GTASportriders.com

Hello all,

MPP Dr. Helena Jaczek is proposing a bill to disallow passengers in motorcycle in the age of 14 and below. The bill is scheduled for 2 read Dec 4, 2008. If the bill passed, we can't take our kids for a ride, we can't introduce to our kids the very beauty sport that we are enjoying now - how many of us get our very first motorcycle experience riding by riding at the back when we were kids ?

If you don't want to see the bill pass, email/call/write to your MPP.

Below is Dr. Jaczek's response on her bill.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I am writing to thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts regarding my Private Member’s Bill, The Highway Traffic Amendment Act (Child Passengers on Motorcycles) 2008.



As you know, Bill 117, if passed, would amend the Highway Traffic Act to prohibit driving or operating a motorcycle on a highway while a person under the age of 14 is a passenger on the motorcycle, with a view to promoting safety on Ontario ’s roads and protecting youth from preventable injuries.



This initiative would promote safety on Ontario roads and help protect youth from preventable injuries. The research is alarming:



According to Ontario MTO’s Road Safety Reports, a total of 199 motorcycle passengers between the ages of 0-15 sustained an injury in the years 1995-2005. 12 of these were between the ages of 0-4, 54 were between the ages of 5-9 and 133 were between the ages of 10-15.



According to Smart Risk, in the fiscal year 2005-2006, 856 people were hospitalized in Ontario due to motorcycle related injuries. Of those, eight were aged 5-9 and 38 were between the ages of 10 and 14.



According to Transport Canada , in 2006, 54 motorcycle passengers (between the ages 0-14) were seriously injured, across Canada . Four of these were between 0-4 years of age; and, 50 of these were between 5-14 years of age.



In the USA , four states have age-related laws and this would be the first law of its type in Canada .



Second Reading is scheduled for December 4, 2008, and will be debated in the Legislature at that time.

I sent my letters to my local representative and the good Doctor. Although I know the bill was proposed with the best intentions, it still doesn't allow someone to tell me how I chose to spend time with my son (as long as he has proper gear, tall enough to touch the pegs and bike that is meant for comfortable two-up riding).

'They' (the idiot politicians, of course) have a point.....

Did you guys know that nearly 100% of motorcycle related injuries/deaths for both riders and passengers were caused by riding motorcycles?
This is an outrage!!!!!
Why don't 'they' do something to stop the carnage?????????

Is Dr. Jaczek the same person who outlawed the playing of tag in the schoolyard?


grrrrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Dr. Jaczek does make a point but she hadn't claimed how the accidents happened in the first place.

if the highest factor of those collision are caused by other vehicles and not at fault collisions by the motorcyclist then risk factor for kids riding on motorcycle is low do to maturity of the rider on motorcycle, it is the incompetence of other drivers that raises the risk factor for them to ride as passenger.

in my opinion the law should not pass, because it's the parent that must make decision know the risks and consequences of riding on passenger. the problem is that majority of politicians ride cage, hence they don't understand or are uneducated about motorcycles in general.

at least educated the masses of this country about motorcycle, or make it a mandatory to attend classes and discussions for new drivers how to behave or a norm established around other vehicles.

education is a must, stop with idiocy!!!

Got this today in an email from Parker Bros.
This affects us all. Lets do something about it.

Quote:The following ids the draft letter to be sent to your local MPP as well as the addresses at the end of this email. Thanks again to Liz at Trillium Tours for the following link.

http://www.trilliumtours.com/Downloads/b117lett.doc

Date: [ ]

To: [MPP]

From: [Full name and address]

Re: Helena Jaczek MPP for Markham -- Private Members Bill 117

As a citizen living and paying taxes in the province of Ontario, I do not support Bill 117, An Act to amend the Highway Traffic Act to prohibit riding a motorcycle with a child passenger under 14 years of age, introduced by Helena Jaczek MPP for Markham as a private members bill.

This proposed bill is not based on any scientific research. Riders, industry, industry associations and safety experts were not consulted prior to introduction of this bill. Motorcycles in Canada are designed for the safe use of riders and passengers.

