Published in September 2005 issue of Southern
Motorcycle Times
Recently
I attended the monthly meeting of a large, manufacturer sponsored riding club.
They had just completed a successful bike raffle and had generated many thousands
of dollars for their treasury. This group is a great bunch of riders who work
their butts off all year to raise this money. Around the holidays they dole
out the money to worthy charities that benefit children and families in need.
This meeting reminded me of how dedicated bikers are to raising money for
charity.
Many different riding clubs generate a lot of money. However, how many of
them actually try to help other bikers with that money? How many of them put
some of their funds to motorcycle awareness programs? Motorcycle Awareness
programs aim to go into the drivers' education classes in high schools and
teach the new drivers to share the road with motorcycles. Those programs save
bikers' lives every year.
How many of those riding clubs purchase motorcycle awareness bumper
stickers, fund radio, TV, or print public service announcements (PSAs),
or fund motorcycle awareness billboards on major highways? You have all seen
them. "Look
Twice, Save a Life. Motorcycles are Everywhere".
Are other charities in our communities more deserving of our charity dollars
than bikers? If these motorcycle awareness programs save the lives of our
fellow brothers and sisters, why won't more riding clubs fund these awareness
programs? Why won't they start their own awareness program if they don't want
to help fund the existing programs?
Personally, I've been to a few too many biker funerals. I just don't want
to go to any more biker funerals. My extra income will be used to purchase
motorcycle awareness bumper
stickers since I can't afford to fund a billboard. See the NCRider.com
bumper sticker page to purchase these. (www.ncrider.com/bumpersticker-page.htm)
I do NOT sell these bumper stickers. But I have links to people who do. These
bumper stickers can be bought in bulk for as little as 25 cents each.
My
extra income will also go towards funding the only motorcycle awareness program
that I know of in North Carolina. The Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Program
(M.S.A.P.) created by the Concerned Bikers
Association. (www.ncrider.com/MSAP-page.htm)
Some
riding clubs promote motorcycle safety by encouraging their riders to take
rider safety classes. That is an excellent way for riders to learn how to
ride defensively. However, we all know that it is usually not the rider who
is at fault. It is the cage driver. That is why motorcycle awareness programs
are CRITICAL to our survival on the road.
Two-thirds
of at-fault car drivers do not have an emotional connection to motorcycling.
They do not ride themselves. They do not have a family member that rides.
They do not have close friends that ride. And they have NO REASON to look
for motorcycles. It is our job as bikers to give them a reason and to get
to know them through awareness programs and get them to look for us on the
road. Until we all start taking on this responsibility, we will all continue
to attend biker funerals.
If you are a member of a large riding club, and you feel that awareness programs
are just as important as charities, then please propose to your group that
they allocate some of their charity funds to motorcycle awareness programs.
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