| MRF News 06/18/2024 |
| The good news is that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complied with a 2022 Congressional directive to report back on the profiling of motorcyclists. The bad news is that they wrote the report, but no one in Congress was alerted. The ugly is that NHTSA’s report was so unknown that just three months ago, Congress passed another law reminding NHTSA that they were owed a report and told NHTSA to hurry up. Only in Washington D.C. does one government agency write a report and those who requested it have no idea it was written! Thankfully an eagled-eyed Motorcycle Rider Foundation (MRF) member stumbled upon the report and shined a spotlight on it. This week the MRF literally had to tell Congress that the report they requested TWICE was already released. We often say no one is looking out for bikers but bikers. There might be no better example of that than this instance. The five-page report is largely filled with motorcycle safety-related data and ways in which NHTSA funds safety programs. However, one key passage appears at the top. “The Committee (Appropriations) noted concerns that NHTSA may be conducting activities encouraging states to adopt legislation, regulations, or other policies that unjustly profile motorcycle riders. NHTSA does not do so.” |
