No Change to the Motorcycle Helmet Law
The motorcyclists of Minnesota ask that you continue to support the current Minnesota motorcycle helmet law, which requires those under 18 and those on a learners permit to wear a helmet while allowing endorsed adults the choice to wear or not to wear a helmet while operating a motorcycle. No helmet on the market can prevent a crash. The best way to prevent injuries is to prevent crashes. Crash avoidance and holding those who use our roadways accountable for their actions are the key factors for injury prevention.
Internal Combustion Engines
The Federal government is actively pressing for increased use
of electric vehicles. In the effort to put more electric vehicles
on the road, the legality of internal combustion engines should not be threatened. ABATE of Minnesota opposes all bans of combustion engines.
Ground effect lighting
ABATE of Minnesota is looking into legislation to allow ground effect lighting on motorcycles as a safety feature to allow the motorcycles to be easily seen on the roadway. This lighting will not flash or change colors while moving. The lights must be located under the vehicle where bulb/strips can not be seen and a reflection radius of no more than six feet on the ground.
Curtail Profiling of Motorcyclists in Minnesota
Motorcyclists are frequently stopped by police as they travel simply because they ride a motorcycle or are wearing motorcycle riding apparel. Often these stops are accompanied with the explanation that a traffic infraction has occurred, which is not always the case. In some cases, people have been told they are violating a law that does not exist. In other cases the violation cited simply has not occurred. Motorcyclists come from all walks of life and most are law abiding citizens. Motorcyclists should not be treated differently from other members of the transportation mix. We support legislation that assures chief law enforcement officers, at the state and local level, establish a written policy governing the conduct of peace officers engaged in stops of motorcycle riding citizens.
Note: H. Res 366 passed the U.S. House of Representatives on December 23,2022.
Reduce the Sales Tax Imposed on Older Motorcycles
Motorcyclists who transfer a title for a motorcycle which is ten years old or older and valued at less than $3,000, or have a motorcycle that is 20 years old or older who ask for a “Classic” specialty plate, pay a much higher rate of sales tax than an automobile meeting those criteria. ABATE of Minnesota feels this is wrong and has introduced legislation to have motorcycles on an even scale with automobiles. Motorcycles cause almost zero damage to our roads and should not be taxed at a higher rate than cars and trucks.
Autonomous Vehicles
ABATE of Minnesota has questions related to autonomous vehicles that are coming to Minnesota road and highways.
- Are manufacturers that sell vehicles advertised to have self-
driving capabilities required to have their technology specifically account for motorcycles and motorcyclists? If not, why? - Do motorcycle crashes involving autonomous vehicles represent a statistical outlier or are motorcycles overly represented in the crash data involving self-driving cars?
- Are other roadway users including bicyclists and pedestrians
accounted for differently by this technology? If they are, how does that differ from requirements detecting motorcyclists?
Are there discrepancies between manufacturers’ self-driving
technologies in how they identify motorcyclists and, if so, does NHTSA evaluate those differences?