The American Motorcyclist Association launched a petition drive today aimed at ending the discriminatory law-enforcement practice of setting up checkpoints that target only motorcyclists.
The American Motorcyclist Association began tracking motorcycle-only checkpoints when they first appeared in New York in 2007, when New York State Police stopped motorcyclists traveling to and from the Americade motorcycle rally. Since then, more than $500,000 in federal funds has been spent on these traffic stops.
The AMA believes there are better ways to spend Americans’ tax dollars.
“This money could have paid the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic Rider Course fee for 10,000 potential motorcyclists,” said Wayne Allard, AMA vice president for government affairs. “That money could have been used to combat distracted driving or been invested – as federal matching dollars – in the current comprehensive study to analyze the root causes of motorcycle crashes.”
The AMA is calling on everyone to support legislation – such as the Stop Motorcycle Checkpoint Funding Act (S. 2078 and H.R. 1861) now under consideration in Congress — and to sign the AMA petition.
The petition provides an opportunity for motorcyclists and others to tell Washington what they think about these discriminatory, costly and ineffective motorcycle-only checkpoints.
Visit this website to add your voice to the effort to end discrimination against motorcyclists, click here.
