MID-TERM ELECTIONS: We have had maybe the most exciting election I have experienced in my lifetime for this midterm episode. The American public for once exercised freedom of choice this year, loud and clear. We are sick and tired of non-performance by our elected officials in the Congress and House of Representatives, regardless of the party. Now, let’s see what takes place. It’s high time in my mind that our elected representatives do the job they were hired to do. GET THE JOB DONE or we will speak again.

OREGON BIKER ELECTED to office: Joe Laurance, recent ABATE of Oregon State Coordinator, was elected as a Douglas County Commissioner. Joe won with 53% of the vote against a well-known local businessman. In a phone conversation with Joe, he credited Oregon’s ABATE and BikePAC for teaching him the skills and giving him the desire to serve in an elected government office. Just goes to show, when you volunteer to work for organizations on issues close to your heart, like bikers rights, something good comes back to you! Joe was our ABATE State Coordinator for two years. He also traveled to Washington DC to lobby on behalf of Oregon during the formation of the current highway funding statute. Joe has gone to MRF conferences and NCOM conferences, and proudly labels himself a biker as well as commissioner-elect. Joe will continue to work for motorcyclists’ interests not only in Douglas County, but also at the State and Federal levels. Your Gunny, and AIM Attorney Sam Hochberg, both want to congratulate Joe in his win. This is another milestone in our quest for motorcyclists in elected positions in our state and federal levels.. Good luck Joe, you have a host of folks applauding your success.

SOUTH CAROLINA DEPT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: Motorists are more likely to be at fault in accidents with bikers, according to the SC Dept of Public Safety, in findings released in September examining a rise in motorcycle fatalities that show MORE deaths among men over 35 years old. They found that the average age of a motorcycle fatality victim, during the time period studied, was 41 years old. The SCDPS formed a task force to examine the facts behind each motorcycle fatality investigated by the Highway Patrol in 2005 and the first half of 2006. The committee analyzed 114 motorcycle fatalities. Of the number studied, they found that 103 (90 percent) of those killed were men; 75 (66 percent) were over the age of 35; 73 (64 percent) were not wearing helmets; 61 (54 percent) involved speeding. The SCDPS attributes the rise in motorcycle fatalities to the fact that men over 35 years old are increasingly buying high-end, luxury cruiser motorcycles but failing, in many cases, to get the necessary training or licensing to ride such a motorcycle. And hasn’t the motorcycle community been preaching that for years? "Between 1990 and 2003, motorcycle ownership rates among baby boomers increased 44 percent," according to the SCDPS report. "Middle-aged consumers are responsible for the fastest growing segment of motorcycle registrations.” In South Carolina, registrations have risen from 56,000 in 2001 to 85,000 in 2005, a 65% increase in riders and not all of them are over 35. Rider training needs to be in the forefront of the public’s eye. Otherwise, we will continue to lose people who are ill equipped to handle their bikes, and to deal with traffic. The only way to make roads safer is for people to be more attentive and observant and realize that they're not the only ones out there. That includes those folks driving cages. ARIZONA: The towns of Carefree and Cave Creek are posting signs asking bikers to throttle down, in an effort to hold down the noise. Some see this as a joke, and others say MAYBE it will work. The point I see, is Joe Citizen is starting to make a lot of noise about noise. We want the communities we ride in to let us be and let us ride our bikes, but on some level we have to take their feelings into the equation. Maybe we could take it a little easier on the noise by not revving our engines just for the hell of it. Most factory mufflers are pretty quiet and straight pipes don’t give us that much more power if ya really take a good look at it. BATON ROUGE, LA. Stats suggest that their helmet law here is saving lives. They say the 74 people killed in motorcycle wrecks last year indicates a 7.4 per cent drop in deaths from 80 the year before. Now, we all KNOW stats can be manipulated. Overall highway deaths from drunk driving fell 42%. Personally, I think the drop in Louisiana’s POPULATION from the hurricanes and flooding has had more to do with the drop in accidents and fatalities than helmet laws.

A BIG LOSS AND FOND GOOD-BYE: In October, the motorcycle community lost one of the finest people this Gunny has ever known and had the privilege of calling my personal friend, Karen Bolin. As many of you already know, Karen lost her fight with cancer. She served for many years as president of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation, and she was also one of the best lobbyists for bikers rights that the State of Washington has ever known. She also served as secretary for the NCOM Legislative Task Force. Her many accomplishments in the interest of the motorcycle community are countless. Our welfare was her life. She was a Legislative Warrior who has left huge footprints for us to fill. She will be sorely missed by many. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family, especially her husband John.

YOUR CRASH COURSE: Avoid that crash altogether, no matter your years on your scoot, and TAKE a rider ed course. You won’t believe how much you DIDN’T know, I guarantee it. And for safety’s sake, make sure all your people carry that AIM CARD in your wallet. It won’t bind you to using our AIM Attorneys, but it CAN be a lifesaver, with all your medical info available to the ambulance people. And, you’ll always have the number for ACCESS to AIM Lawyers, if you need ‘em, bike wreck or otherwise. They’re always 24/7 at 1-800-On-A-Bike, and www.On-A-Bike.com! Keep the round side on the bottom.

Gunny, Oregon’s AIM Chief Of Staff