Killer of Four Motorcyclists to be Sentenced

Sumter County, FL, July 1, 2011- On the March 13, 2010 Paul Sermons got drunk, got into his truck, and decided to drive down County Road 476 in Sumter County, FL. The traffic in front of him going slower than Sermons wanted, he began passing other vehicles. The two motorcycles coming in the other direction had no chance. Sermons hit both bikes ejecting all four riders; with one rider being launched into the windshield of the truck Sermons was passing. All the motorcyclists were killed.
On June 10, 2011, over a year after the crash resulting in multiple fatalities, Paul Sermons was found guilty of four counts of DUI Manslaughter and one count of driving on a suspended driver’s license. Throughout the entire court process, from arraignment to jury verdict, ABATE of Florida members from many chapters were present, and this will be the case on July 6, 2011 when Sermons will learn his fate. The Judge presiding in this case has scheduled the sentencing on this day at 1 PM at the Sumter County Courthouse.
Many motorcyclists are expected to attend this Sentencing. Contact Lake County Chapter President Casey Staley at president@lake.abateflorida.com or 407-702-8250, or Forest County Chapter Secretary Paul Antonio 352-207-8859 if you wish to ride with one of the many groups going to the hearing or for additional information.
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ABATE of Florida, Inc. is Florida’s largest Motorcyclists’ Rights Organization, and one of the top four largest nationwide. ABATE of Florida members come from all walks of life and include many elected officials. Our missions are to educate the public about motorcycle awareness and continuing to fight in Tallahassee for the rights of every motorcyclist and the public in general. To aid in these ends, we have an exclusive lobbyist and have founded the Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Program, both with the intentions to help make the roads safer for everyone.

Helmet Use Is NOT the Problem in Florida…

Deland, FL, November 18, 2010 – Motorcyclists have finally made the Ten Most Wanted list.  Not by the FBI, but by the NTSB, the National Transportation Safety Board.  The NTSB is now calling for all states to adopt a mandatory helmet law, even though all current data suggests that the wearing of a helmet is NOT as major a determining statistic on saving motorcyclists’ lives as once thought.

In 2000, ABATE of Florida, Inc. successfully lobbied to have the mandatory helmet law in Florida repealed.  Although many have publicly cried out saying that motorcycle deaths have been on the rise ever since the helmet repeal, the government’s own statistics simply do not support this claim. 

According to Florida’s Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles’ report Traffic Safety Facts, October 2010: Motorcycles, since 2000 motorcycle registrations have risen by over 102%.   With two exceptions, each year since then motorcycle registrations and related fatalities have been on the increase, but within 1% of each other when compared side-by-side.  Although any death is never good news, statistically speaking this can be read to mean that the rise in the reported fatalities may be attributed to the rise in motorcycle registrations.  One of the reported exceptions is the year 2009, where motorcycle registrations increased 102.4% since 2001, but fatalities only increased 63.4% in the same time frame.  That same year, motorcycle fatalities were down 16% nationwide and over 25% in Florida since the previous year.  In addition, the Florida DHSMV’s Traffic Crash Statistics Report 2009  reported that in 2009, over 53% of all motorcyclists killed were wearing a helmet.

With the above facts, there is no logic for a push to require helmet use.  The ten-year rise in deaths can be directly attributed to the rise in motorcycle registrations.  Since 2004, the State of Florida has reported that the majority of motorcycle drivers and  passengers  in fatal  crashes  have  been wearing the optional safety helmet.   Although motorcycle helmets may offer limited defensive measures when involved in a head-trauma accident, these numbers strongly suggest that a helmet is not the magic safety device many want them to be.  

ABATE of Florida, Inc. asks Legislators to consider this fact: in Florida 61% of the motor vehicle vs. motorcycle collisions were the fault of the motor vehicle. The most common reason given by the vehicle driver was that they never saw the motorcycle.  Texting while driving, hands on the cell phone instead of the steering wheel, and almost insignificant punishments when hitting a motorcyclist are all the real reasons why motorcyclists in Florida are being killed. 

Florida now requires a motorcycle training program to receive a motorcycle endorsement on a driver’s license.  The motorcyclists are being trained to ride safely and defensively.  Helmets will not save more motorcyclists; educating the motoring public about the presence of bikes on the road and stronger motivations to drive a car or truck safely and legally should be the direction state and federal congresses take.  The numbers are clear; most motorcyclists are doing their part.  It’s now time for the rest of the motoring public to do theirs.

David “Lockdown” Rich 
Public Relations Trustee, ABATE of Florida, Inc.
386.490.4821   FAX: 396.490.4482
statepr@abateflorida.com
www.ABATEFlorida.com

The entire report is here   http://www.flhsmv.gov/hsmvdocs/CS2009.pdf

It also states:

Fifty-three percent of motorcyclists and their passengers killed were wearing helmets.

Thirty-seven percent of motorcyclist and their passengers killed were not wearing helmets.

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This is from the AMA ---

 Washington, D.C.: Lawmakers want federal traffic safety agency to focus on crash prevention. U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) has introduced a resolution urging the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to concentrate on motorcycle crash prevention and rider education instead of lobbying state lawmakers to enact mandatory helmet laws.
            The resolution is in response to a statement made by NHTSA Administrator David Strickland in May reemphasizing Congressional testimony he gave in March when he stated that the core component of NHTSA's motorcycle safety plan is to increase helmet use and "anything the Congress does that would support the movement of riders into helmets would be efficacious of safety."
            On April 2, AMA Senior Vice President for Government Relations Ed Moreland sought a clarification of Strickland's comments. The letter can be read here: AmericanMotorcyclist.com/legisltn/documents/Strickland_Olver_Appropriations_3-25-10.pdf. Strickland's response can be read here: AmericanMotorcyclist.com/legisltn/documents/Strickland_Response_Helmet_5-24-10.pdf.
            The resolution -- H. Res. 1498, which was introduced on July 1 -- supports efforts to retain a federal ban on the agency from using taxpayer dollars to lobby state and local legislators. Reps. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Tom Petri (R-Wis.) co-sponsored the measure.
            Source and full story: http://www.amadirectlink.com/news/story.asp?id=2079

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