Friday, December 19, 2008

Ark. lawmaker files motorcycle helmet bill


LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Helmetless motorcyclists should be able to prove that they have enough health insurance to pay for any injuries they may incur while driving, a state lawmaker proposed Wednesday.

Sen. Kim Hendren, R-Gravette, filed legislation that would require motorcyclists to either wear a helmet or prove that they have at least $10,000 coverage under their health insurance.

Hendren's proposal will likely face the same opposition other restrictions have faced since the state repealed its motorcycle helmet law in 1997. Hendren last year proposed requiring helmets for motorcyclists but his bill was rejected by a Senate committee.

Hendren also proposed another driving restriction he brought up last year, a bill that would prohibit drivers under 18 from using cell phones while driving.

Under the bill, anyone charged with breaking the cell-phone driving ban would be issued a warning on the first offense and have to pay a $50 fine for each subsequent offense. The proposal would also bar the state from using a violation of the cell phone rule to suspend or revoke a driver's license.

Hendren's cell-phone driving ban for teenagers was approved by the Senate last year, but rejected by the House.

Source:http://www.wxvt.com/Global/story.asp?


Friday, December 5, 2008

Minister shocked by bike death numbers


A government minister has labelled as shocking, statistics showing one in four people killed on Tasmania's roads are on motorbikes.

The Infrastructure Minister Graeme Sturges has defended a TV advertisement reminding motorcyclists that they are on their own on Tasmania's roads.

He says he is sorry if some motorcyclists find the ads offensive but it is shocking that they represent 25 per cent of road fatalities.

A parliamentary committee scrutinising the Motor Accident Insurance Board has heard the state's car insurance premiums will not be increased for the fourth year in a row.

The MAIB's chief executive Peter Roache says that if it were a commercial operation it would not insure motor cyclists.

He says even though a motorbike premium is more than a car, the MAIB still makes a loss insuring motorcyclists.

Source :http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories