Overseas


The revised Spanish Highway Code which is applied as law by Spanish police, has clarified the rules relating to overtaking by motorcycles.


Spanish overtaking Black boxes USA


Overtakes must now only be made inside the central line of the road while bikes are allowed to ‘circulate with precaution between the rest of the vehicles.’ This presumably refers to


filtering, rather than open-road overtakes, though the code does not specify.


At least it implies that filtering is allowed, and on either side of the lines of traffic.


Spain slides into transport fascism


Intolerance once again blights the Spanish political landscape where cyclists are now being forced into crash helmets. For now the new regulation only applies inside cities. On a brighter note the


opposition parties and at least 20 town and city halls have openly opposed the new ruling as have Spanish cycling bodies. Opponents of the new ruling suggest it will lead to a reduction in cycling levels as happened in Australia and New Zealand. Most depressing is the news that the Spanish motorcycle body AMM supports the new rule.


Riding motorcycles sharpens your brain


Japanese scientist, Dr Ryuta Kawashima, author of the Nintendo game says riding motorcycles is good for us. The Tokyo-based researcher has discovered that riding a motorcycle every day might actually enhance brain function. The study, conducted by Dr Kawashima at the University of Tokyo, demonstrated that riders between the ages of 40 and 50 enjoyed enhanced levels of cognitive functioning after riding their motorcycles daily to their workplace for a mere two months.


Scientists believe that the extra concentration needed to operate a motorcycle can contribute to higher levels of general brain function. Experiments did not identify a similar benefit from driving a car.


Congress failed to pass legislation that would have required manufacturers to install event data recorders (EDRs) in all new vehicles. In response a federal safety agency is using its rulemaking authority to mandate that all new cars sold in the USA be equipped with ‘black boxes’ capable of capturing information in the moments before and during a crash.


Citing privacy concerns, House Republicans had succeeded in removing a Senate provision requiring EDRs from the final transportation bill last year, so the Federal administration has intervened. The US DOT National Traffic Safety Administration mandate will require all automobiles and light trucks manufactured after September 1, 2014 to have an EDR device.


EDRs are already installed in nearly 92% of today's vehicles selling into the US market,


The ROAD is happy to hear


from MAG members on whether they think we should have such a requirement in the UK.


Blessed are the HOGS


Biker culture came to the Vatican in June as Pope Francis blessed thousands of Harley-Davidsons and their riders who were celebrating the manufacturer’s 110th anniversary.


Thundering Harley engines nearly drowned out the Latin recitation of Our Father that accompanied Francis as he greeted the crowd before Mass. Standing in his open-top jeep, Francis drove up the main boulevard leading to St Peter's Square, blessing the thousands of people in what was a giant Harley parking lot rally. Tens of thousands of Harley owners from around the world descended on Rome for the four- day anniversary of the American company.


Freedom is good for business


Changes last year in Michigan’s mandatory helmet law have had a positive effect on motorcycle riding in Michigan, according to ABATE of Michigan.


MAG Ireland mag


MAG Ireland has moved its newsletter, RoadRunner, to elec- tronic format and opened up cir- culation to MAG UK members. To get your free subscription check out their website www.magireland.org and click the big blue ‘Subscribe’ button.


Vertical no. plates


Legislation allowing the vertical display of registration plates on motorcycles was recently passed by the state House and now heads to the Senate for consideration.


Owners of custom-made or vintage motorcycles are sometimes reluctant to mount the registration plate horizontally on the rear mud guard because doing so interferes with the custom paint job or other custom work. Rider group ABATE of Pennsylvania have promoted the change in law which looks set to pass through the process.


There has been an increase in motorcycle travel in Michigan since April of 2012, said ABATE in a recent press release. Motorcyclists across the country are coming to Michigan in droves. Very few out-of-state motorcyclists were seen in Michigan before the adult helmet requirement was modified, according to ABATE.


There has been an increase of out-of-state participation in Michigan motorcycle events by as much as five times during the summer of 2012.


Motorcycle sales also are up in Michigan, and ABATE says that 2012 was the safest riding season in 10 years for licensed motorcyclists in the state. Scott Ellis, executive director of the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association has been reported in the Midland Daily News as noticing “an increase in trade with more out-of-state motorcyclists stopping, staying and spending money at our restaurants, hotels and attractions.”


The main events were the


Vatican blessing and a parade past the Colosseum and other historic landmarks. Earlier in the week, Harley- Davidson gave the Pope two white classic Harleys for the Vatican police force to use. Somewhat ironically, Harley- Davidson’s advertising for its 2013 bike collection reads ‘Live life on your own terms – more than 30 ways to defy the status quo.’


Bikes not dirty enough


The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has dropped its requirement that Phoenix-area motorcycles undergo annual emissions inspections, the last place in the country to require such testing.


The federal agency has approved a request from state environmental officials in Arizona that motorcycle tests be discontinued, effective immediately.


The request to drop the testing requirement came in response to a 2008 state law requiring the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to do an analysis of pollutants emitted by motorcycles and make a proposal to the federal agency. “Our analysis has determined that the cost and inconvenience is not providing a significant environmental benefit,” said Trevor Baggiore, deputy director of air quality at ADEQ. Even though motorcycles account for 3.5% of vehicles on the area’s roads, the department’s analysis determined that they emit “insignificant” amounts of pollution, accounting for less than 1% of total emissions in the Phoenix metro area.


The ROAD 13


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