Dedicated to the Safety and Freedom of the Road
ABATE of New York Inc.
Oneida County Chapter
PO Box 545 ▪ Holland Patent, NY, 13354
Do you know your rights, as a motorcyclist? Are you aware of the many instances of unfair and discriminatory legislation threatening the motorcycling community today?
ABATE, the second generation, is a motorcycle rights organization. We are not a club. We are not a charity we don't all ride Harleys and we're a lot more than 'those anti-helmet people'. We actually encourage the voluntary use of helmets.
ABATE is a recognized lobbying force in Albany and Washington. We monitor legislation and interact with our legislators, as the voice of 535,500 New York State motorcyclists.
Legislation that infringes on your rights is often passed quietly. We pay attention and we encourage all motorcyclists to be informed registered voters.
We’ve won some and lost some and also had some monumental successes in recent years, while still making time for FUN rides and benefits.
In 1991, ABATE convinced then Senator Dennis DeConcini to remove all references to motorcycles from his “Outlaw Street and Motorcycle Gang Control Act” (S.339) and to drop his sponsorship of a bill to ban “Super Bikes”; today (with my apologies to you aficionados) they are sometimes referred to as ‘crotch rockets’. We got provisions to designate motorcycle safety as a national priority in NHTSA Section 402 safety programs and to ensure motorcyclists had access to all HOV lanes nationally in the ISTEA legislation. We lobbied successfully to repeal the Federal Helmet Law in 1995 and to change DOT specs and materials used for filling cracks in roads to a motorcycle friendly type.
The Lemon Law bill, which was passed in 2003, extends motor vehicle warranties to motorcycles. Did you know that your motorcycle was not previously covered under existing N.Y. State law? The Governor’s office called us, ABATE of New York, to get our approval before signing this bill, validating our increasing influence in Albany.
Current target areas of concern include: the Yield Right of Way bill (authored by ABATE of New York) which will increase penalties for motorists who kill motorcyclists from today’s MAXIMUMS of a $100.00 fine and 15 days in jail; lowered Thruway tolls for motorcycles, which are now charged at the same rate as any two axle vehicle and reparation for health insurance benefits denied to persons injured while engaged in legal recreational activities such as motorcycling snowmobiling, skiing, horseback riding, etc.