More Than Helmets

Bikers have more challenges than just helmet laws, and that's definitely true no matter where you go across the country. But helmet law repeal is about far more than just helmet laws.

The helmet law carries all the other motorcycling issues on its coattails. Why? Any candidate that supports us on helmet choice is also on board with 99% of everything else we want.

As they say, "snap the reins on the bridle, and the rest of the horse will soon follow." Helmet laws are like the bridle, and everything that's in the wagon -- from handlebar height restrictions to motorcycle-only "safety" checkpoints -- will definitely come along for the ride. We just need to grab those reins.

But as is often the case with repeal bills, many legislators will give us "anything but that." Their position keeps bikers pacified with whatever table scraps they throw to us. And it keeps bikers afraid of losing what little support we get from those legislators, too.

Instead, legislators should be the ones who are afraid of losing bikers' support. And that brings us back to the importance of campaign work. The more effective we are as a force of campaign volunteers, the more political clout we carry.

This important point often gets lost when we rely on protesting as our only means of initiating political change. Protests are good for motivating bikers to take action. But unless our passion gets channeled into campaign work, our energy dissipates when everyone goes back home. And that gets us nowhere.

When we do campaign work for repeal supporters, we get a lot more than just helmet choice -- we gain political power. And that's the only thing that gets results in the world of politics.

-RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com