Lobby Day & Legislation Concerning Motorcycles January 21, 2015

This year’s Virginia Motorcycle Lobby Day was another success.  We had an unofficial count of 110 motorcyclists who came to the Sunday informational session where we discussed this year’s legislation that affects Virginia motorcyclists.  The next day we spoke to our legislators at the General Assembly Building about the legislation.  I have already received feedback from legislators and their staff saying that the motorcyclists who came by their offices presented themselves well and were very well prepared to discuss the issues.  Thank you to each and every one of you who participated in this year’s Virginia Motorcycle Lobby Day.  Your efforts and sacrifices make a difference for Virginia motorcyclists.  While we discussed numerous bills, I would like to call attention to two in particular which directly affect motorcycles and motorcyclists.  These are HB 1700 and SB 836.  VCOM is working closely with each of the sponsors in order to ensure passage of both.  You can view all of the legislation on which VCOM takes a position at vcomonline.org HB 1700 is sponsored by Delegate Tony Wilt of Harrisonburg at the request of VCOM.  This bill would allow auxiliary lighting on motorcycles in order to increase motorcycle visibility.  The bill also eliminates the five second limit on the amount of time that a motorcycle brake light may modulate.  You may follow the bill throughout the session at the following link: http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=151&typ=bil&val=HB1700&submit=GO You may read the entire bill at the following link: http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?151+ful+HB1700 The bill has been referred to the House Transportation Committee.  When it is referred to a sub-committee I will send an email listing the names of the sub-committee members along with their email addresses so that you may voice your support for this bill. The other bill of particular interest to Virginia motorcyclists is SB 836.  This bill was sponsored by Senator Janet Howell of Fairfax, Virginia.  It concerns riding on motorcycles generally and makes it clear that there are times when it is appropriate to ride while standing on the footrests.  Current law states that the operator of a motorcycle “shall ride only upon the permanent seat attached to the motorcycle . . .” This is contrary to what is taught in the Basic Rider Course, which identifies several instances when a rider would want to ride while standing on the footrests, such as when crossing obstacles.  You may follow this bill at the following link: http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=151&typ=bil&val=sb836&submit=GO You may read the entire bill at the following link. However, this is not what the final version will look like: http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?151+ful+SB836 VCOM has worked with Senator Howell to re-write the legislation in order to make it less restrictive given the fact that riders stand on the footrests for comfort as well as for safety.  A substitute will be offered which simply adds the following language to the statute: Every person operating a motorcycle, as defined in § 46.2-100 excluding three-wheeled vehicles, shall ride only upon the permanent seat attached to the motorcycle, or while standing on both footrests unless done in a manner so as to endanger life, limb, or property of any person. There is no sense emailing legislators in support of this bill until the substitute has been filed.  With their hectic schedule during this year’s short session they are not going to consider something that has not been filed and assigned a committee.  However, when it is filed, I will post the names of the members of the Senate Transportation Committee and their email addresses so that you may voice your support for this bill.  Thank you again to all of you who have ever taken your time to support Virginia motorcyclists.  By working together we make Virginia a better place for all riders.   Matt Danielson McGrath & Danielson Tom McGrath's Motorcycle Law Group 1-800-321-8968 Motorcyclelawgroup.com

Auxiliary Motorcycle Lighting in Virginia January 14, 2015

The Virginia Coalition of Motorcyclists (VCOM) is pleased to announce that our bill to allow auxiliary lighting on motorcycles has been filed and officially has a bill number.  It is House Bill 1700 (HB1700).  The bill also eliminates the five second limit on the time that a motorcycle brake light may modulate.  You may follow the bill throughout the session at the following link: http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=151&typ=bil&val=HB1700&submit=GO You may read the entire bill at the following link: http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?151+ful+HB1700 Delegate Tony Wilt, a rider himself, graciously agreed to carry this bill for Virginia motorcyclists.  You will recall that Delegate Wilt also carried the bill which successfully removed the prohibition against two two-wheeled motorcycles riding abreast in Virginia. As the session progresses, VCOM will continue to send updates concerning this bill, as well as any other bills that are of interest to Virginia Motorcyclists.  Remember that this Monday, January 19th, is Motorcycle Lobby Day at the General Assembly.  On Sunday January 18th, from 1:00 p.m. until we get through, Virginia Coalition of Motorcyclists lobbyists will lead an informational meeting at the Holliday Inn at 2000 Staples Mill Rd, Richmond, VA, 23230 to discuss this year's legislation affecting motorcyclists. We will also discuss how to talk to your legislators about these issues in case you have never done that.  Later that evening, attendees will enjoy a free homemade BBQ dinner. On Monday the 19th, we leave the hotel at 8:00 a.m. sharp for our annual trip to the Capitol. After lobbying our legislators, we will head to Penny Lane Pub where Tom McGrath's Motorcycle Law Group provides lunch to all who attended as a thank you for coming to support Virginia motorcyclists.  We hope to see you there.   Matt Danielson McGrath & Danielson Tom McGrath's Motorcycle Law Group 1-800-321-8968 Motorcyclelawgroup.com

