Justice For All

AMA ANNOUNCES ‘JUSTICE FOR ALL,’ TARGETS LIGHT SENTENCES

PICKERINGTON, OHIO -- The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) has announced “Justice for All,” a new nationwide initiative that will focus on inadequate sentencing of drivers who seriously injure or kill motorcyclists.

“Justice for All” will advocate legislation establishing tougher penalties when traffic offenses or criminal actions by other motorists result in a motorcyclist’s death or serious injury, a move that also would benefit other vulnerable road users such as bicyclists and pedestrians. The program will include cooperation with state and local motorcycling organizations, efforts by AMA Community Councils, and a variety of opportunities for individual motorcyclists and other concerned citizens to become involved.

“Justice for All” also will feature events that coincide with the 2004 Black Hills Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota.

In late January, after former U.S. Rep. Bill Janklow received just 100 days in a South Dakota county jail for second-degree manslaughter related to a traffic crash that claimed a motorcyclist’s life, the AMA expressed its disappointment in the sentence, not only because it represented an inadequate penalty for that crime, but because it’s an example of injustice that occurs in courtrooms all over the country.

“We believe it’s important to take constructive action that reaches far beyond the borders of South Dakota,” said Edward Moreland, Vice President of AMA Government Relations. “Instead of directing our energy toward something that’s already happened, we urge all motorcyclists to work with us to change the way the justice system sentences drivers who kill motorcyclists, and to prevent similar tragedies and injustices in states and communities nationwide.”

More details about “Justice for All” will be announced soon on the AMA’s website, AMADirectlink.com, and in American Motorcyclist magazine. For more information on becoming involved in “Justice for All” and other issues affecting American motorcyclists, contact Sean Maher, AMA Director of State Affairs, at smaher@ama-cycle.org, or Terry Lee Cook, AMA Government Relations Specialist, at tcook@ama-cycle.org.

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The American Motorcyclist Association, founded in 1924, is a non-profit organization with more than 265,000 members. The Association's purpose is to pursue, protect and promote the interests of motorcyclists, while serving the needs of its members. For more information, visit the AMA website at file://www.AMADirectlink.com/, or call 1-800-AMA-JOIN. For the latest news releases, visit the AMA News Room at http://home.ama-cycle.org/newsroom.