Helmets laws, or better training? The American Motorcyclist Association and U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters appear to be locking horns over the matter.
Peters, a motorcyclist who CMG made famous when she released a video urging American riders to be careful, apparently wants to use federal money to promote mandatory helmet laws at the state level.
But the AMA says the funds would come out of money allocated to rider training programs.
The AMA says Peters sent letters in February to U.S. government leaders "urging Congress to allow states to divert federal money from motorcycle safety training and awareness programs and instead push for mandated helmet use."
That’s against the law, says the AMA, since Congress (at the request of motorcyclists, by the way) has barred the U.S. DOT from lobbying for state laws — a measure specifically intended to prevent the feds from pushing mandatory helmet laws.
"Congress decided to fund motorcycle safety training and awareness programs at the request of the motorcycling community. This effort by Secretary Peters to divert money away from those programs is an attempt to circumvent the wishes of Congress and those motorcyclists nationwide who wanted to specifically augment rider training and awareness programs," said Ed Moreland, AMA vice president for government relations.
Only in America can a lobby group convince legislators to remove helmet laws, and get those same legislators to pass laws banning people from lobbying for helmet laws :roll