COLUMBIA, S.C. - January 10th, 2012 - South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley laid out her first veto threat of the session, saying Tuesday she will reject stricter helmet rules if they reach her desk.
H 4653 General Bill, By Daning and Crosby (links to bill) A BILL TO AMEND SECTION 56-5-3630, RELATING TO THE MANNER IN WHICH A MOTORCYCLE MUST BE OPERATED, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT IT IS UNLAWFUL TO TRANSPORT A PERSON WHO IS SEVEN YEARS OLD OR YOUNGER ON A MOTORCYCLE.
01/24/12 House Introduced and read first time 01/24/12 House Referred to Committee on Judiciary
Judiciary (Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.) A BILL
TO AMEND SECTION 56-5-3630, RELATING TO THE MANNER IN WHICH A MOTORCYCLE MUST BE OPERATED, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT IT IS UNLAWFUL TO TRANSPORT A PERSON WHO IS SEVEN YEARS OLD OR YOUNGER ON A MOTORCYCLE.
(from Chad Fuller, Tom McGrath's Motorcycle Law Group)
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am pleased to announce that, in a time when it seems that the representatives at the State House keep filing bills that we as motorcyclists need to oppose to protect our freedoms, we now have a bill to fight for. Today, Representative Todd Atwater filed the equal access bill we have been eagerly awaiting since this year's lobby day. The bill is included below and has been referred to the Committee on Education and Public Works. Please contact your representative as well as representatives on the Committee to let them know how important this bill is to us. If we are successful, motorcyclists will no longer be denied access to the very facilities our tax dollars went to build. I have included the contact information for each of the committee members below. It would also be helpful if you could contact Representative Atwater, a member of ABATE, and let him know how much we appreciate his help in getting this bill introduced. Todd's email is: ToddAtwater@schouse.gov I will forward more information as it becomes available.
This is the bill that has been pre-filed. We need to stop it in its tracks. Why? Don't helmets "save lives"? Actually no, they do not. What's worse, while cagers (car drivers) feel more and more protected in their metal cages, and pay less and less attention, when they main or kill a biker, this bill blames the victim! It is the biker's fault that some cagers are doing everything *except* paying attention while they hurtle their multi-thousand pound hunk of metal down the road.
ABATE does not advocate riding without a helmet; ABATE advocates that you have the right to decide. ABATE does not condone drinking and driving or riding. Contributions to ABATE of South Carolina, Inc., or any of its chapters are not tax deductible.