Bill filed to ban motorcycle-only highway checkpoints

A bipartisan group of senators has filed a bill to ban states from conducting motorcycle-only police checkpoints on roads and highways.

Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.), and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) said the bill was crafted in response to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) program that uses grants to encourage states to conduct additional checkpoints for motorcycle riders.

The lawmakers said the program, which has been in place since 2009, was discriminatory against motorcyclists.

{mosads}“Motorcyclists shouldn’t be pulled over simply because they’re driving a motorcycle and not a car,” Ayotte said in a statement. “It doesn’t make sense to use federal money to pay for discriminatory motorcycle-only checkpoints, and I’m pleased to see bipartisan support for the rights of motorcyclists.”

“Requiring bikers to drive through motorcycle-only checkpoints is not only an ineffective use of taxpayer dollars, but it also raises legitimate questions about discrimination against motorcyclists,” Manchin added.  “In West Virginia, bikers travel near and far to drive on our winding roads and enjoy the beautiful scenery, which attracts tourism and helps boost both our local and state economies. As a Harley owner myself, I am pleased to work with my colleagues on this bipartisan legislation that simply would prohibit yet another senseless and unreasonable federal regulation which could harm states’ economies.”
The highway safety agency has said that its research shows that motorcyclists are more likely than automobile drivers to be involved in accidents where alcohol is involved.
The sponsors of the bill to ban motorcycle-specific checkpoints said riders were already required to stop at checkpoints for four-wheeled vehicles.
“These checkpoints unfairly target motorcycle riders who already have their vehicles inspected and registered just like all motorists,” Sen. Shaheen said in a statement.  “We don’t have checkpoints that stop cars to check their tire pressure and we shouldn’t for motorcycles either.”
“To them, safety is as important as scenery, so I’m deeply concerned the establishment of these checkpoints unfairly, and perhaps unconstitutionally, violates their personal freedoms and rights,” Johnson added. “The NHTSA grant program in question is a one-size-fits-all approach, will not address the primary causes of motorcycle accidents, and should be stopped.”
 The Hill is checking with the transportation department for a response to the motorcycle-only checkpoint ban legislation.