Bikes on the Border

Save the Date for the Third Annual Bikes on the Border April 11, 2015

Save the date for the Third Annual Bikes on the Border.  It will be held on Saturday, April 11, 2015.  We are currently working out the venue details and will pass those along as soon as they are confirmed.  If all works out as planned, the Third Annual Bikes on the Border will take place in Danville, Virginia. In keeping with the past format, attendees will be welcome to arrive on Friday, April 10th in order to share time with each other at the hospitality suite.  The actual conference will be held on Saturday, April 11th.   This one day conference will feature presentations on numerous topics of interest to motorcyclists and members of motorcyclist rights organizations.  Once the full agenda is finalized I will pass that information along. There is a $25.00 registration fee which includes a t-shirt and a ticket to the banquet Saturday night.  Walk-ins are welcome at the conference, but those who register will have guaranteed seating.  Only registrants will receive banquet tickets and t-shirts.  This year’s banquet will feature a silent auction and a 50/50 raffle with all proceeds going to the Motorcycle Riders Foundation.  If you have items for the silent auction, please contact Rob Griffin at rob@motorcyclelawgroup.com.  If there is enough interest, on Sunday, April 12th there will be an accident scene management class.  The class focuses on caring for injured riders at an accident scene and how to do so while maintaining the safety of both the injured and the aiding. If you would be interested in attending such a class please let me know.  Once again, please save this date on your calendar.  I will post more details as they become available.   Matt Danielson McGrath & Danielson Tom McGrath's Motorcycle Law Group 1-800-321-8968 Motorcyclelawgroup.com

HOV/HOT Lanes

Motorcycles, Tolls & Transponders on NOVA’s HOV/HOT Lanes November 19, 2014   As the unveiling of the newest HOV/HOT lanes in Northern Virginia has drawn closer, there has been much consternation among motorcyclists about whether the Commonwealth is going to require motorcycles to be equipped with an E-Z Pass transponder in order to use the lanes.  On these HOV/HOT express lanes, E-Z Pass transponders automatically deduct tolls from the owner of a motor vehicle when the vehicle does not qualifying as a high occupancy vehicle. We had previously discussed this issue with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and had been told that motorcycles would not be required to be equipped with a transponder.  VDOT assured us that since motorcycles are already considered high occupancy vehicles under state code, there was no need to require a transponder to use the express lanes. Recently, signage has gone up along the newly constructed HOV/HOT lanes stating that in order to use the lanes, every motor vehicle must be equipped with a transponder.  This has concerned many motorcyclists in the Northern Virginia area.  There is no reliable way to mount a transponder to a motorcycle, especially motorcycles without windshields.  Additionally, unlike automobiles and trucks, motorcycles are always considered high occupancy vehicles and are never required to pay to use the express lanes.  There is simply no logical reason to require a transponder, which in automobiles and trucks can be turned on or off depending on the number of people occupying the vehicle. We again reached out to VDOT.  Below is the email that we received in response to our inquiry: Dear Mr. Danielson, The Secretary’s office asked me to thank you and respond to your question regarding motorcycle use on the HOV/HOT lanes. Motorcycles will not have to pay tolls to use either the 495 Express Lanes or the soon-to-be-opening 95 Express Lanes.   In addition, motorcycles are not required to be equipped with an E-Z Pass transponder.  The toll collection system on these two facilities will properly identify the vehicle as a motorcycle whether or not it is equipped with a transponder and apply the appropriate business exceptions. I hope this addresses your concern.  If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me. Thank you, David David Caudill, P.E. Division Administrator Tolling Operations Division Virginia Dept. of Transportation This will come as welcomed news to those who regularly ride along the I-95 corridor in Northern Virginia.  Of course, any comfort that this news brings to those riders will be short lived because they will still have to regularly travel the I-95 corridor in Northern Virginia.  (My Northern Virginia readers will understand this all too well). As always, if anyone has any questions or comments about anything that I have written, please feel free to contact me.   Matt Danielson McGrath & Danielson Tom McGrath's Motorcycle Law Group 1-800-321-8968 Motorcyclelawgroup.com

