Bikers join lawmakers to applaud driving bill

Leather jackets will mingle with pin-stripped suits today when motorcycle clubs arrive at the State House to see their driving-safety bill signed into law by Gov. Martin O’Malley.

The bill will impose a six-month suspension, a $1,000 fine or both on drivers who injure or kill somebody by violating road right-of-way laws.

Members of American Bikers Aimed Toward Education, or ABATE, of Maryland have fought for the past five years to pass the legislation, but were largely unsuccessful until this year, when the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration supported it.

The fight became personal in 2006 after the driver of a sport utility vehicle was involved in an accident that killed their former state director, Martin Leo Schultz.

“As things would have it, we proceeded on with the bill,” said Gary R. “Pappy” Boward, chairman of ABATE of Maryland Inc. “Everyone was getting very involved legislatively, this was [Mr. Schultz’s] assignment.”

Mr. Boward said many bikers were disappointed when the person who struck Mr. Schultz received a minimal fine — less than $100 — and no other penalty.

The right-of-way bill passed the House and Senate unanimously this year. The bill applies to all vehicles, but the motorcyclists advocated for it because bikes are tough to see at intersections.

The MVA reported 17,312 “failure-to-yield” accidents in 2006, resulting in 81 deaths and 8,015 injuries .

The 20 or 30 bikers — men and women dressed in jeans, jackets with patches and occasionally bandanas — began joining the button-downed lawmakers and lobbyists during the 2008 General Assembly session when they filled the halls between the House and Senate chambers. Some had been working to improve motorcycle safety since 1974.

Supporters say the bikers are savvy, well-informed lobbyists, despite their appearance .

“They’re very, very effective advocates for their causes,” said Sen. Larry E. Haines, Carroll Republican. “They do an excellent job for the committee I’m on, in delivering their testimony. They’re always well organized.”

Mr. Haines said he invites many of the bikers to his fundraisers and has lobbied to include their bikes in more traditional antique car shows.

“The people that grew to know us, all liked us,” Mr. Boward said.

ABATE also helped institute a motorcycle training program through the MVA in the 1990s.

Members have garnered more attention, though, for their unsuccessful fight against the state’s mandatory helmet law, which has been in place since 1992.

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