Youngstown Daily Legal News

Plan to make group motorcycle rides safer proposed

TIFFANY L. PARKS
Special to the Legal News
Published: November 7, 2014

The American Motorcyclist Association has pushed for the passage of a bill that would establish a motorcycle road guard certificate training program.

“According to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, there were almost 411,000 on-highway motorcycles registered in our state in 2013, placing Ohio at No. 5 in terms of motorcycle registrations in the U.S. Only California, Florida, Texas and Pennsylvania have more registered on-highway motorcycles than the Buckeye State,” said lmre Szauter, AMA government affairs manager for on-highway activities.

Szauter says he noted the registration figure to highlight that on any given day, tens of thousands of the state’s motorcyclists could be on the highway.

“As many in the motorcycling community are known for their generosity, thousands of these riders could be riding in organized motorcycle events to raise much-needed funds for veteran, social and other charitable causes,” he said.

In some cases, group ride organizers work with state, county and local law enforcement agencies to provide traffic control services.

“All too often, however, organizers either are unable to make the necessary arrangements or lack the funds to contract with law enforcement agencies or both,” Szauter said.

“That is when some riders take matters into their own hands, acting as unauthorized traffic controllers to block intersections, ramps and other potential areas of conflict between motorcyclists and other roadway users. In these situations, riders and the public are placed at risk when well-meaning but untrained and ill-equipped individuals attempt to perform traffic control functions.”

House Bill 406, sponsored by Reps. Doug Green, R-Mount Orab, and Al Landis, R-Dover, was crafted to make large, organized rides safer and less frustrating for both motorcyclists and other road users by making bikes visible at intersections and allowing the group to drive through and out of the way of other traffic in an organized manner.

The proposed legislation would create the motorcycle road guard certification program in the Ohio Department of Public Safety and requires the department to administer the program.

In some situations, an individual who has a motorcycle road guard certificate would be permitted to stop and hold vehicles in place until it is safe for motorists to proceed.

The measure provides that a person who performs traffic control as a motorcycle road guard would not be liable in damages in a civil action for injury, death or loss to person or property that allegedly arises from the movement of a motorcycle group ride, if the person complies with certain conditions and requirements.

In addition to the AMA, American Bikers Aimed Toward Education has also endorsed HB 406.

“Two years ago I read an article about road guard legislation in Minnesota. I was intrigued by the idea and thought it would be good to do the same in Ohio,” said Scott “Woody” Wood, ABATE of Ohio state government relations director.

“There are several reasons why Ohio needs this type of training. Every weekend during riding season, May through October, there are group motorcycle rides through most towns in the state.”

Wood said a lot of the rides are organized by a group or organization and the proceeds go to charities or benefit someone in need due to medical issues.

“Currently in most areas of the state that I have heard from, law enforcement is contacted and is unavailable or have to charge the organization $300 per cruiser to direct traffic to permit a group ride to remain in tact,” he said.

“Considering we are attempting to raise money to benefit the community, coming up with $300 per cruiser is very impractical. We end up blocking traffic for ourselves.”

In noting that his organization would like to have the public safety department’s support of HB 406, Wood said he has been asked why should motorcycle groups be given the privilege of directing traffic.

“Other traffic, for the most part, are individuals leaving one location and driving to a destination. A group motorcycle ride consists of people familiar with the road in the front and in the back of the group,” he said.

“The people riding in the middle are a lot of times unfamiliar with the roads and without the leader’s direction would be lost.”

Wood said that a stop at a traffic signal in the middle of the group could cause anxiety leading to unsafe speeds to catch up or other unsafe activity or quick decisions to turn off or change lanes in an unsafe manner.

“The natural response is to as quickly as possible get yourself back in the group sometimes sacrificing common sense for the survival instinct of getting back to the security of being lead by someone familiar with the road,” he said.

“There are also safety benefits in riding with a group. We are smaller vehicles and more difficult to see. We are often the victims of an accident because the other driver did not see us. Riding in a group makes us more visible. You may not see one biker but you will probably see a group of five or more.”

HB 406 is before the House Transportation, Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee.

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