Lobby Day 2015

Motorcycle Lobby Day 2015 January 19, 2015

The Virginia Coalition of Motorcyclists and Tom McGrath's Motorcycle Law Group would like to invite all interested motorcyclists to attend this year's Motorcycle Lobby Day.  This year it will be held on Monday January 19, 2014.  This is a holiday, so many people are off.  That morning, Virginia Coalition of Motorcyclists lobbyists, as well as members of other state motorcycle rights organizations, independent motorcyclists and any other interested people will go to the Virginia General Assembly to speak to the Delegates and Senators about upcoming legislation that affects motorcyclists in Virginia. On Sunday January 18th, from 1:00 p.m. until we get through, Virginia Coalition of Motorcyclists lobbyists will lead an informational meeting at the Holliday Inn at 2000 Staples Mill Rd, Richmond, VA, 23230 to discuss this year's legislation affecting motorcyclists. We will also discuss how to talk to your legislators about these issues in case you have never done that.  Later that evening, attendees will enjoy a free homemade BBQ dinner. On Monday the 19th, we leave the hotel at 8:00 a.m. sharp for our annual trip to the Capitol. After lobbying our legislators, we will head to Penny Lane Pub where Tom McGrath's Motorcycle Law Group provides lunch to all who attended as a thank you for coming to support Virginia motorcyclists. This year we know that there will be a bill to amend the Code of Virginia to allow motorcyclists to use auxiliary lights in order to increase visibility to other motorists.  The bill will also eliminate the five second limit on the amount of time that a motorcycle brake light may modulate.  The purpose is to increase the visibility of the motorcycle to motorists approaching from behind, thus reducing rear-end collisions. As always, there will be numerous bills submitted at the last minute which may negatively affect motorcycling.  As these bills are filed, we will identify them and discuss them at Lobby Day so that we can convince legislators to oppose them.  Those who have participated in Lobby Day in the past remember bills that we have defeated such as the one that would have required proof of insurance before one person could sell another person a motorcycle, even if the person buying the motorcycle had no intention of putting the bike on the road.  We defeated that one with the help of all of those who participated at Lobby Day.  A few years ago we defeated a bill that would have prohibited children under eight from riding on a motorcycle as a passenger.  We pointed out that the proposed law improperly infringed on the rights and responsibilities of parents.  Those at Lobby Day also pointed out the fact that in the prior ten years not a single child under eight was killed on a motorcycle. Both of these bills may have become law if it were not for the efforts of Virginia motorcyclists who took the time to come to Richmond and oppose them. I encourage everyone who can to join us.  It is a lot of fun, it is educational, and most importantly it shows the legislators that motorcyclists are a significant and active portion of the electorate. For more information you may call VCOM at (800) 437-9434.  For Room Reservations call 1- (888) 465-4329.  Make sure to ask for the VCOM rate.  We hope to see you at Lobby Day.   Matt Danielson McGrath & Danielson Tom McGrath's Motorcycle Law Group 1-800-321-8968 Motorcyclelawgroup.com

Virginia Motorcycle Legislative Roundtable July 31, 2014

This year’s Virginia Motorcycle Legislative Roundtable will be held on Sunday, August 31, 2014 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Downtown Richmond, which is located at 501 East Broad St., Richmond, VA 23219.   While we understand that this is Labor Day Weekend, we have no other weekends available that do not put us to close too the start of the 2015 legislative session. The Legislative Roundtable is where Virginia Motorcyclists gather to discuss issues of importance to the motorcycling community, and to have input on the 2015 legislative agenda to be presented to the Virginia General Assembly by the Virginia Coalition of Motorcyclists. The Roundtable will start at 12:00 P.M. and usually lasts three to four hours.  If you can make it we would welcome your voice in deciding the issues that need to be addressed in 2015.  In past years the Roundtable was the starting point for legislation such as Virginia’s red light bill, our prohibition against motorcycle only checkpoints, the modification of the Virginia Code to allow two two-wheeled motorcycles to travel abreast in a single lane, legislation improving Virginia’s Rider Education Program, and the creation of the autocycle category in Virginia Code in order to remove three wheeled automobiles from Virginia’s motorcycle accident data. If you are interested in attending we would welcome you around the table.  If you are unable to attend but want to express your ideas, or if you have any questions concerning this year’s Virginia Motorcycle Legislative Roundtable, please do not hesitate to contact me. On a final note, Tom McGrath’s Motorcycle Law Group is accepting nominations for this year’s Tom McGrath’s Leading Wheel Award.  If you know of an individual who has made an outstanding effort to improve motorcycling or motorcycle safety, please send me their information and a description of their achievements.  Nominees can be someone who has made a significant achievement to improve motorcycling, or someone who’s body of work over time has significantly benefited motorcycling or motorcycle safety.  Remember that members of the Motorcycle Law Group are not eligible to receive the award. As always, if you have any questions or comments concerning anything that I have written please do not hesitate to contact me.   Matt Danielson McGrath & Danielson Tom McGrath's Motorcycle Law Group 1-800-321-8968 Motorcyclelawgroup.com

Happy Independence Day

 Happy Independence Day

We motorcyclists tend to have a special place in our hearts for the concept of freedom.  For many it is just a word, but for us it means something.  For many it is what drew them to motorcycling to begin with.  It is therefore fitting that, as we approach the 238^th anniversary of our Country’s independence, we give thanks for the blessings of liberty which we Americans continue to enjoy, and which are an integral part of our social fabric.

On this Independence Day, we would like to say thank you to every military veteran (past and present) who has put on the uniform and stood guard at the wall to protect the freedoms that we hold dear.  Without them there would no longer be an Independence Day to celebrate.

We at the Motorcycle Law Group wish you and your family a very happy Independence Day.  Ride safe, and let freedom continue to ring.
 

Matt Danielson
McGrath & Danielson
Tom McGrath's Motorcycle Law Group
1-800-321-8968
Motorcyclelawgroup.com