NCOM News Bytes

ncom

November 28, 2007

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THE AIM/NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS SERVICE is brought to you by Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) and the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM), and is sponsored by the Law Offices of Richard M. Lester. For more information, call us at 1-(800) ON-A-BIKE or visit us on our website at http://www.ON-A-BIKE.com

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National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM)

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From the
GUNNY'S SACK

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Christmas is upon us again so quickly this year and the riding season for the summer is behind us. This is the time of the year that we all look to the good things we have in our lives. Along with that we reflect on our losses from this past year of good friends and partners on this road of life we follow.

The case in point here is especially important to those of us who live here in Oregon. Just in October we lost a warrior in our fight for unity and freedom in the motorcycle world; Longview Tom, the Oregon chairman of the Confederations Of Clubs, due to an accident on his way to the regional NCOM conference in Spokane, Washington. In addition to that, on Halloween day, another of our brothers, Rotten Roger, was nearly run over by a cager who suddenly decided to make a U-turn directly in front of him. That resulted in him residing at the Oregon Health Sciences Hospital in Portland with a broken pelvis and his scooter turned to toast.

I guess I’m concerned about the hazards we face on the roadways all over the country. Especially at this time of the year with falling leaves and wet roads on top of the holiday traffic getting heavier by the day. Add the cell phone text messagers and those just not paying attention to what is going on around them, and we have serious problems on the highway.

We have to be more vigilant than ever before. If we never gave thought to taking defensive rider training, now is the time to at least consider checking into it. It might just save your life or the passenger on the back of your scoot. But do whatever you gotta do to stay that much more alert out there. We want to enjoy each other for a whole lot more Christmases! And from your Gunny, a Merry Christmas and happy, safe holidays.

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NEWSBITS ‘N’ PIECES:

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico: Solidarity Works!! The day after the Governor signed the new restrictive law on motorcyclists and riders of all other two-wheeled powered vehicles, the law was suspended because of protests by riders. The legislature backed off, and said they needed more time to study the law. Among other things it required long pants, boots and gloves as well as helmets. It also made the legal blood-alcohol limit for riders 0.02 % as opposed to 0.08 % for all other vehicle operators.

Riders rightly felt this was discriminatory. I don’t blame them for protesting. I would too. In addition to all those restrictions, the law required all riders to wear reflective vests after dark. I wonder what’s wrong with using lights on rigs at night. They make some bright ones.

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AIRBAG JACKETS: A company by the name of Impact Jackets has been selling motorcycle jackets with airbags for a few years, for $500. One Baltimore man would rebut any high-cost argument, since the jacket apparently saved him from plenty of pain after he was thrown 100 feet off his bike. Amazingly, the guy walked away from the crash with sore ribs and a broken thumb. Paramedics at the scene were surprised he wasn't worse off. Still, before I put one on, I'd like to see some further research.

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IOWA: DEATH by DEER: The number of deadly crashes between bikers and deer is on the rise. Officials say ten people have been killed so far this year in Iowa alone. Eight were motorcyclists who died in crashes with Bambi. Two others died when their bikes hit a deer and then collided with another vehicle.

Bikers everywhere need to be extra careful this time of year. More deer are on the move because of the breeding season and the fall harvest. I don’t know of any state in the Lower 48 that does not have a deer population.

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NEW ZEALAND: Just hours after a tour guide warned a group of overseas motorcyclists to stay on the left hand side of the road, an American biker strayed to the right, colliding head-on with another motorcyclist. The fire caused by the crash put both riders in the hospital with burns and other injuries. The rider was from California, and was ordered to pay $5,000 to the other rider for emotional harm, and was disqualified from driving for six months. The injuries were severe to both men. The men were friends and plan to ride again; this time on the correct side of the road.

Thank God both were well insured. Don't forget that your AIM Attorneys will give you a free INSURANCE REVIEW, to let you know what sort of insurance is best for you -- and they aren't selling it, either. They just know what happens to us when we go down, and what coverages are most important to carry, and which ones to buy more of.

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GUNNY AGAIN: If you find yourself in a mess, don’t mess around and try and do things yourself, thinking you'll save some money. AIM attorneys will talk to you free. Fees are on a contingency, based on how much is recovered. Money is sorted out at the end. Do what your attorney tells you to do and you will come out much better because they do this stuff all the time. You are a PART-timer. Makes sense, HUH? Your local AIM attorney is as close as your phone, toll-free 24/7 at 800-ON-A-BIKE.

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Keep the round side on the bottom.

Gunny, Oregon AIM Chief of Staff

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