asking him to reconsider their proposed lobbying of the

states and asking that he consider the statistical facts related to

our Motorcycle Safety Action Plan and its effectiveness with regard to

Crash Avoidance and NOT Safer Crashing as the goal.

For strategic reasons, third phase of our initiative will be announced

once we complete the necessary research and sufficient discussions

have taken place. We will go on record, however, as stating that we

will not rule out asking Congress to take action against the NTSB, as

we have done with NHTSA in the past, should they continue to ignore

the spirit of previous congressional mandates against federal agencies

lobbying states on mandatory helmet laws.

Please contact Jeff Hennie, Vice President of Government Relations of

the Motorcycle Riders Foundation, at 202-546-0983 in our Washington D.C.

Office to schedule your appointments.