Hill City Cruisers Riding Club - RIDING NEWS

 

Motorcycle Auxiliary Light Bill On House Floor February 6, 2016

Our Auxiliary light bill, HB 939, is on it's second reading on the floor of the House of Delegates.  It came out of the full House Transportation Committee on a 19-2 vote.

This bill would allow motorcyclists to utilize auxiliary lighting, such as LED accent lighting, in order to be more visible at night.  Current Virginia law requires that all lighting be approved by the superintendent of the Virginia State Police.  That means that all lighting must go through an approval process.  The vast majority of smaller lights appropriate for motorcycles have never undergone such a process, and due to the size of the manufacturers making such lighting, most likely never will.

You can view HB 939 at the following link:

http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?161+ful+HB939

VCOM has worked with Delegate Tony Wilt to fashion this bill which allows motorcycles the protection of side lighting currently enjoyed by operators of cars and trucks.  VCOM encourages all motorcyclists to email the members of House of Delegates in support of this bill.  Below is a link that will provide contact information for every member of the House of Delegates.

http://virginiageneralassembly.gov/house/members/members.php

When emailing delegates, remember to point out the following:

• The bill increases visibility of motorcycles, especially at night;
   
• Unlike automobiles which are required to have side marker lights or wrap around headlights / tail lights which are visible from the side, motorcycle lights are often only visible from the front and rear and do not have the same illumination as automobiles;
   
• NHTSA published a report on the effectiveness of side marker lights on motor vehicles.The report concluded that side marker lights are a cost effective safety device which reduce the number of nighttime angular collisions that occur in the United States;
   
• Several surrounding states, including Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, have passed similar legislation and motorcyclists from those states are currently riding on Virginia roads with similar lighting.  It makes sense to give Virginia motorcyclists the same safety tools that out of state riders already use on Virginia roads.

Please support this sensible bill which makes motorcycles more visible at night.   When you send emails it is best to send an email to each Delegate individually.  It is also helpful to include your address if you are a constituent.  Once again, below is a link that will provide contact information for every member of the House of Delegates.

http://virginiageneralassembly.gov/house/members/members.php

  Matt Danielson
McGrath, Danielson, Sorrell & Fuller
The Motorcycle Law Group
1-800-321-8968
Motorcyclelawgroup.com