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CHARLES UMBENHAUER
STATE LOBBYIST
Charles Umbenhauer
717-731-8955
Click here to read Charles' bio!
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Politics—BIKER STYLE!
Another feather in our cap!
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Kevin Snyder with Charles Umbenhauer and Tom Christofes, Jr. with feathers in their caps.
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At the November board meeting we put another feather in our legislative hat (literally). Just a few short months ago we approached Representative Tim Solobay about introducing a bill to create a disability license plate. More than a decade ago we successfully created the handicapped sticker to apply to your license plate to identify the rider as disabled. Unfortunately, it seemed that many law enforcement officers were not familiar with the sticker and ticketed disabled motorcycle riders. Hopefully, with the issue of the new plates bearing the universal disabled emblem, that problem will now be corrected.
Initially Representative Solobay sent out Dear Colleague letters asking for cosponsors for his bill. Later I physically visited the office of all 203 Members of the House and was able to recruit an additional 111 cosponsors to the original 30. Thanks to those members who contacted their legislators asking them to sign on to the bill.
PennDOT later decided that no further legislative action was needed and worked with us to create the plates.
A problem that has plagued motorcyclists in Pennsylvania for decades has been the fact that far too many riders do not get the proper endorsement on their licenses or operate motorcycles without a permit. These individuals contribute to a high percentage of accident and fatality statistics. Many of them have never received any formal motorcycle training. In 2008 A.B.A.T.E. of PA will make an effort to correct this problem in Pennsylvania.
Washington State’s statistics recently showed that almost 40% of the riders killed in motorcycle crashes in the state weren’t licensed to operate a motorcycle. In an effort to correct the situation Washington state troopers are cracking down on motorcyclists who do not have the proper endorsements on their licenses. Beginning this past July troopers who pull over riders for traffic violations or who investigate crashes involving motorcycles, have not just been giving the rider a ticket if he is not licensed to operate a motorcycle….they have been impounding the bike.
We took a vote to see if it is time that Pennsylvania takes action to get individuals properly licensed to operate motorcycles on our highways. To the credit of our Board of Directors, they voted unanimously to pursue a course of action that will correct the situation here in the Commonwealth.
This will be my last article before the 2008 L & L Seminar. A lot of excitement has been generated this year about the new location and the new agenda. If you have not purchased your tickets yet or made your room reservations, you still have time, but hurry. The hotel is filling up. Deadline for room reservations with the hotel is January 11th.
Look around and see if you have any unique items for the BikePAC auction and bring them with you. See you all there!
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