The National Motorists Association (NMA) is a controversial 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy organization (EIN 39-1951971) for motorists in North America, created in 1982. The Association advocates for traffic safety based on proven engineering standards, traffic laws fairly written and enforced, and full due process for motorists.

History

The NMA, originally called the Citizens Coalition for Rational Traffic Laws (CCRTL), was founded in 1982 in opposition to the 55 mph

National Maximum Speed Law The National Maximum Speed Limit (NMSL) was a provision of the federal government of the United States 1974 Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act that effectively prohibited speed limits higher than . It was drafted in response to oil price ...

, which was their chief cause until the law’s repeal in 1995. The NMA continues to fight for the reform of drunk driving laws that can “target innocent motorists who happen to be social drinkers.” The organization's name was changed to the National Motorists Association in the late 1980s.

Law Enforcement Reform

The NMA encourages all those receiving citations to challenge their

traffic ticket A traffic ticket is a notice issued by a law enforcement official to a Driving, motorist or other road user, indicating that the user has violated Traffic, traffic laws. Traffic tickets generally come in two forms, citing a moving violation, suc ...

s as a means to keep the traffic justice system honest. The NMA opposes the installation of

red light cameras A red light camera (short for red light running camera ) is a type of traffic enforcement camera that photographs a vehicle that has entered an intersection after the traffic signal controlling the intersection has turned red. By automatically phot ...

, automated speed limit enforcement, and the use of stop-arm cameras on school buses. The non-profit, non-partisan

Politifact PolitiFact.com is an American nonprofit project operated by the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, with offices there and in Washington, D.C. It began in 2007 as a project of the ''Tampa Bay Times'' (then the ''St. Petersburg Times'' ...

gave the NMA's assertion that radar speed enforcement and red-light cameras do not prevent crashes the rating "Pants on Fire," indicating a statement that is "not accurate and makes a ridiculous claim." Conversely, the NMA cites several studies on its site that include data showing significant increases in rear-end collisions at red-light-camera intersections. The NMA operates a

speedtrap Speed limits are enforced on most public roadways by authorities, with the purpose to improve driver compliance with speed limits. Methods used include roadside speed traps set up and operated by the police and automated roadside 'speed camera' ...

registry and a roadblock registry where people can post the locations of traffic law enforcement and sobriety checkpoints. The group opposes checkpoints, the use of Breathalyzers as evidence in court due to unreliability of results, the assumption of fault when a driver with a registerable BAC is in a collision, and most cases of license suspension due to DUI violations. The group supports lowering penalties for drunk drivers under a BAC of 0.15%. They oppose reducing the legal blood alcohol content limit and are against "zero tolerance" laws for drivers under the legal drinking age. The NMA states they support "drinking and driving regulations based on reasonable standards." The organization also offers to reimburse traffic fines for paying members who are found guilty of speeding after unsuccessfully challenging a ticket during their day in court.

Organized protests

In the 1980s and '90s, the NMA would advertise a "Civil Obedience Day" where some drivers would travel in a caravan at the posted speed limit on a few local highways. The purpose was to illustrate instances where the posted speed limit was unreasonably low. The caravan would leave the far left lane open for cars to pass.

Opposition to Vision Zero

NMA opposes Vision Zero road safety projects, signing editorials and offering criticism against policies to support the movement's goals.

Corporate status and foundation

The National Motorists Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation based in Waunakee, Wisconsin. NMA describes itself as a "grassroots advocacy organization". It does not publish membership statistics or funding sources.

Previous usage

The National Motorists Association was also the name of an older automobile club in the United States, founded in 1922, which merged with the

American Automobile Association American Automobile Association (AAA – commonly pronounced as "Triple A") is a federation of motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a privately held not-for-profit national member association and service organization with over 60 m ...

in 1923.

References

External links

National Motorists Association
{{authority control Political advocacy groups in the United States 1982 establishments in the United States Motoring Advocacy groups