Tuesday, September 17, 2002
NHTSA 60-02
Contacts:
NHTSA, Rae Tyson, (202) 366-9550
AMA: Tom Lindsay, (614) 856-1900
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the
American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) today announced a partnership on a
national impaired riding campaign. The program is intended to educate
motorcyclists about the dangers of drinking and riding.
In
2001, 3,181 motorcyclists died on the nation’s roadways. Of those, 41 percent
were impaired, with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 grams per
deciliter or greater – the legal limit of impairment in many states.
“My years in law enforcement have shown me that alcohol and motorcycles
are a deadly combination,” stated NHTSA Deputy Administrator Annette Sandberg.
“I commend the American Motorcyclist Association for providing national
leadership to help reduce impaired riding among its members and all
motorcyclists.”
Impaired riding issues were listed among the urgent recommendations of the
National Agenda for Motorcycle Safety, a national plan that was developed
by the motorcycling community in late 2000.
The AMA Ride Straight Campaign will develop
messages specifically targeting motorcyclists and will incorporate segments of
NHTSA’s current Friends Don’t Let Friends Ride Drunk and You Drink
& Ride. You Lose campaigns.
“After contributing to the development of the National
Agenda for Motorcycle Safety, it’s natural for the AMA to now take the
lead in addressing the issue of impaired riding,” said Robert Rasor, President
of the American Motorcyclist Association. “The AMA is proud to be the first
national motorcycling organization to act on a recommendation of the National
Agenda.”
The AMA will launch Ride Straight in mid-2003.
For more information, visit the AMA web site at: www.AMADirectlink.com
or call 1-800-AMA-JOIN. The AMA, based in Pickerington, Ohio, is a non-profit
organization with more than 250,000 members.
NHTSA’s website is: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/.
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