On Monday, May 23, you have the opportunity to ride in Harrisburg and let your legislators know how you feel about the current helmet law in Pennsylvania. In this age of the tea party, the coffee party and the good old boys the Republicans and Democrats, it’s good to be able to voice your opinion in a very public way. This ride certainly does that.
Dave Corby, president of the Alliance of Bikers Aimed Toward Education (ABATE) of Pa., said this about the ride on Harrisburg: “With all the new legislators this year, it’s more important than ever to go to Harrisburg and let our legislators know we are watching. Besides it’s a great excuse to get on the bike and ride. The escorted ride into the capital is quite the sight, as close to a 1,000 motorcyclists come rumbling through the downtown right up to the steps of the capital. There is no mistake who is in town.”
Do you know who your legislators are? We have quite a number of them across the state. I looked up Luzerne County at www.legis.state.pa.us and found that we have more people down there working for us than I thought. Phyllis Mundy (D) and Lisa Baker (R) are my representative and senator respectively.
This year in addition to the issue of helmet laws, Corby said that there is another issue close to the hearts of the bikers.
“One being the distracted drivers,” he said. “Everyone knows this is huge problem for motorcyclists, and we need to keep pressure on our lawmakers and court systems to hold those irresponsible drivers accountable for their actions.”
You read about this a few weeks ago in this column. Distracted driving is indeed a danger to motorcyclists and to other drivers as well.
According to the website for the General Assembly, there is a new bill that may be of interest to bikers, which designates Harley-Davidson motorcycles as the official state motorcycle of Pennsylvania. I’m sure that the Great Dane and the dogwood will welcome them. Another House bill seeks to further define the word motorcycle while another bill hopes to better define what constitutes an antique motorcycle. There are also bills out there that are talking about learner’s permits for motorcycles and traffic light controls. Bet you didn’t know that!
Monday’s ride includes more than just the drive to the capital building. There is also a long weekend of activities planned by the group. It’s called the Freedom Weekend Camping, which takes place May 21-22 at the Shellsville VFW picnic grounds. This is located off of exit 77 on Interstate 81. Included in the festivities are three bands, a bike show, vendors, food concessions and even a wet T-shirt contest. Hopefully the weather will cooperate for camping. The gates open at noon on Saturday, May 21, and the cost is $20 per person. That sounds like a bargain to me. Of course I much prefer to camp at the Holiday Inn. I’m partial to indoor plumbing.
The group will be leaving the camp grounds at 10:30 a.m. for a ride to the capital. There is also a free (yes, free!) breakfast on Monday morning compliments of the Law Offices of Richard M. Lester and A.I.M. (Aid for Injured Motorcyclists), which is a good match since many of the issues we raise come about from the accidents that involve motorcyclists and other drivers.
For more information or to find out how to join the group riding from our area, contact Dave Corby at 570.388.2670 or bikerdave2367@yahoo.com. If you have something to say about any of these issues, get on your bike and ride down to Harrisburg and drop your cares on the steps of the capital building. w
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