South Carolina Motorcycle Rights Association

Motorcyclists Protest Georgia Roadblocks

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Thu, 03/24/2011 - 17:02 — amp
On March 23, 2011 hundreds of protesters rode their motorcycles to the Georgia Capitol in opposition to the recent motorcyclist only roadblocks on I-95 south during Daytona Bike Week. Bikers from several states had their motorcycles 4 columns deep. At the podium, speakers roused the crowd to yell "Education, not checkpoints!" Speakers suggested educating motorists to pay attention to the road and traffic around them would help. Roadblocks, unlawful seizures, and police harassment do nothing for safety! Protesters held signs in support of US House Resolution 904 which would prevent the US DOT from providing funds to states which would be used for motorcycle roadblocks.

"After the Ride"

.....A quick note from Dan Forrest State Director A.B.A.T.E.
by Abate Georgia on Thursday, March 24, 2011 at 10:26am
Outstanding! Awesome! Fantastic! Incredible! Unbelievable!
These were just a few of the printable quotes that described the turn out Wednesday the 23rd at the Capitol for the Protest Ride against the Motorcycle Only “Safety” Roadblocks. All of the Speakers carried forth the very same message yet each in different words.
The roadblocks are a violation of our rights and are a pure attempt at profiling. The Savannah Stop had 17 GSP cars, 2 Sheriff’s cars, 1 DOT car, a van filming and photographing every biker and a helicopter. This sounds like a Border Crossing in a communist country and has nothing to do with safety.
This is an example of Government Waste. Having a registration, proof of insurance and an endorsement on our license does make us safe. Loud pipes never killed anyone.
The central point of every speaker’s message was that money needs to be spent on EDUCATION of the driving public to make them aware of motorcycles. Use the media for public service announcements, bill boards, class room training for new drivers. The government DOES NOT need to safety check US. We are aware of how vulnerable we are and we all check our rides on a regular basis. We need protection from the distracted, impaired and inexperienced drivers. This can only be accomplished through EDUCATION not Safety Checkpoints for Motorcycles.
We ask the Georgia State Patrol, The Governors Office on Highway Safety, The Department of Transportation and the Division of Drivers Services to work with A.B.A.T.E. of Georgia to created programs that are designed to really save lives.
On behalf of the entire A.B.A.T.E .of Georgia membership I would like to thank all of the Speakers for their good words. We also wish to thank everyone that took part in this day of Freedom Fighting. A special thanks to Linda Allen our State Legislative Director and the man behind the Facebook updates our Secretary of State, Ned Williams.
Take the time right now to log onto www.abatega.org and sign up as a member. Add your voice to ours and let’s keep this first step in a unified community of bikers alive.
Dan Forrest
State Director, A.B.A.T.E. of Georgia