State motorcyclists' rights organizations (SMROs) exist in about 32 US states, 25 of which call themselves "ABATE of (state name)," the rest going by various other names. SMROs advocate for the motorcycle rider and freedom on the road. In the motorcycling world, that generally means they oppose mandatory helmet laws, restrictions on handlebar heights and the profiling of motorcycle riders. Instead ABATE encourages riders to safely ride their motorcycle how it is set up and actively promotes greater public awareness of motorcyclist and traffic safety issues. They also favor stronger penalties for car driver infractions such as right of way violations, or when drivers are at fault in accidents that harm motorcycle riders. SMRO activities include lobbying legislatures, letter writing campaigns, and paying for public service announcements and political advertisements. To carry out lobbying at the national level, a coalition of SMRO's, consisting primarily of state ABATE groups, created the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) to lobby in Washington DC. The SMROs and MRF are often allied with the

American Motorcyclist Association The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is an American nonprofit organization of more than 200,000 motorcyclists that organizes numerous motorcycling activities and campaigns for motorcyclists' legal rights. Its mission statement is "to promo ...

(AMA) on legislative issues.

ABATE

ABATE is an acronym which originally stood for "A Brotherhood Against Totalitarian Enactments" and alternatively stands for "American Bikers Against Totalitarian Enactments", "A Brotherhood Aimed Towards Education", "American Bikers for Awareness, Training & Education", "American Bikers Aimed Towards Education", "American Bikers Advocating Training & Education" with other combination used. Alaskan Bikers Advocating Training and Education. ABATE means to make something that is hostile or threatening less and intense or widespread. ABATE and ABATE’s mission of Freedom on the Road attempts to abate government restrictions on the motorcycling community.

Concept

The concept of ABATE began with Lou Kimzey, editor of ''

Easyriders ''Easyriders'' is an American motorcycle magazine, founded in 1970. It was published monthly by Paisano Publications for over 50 years. In addition to its coverage of motorcycles (particularly Harley-Davidsons) and related activities, ''Easyriders ...

'' magazine in 1972. He and others saw the need for bikers to organize to fight against federal and state restrictions on motorcycling. Some 35 years later, most states have a state motorcyclists' rights organizations (SMRO), either called ABATE or some other name. October 1977 Lou Kimzey and ''Easyriders'' were relinquishing the organization to the people attending the meeting in Sacramento. In 1986, many ABATE organizations met at what became the "Meeting of the Minds" conference. This conference began the process of SMROs working together and eventually led to the founding of the Motorcycle Rider's Foundation (MRF) which is considered a Motorcycle Rights Organization (MRO) based in Washington DC. This group of SMROs acted to eliminate federal helmet law requirements, make sure motorcycles are part of

transportation planning Transportation planning is the process of defining future policies, goals, investments, and spatial planning designs to prepare for future needs to move people and goods to destinations. As practiced today, it is a collaborative process that i ...

and ensure that motorcycles are allowed on all public roads. MRF is an organization set up in Washington DC to watch over motorcycle legislation and to take action when the federal government has an agenda that would not be motorcycle friendly. SMRO's including ABATE work with the MRF and most have a state officer involved in the MRF. ABATE organization use the MRF to share state information, and get more information on a federal level as well as information from other states. Most SMRO and ABATE groups work with other (MRO) groups besides the MRF, such as the American Motorcyclist Association. Many ABATE organizations have websites, and most often list the other groups they are involved with, work with, from national MRO groups, insurance programs, lawyers, and rider training or safety and education programs. ABATE was formed in response to keep motorcycle choppers, with extended front ends that were deemed unsafe, on the road; but now SMROs deal with a large variety of motorcycling related issues.

Motorcycle safety training Motorcycle training teaches motorcycle riders the skills for riding on public roads. It is the equivalent of driver's education for car drivers. Training beyond basic qualification and licensing is available to those whose duty includes motorcyc ...

, health insurance issues and road engineering with respect to motorcycles are all areas dealt with by ABATE organizations. Many states' rider training programs are either run by or administered by ABATE organizations. ABATE of Arizona runs a

Motorcycle Awareness Program State motorcyclists' rights organizations (SMROs) exist in about 32 US states, 25 of which call themselves "ABATE of (state name)," the rest going by various other names. SMROs advocate for the motorcycle rider and freedom on the road. In the mot ...

or MAP. ABATE groups also are involved in charity events like Toy Runs, food drives and first responder/EMT training. But ABATE is still a political organization exerting political clout through the activities of member motorcyclists. ABATE chapters exist in most states. ABATE is not a motorcycle club, nor is it a Harley riders only organization.

Motorcycle Awareness Program

The Motorcycle Awareness Program (MAP), commonly referred to as The MAP Program or Share The Road Program, is an American creation of the combined efforts of various state motorcyclists' rights organizations. This program is geared toward teaching the driving public to maintain a greater awareness of the motorcyclists with whom they share the road. The success of the program has led to similar initiatives throughout the world.

Arizona

ABATE of Arizona's MAP, is coordinated by the State Safety Officer of the organization, and is presented with the help of many members of the MRO's (ABATE and MMA of AZ) and Motorcycle Clubs throughout Arizona. MAP Certified Instructors guest lecture in

driver's education Driver's education, driver education, driving education, driver's ed, driving tuition or driving lessons is a formal class or program that prepares a new driver to obtain a learner's permit or driver's license. The formal class program may also ...

classes throughout the region. The lecture includes information about how to "Share the Road" with motorcycles, vulnerability of motorcyclists, instructional videos and handouts, and an on-site riding demonstration to help visualize information presented. Funding for the MAP Program is provided by the membership of ABATE of Arizona, through their various fund raising events and membership dues. Additionally, some product and advertising funds are provided by the Motorcycle Safety Fund, made up of one dollar added registration tax on motorcycles within the state, through the Governor's Office of Highway Safety.

Criticism

ABATE chapters have been criticized for the appearance of hypocrisy in their road safety message, in that while their public service advertisements aimed to get drivers to be more aware of motorcycles are helpful, they are also pro-choice when it comes to helmet laws.

Notes

References

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External links

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ABATE of Arizona's MAPABATE of Iowa's Official Website

Motorcycle Riders Foundation
official site

{{DEFAULTSORT:State Motorcyclists' Rights Organizations Motorcyclists organizations Motorcycle safety Motorcycle regulation Civil liberties advocacy groups Lobbying organizations in the United States