U.S. Transportation Secretary pushes helmet-use laws
U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters recently reaffirmed her desire to lobby states for mandatory helmet-use laws in testimony before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee Transportation Subcommittee, according to a statement March 12 from the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA).
Peters’ testimony follows letters she sent in February to U.S. House and Senate leaders urging Congress to allow states to divert federal money away from motorcycle safety training and awareness programs and instead push for mandated helmet use.
Under federal law, the U.S. Transportation Department is barred from lobbying for or against specific state laws.
“I support giving the information to states so that they can act on those laws,” Peters testified. “And I certainly have made myself available to a number of states, and, in fact, have called governors when I see substantial increases in the number of motorcycle deaths in a state, especially a state that has repealed a helmet law.”
The AMA opposes Peters’ push to divert the funds from motorcycle safety training.