While Ms. Jaczek’s recommendation is well-intentioned, she is misinformed. Here is the quote from a letter sent by Raynald Marchand, General Manager of the Canada Safety Council to Helena Jaczek, MPP Oak Ridges-Markham, the Premier and the Minister of Transportation. “It is the CSC's position that there is no statistical evidence to support this legislation.”… ‘ I reviewed all seven Ontario Road Safety Annual Reports from 1999 to 2005. I did not find any fatalities for motorcycle passengers less than 14 years of age. I also looked at injuries for motorcycle passengers less than 16 years of age and compared them to bicycle passengers less than 16 years of age and car passengers less than 16 years of age over the same period (1999 to 2005). Ontarian children were four times (4x) more likely to have been injured as passengers on bicycles and 262 times more likely to have been injured as passengers in passenger vehicles than to have been injured as passengers on motorcycles.”

Laws, including those addressing speed and helmets, already exist to protect the safety of motorcycle riders and passengers. Regulation 596, subsection 10(3) of Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act states: “A person who is a passenger on a motorcycle operated on a highway and who is occupying the seat referred to in clause (2) (b) shall sit astride the seat in such a manner that his or her feet are placed upon the foot rests referred to in clause (2) (b).” This is rational and intends that the passenger is safely balanced.

Bill 117 has created a lot of turmoil in the riding community and beyond. Family trips are in jeopardy and tourists from other provinces and states are wondering how they can plan trips across Canada if they have to detour around Ontario. So much for tourism in Ontario.

This goes beyond motorcycling and speaks to legislation based on incorrect information being introduced and passed into law without due diligence. It speaks to a lack of reasonableness, responsibility and accountability. I am duly concerned for everyone’s – including children’s safety – whether as a motorcycle passenger or in any other activity. I also support legislation that makes sense to me and this does not.

I am asking you as my MPP to vote against Bill 117 at second reading.

Regards,

Dalton McGuinty, Premier Legislative Building Queen's Park Toronto ON M7A 1A1

Hon. James J. Bradley, MPP St. Catharines Ministry of Transportation 77 Wellesley St W, 3rd Flr, Ferguson Block Toronto ON M7A 1Z8

Helena Jaczek, MPP Oak Ridges- Markham Ministry of Health Promotion 18th Floor, 777 Bay St. Toronto ON M7A 1S5

Parker Bros. Powersports
5324 Dundas Street West
Toronto, ON M9B 1B4
416-234-5750

wow good find.

it just boggles my mind how such propaganda and bs gets shuffled around in government. they could deal with more relevant issues but they choose to waste time and money on matters like this.

she has indeed posted "information", which are not facts, ie not supported, not cited just words used to instill fear into the general, uneducated public.

(11-13-2008 02:16 PM)butterflymethane Wrote: [ -> ]she has indeed posted "information", which are not facts, ie not supported, not cited just words used to instill fear into the general, uneducated public.

be happy you're not in America.

still fear is used and will be a powerful propaganda but we'll see how long that will last.

Update on the Bill:

http://www.wheels.ca/reviews/article/485681


Dec 12, 2008

On Dec. 4, the attention of Ontario motorcyclists was on the Legislature for the second reading debate of Bill 117.

Bill 117 was introduced by Liberal MPP Helena Jaczek (Oak Ridges-Markham) in October as a private member's bill to change the Highway Traffic Act to ban children 14 years of age and under from travelling as passengers on motorcycles. It's intended to "protect children from preventable injury."

Jaczek came armed with considerable support. Supporters in the gallery included representatives of the Ontario Safety League, the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association, the Canadian Paraplegic Association and Katie Mellor and Nigel Finan, "representatives of concerned parents who support this bill."

Jaczek produced statistics to prove her claim that there is a serious problem with child passenger motorcycle safety. She quoted Ministry of Transportation road safety reports from 1995 through 2005 that showed there had been 199 cases of injury to motorcycle passengers 15 years old or younger over those 11 years. As perspective during these years, 76,052 children were injured in all types of road accidents.

And the Ministry of Transportation's 2005 Ontario Road Safety report indicates that – out of 5,155 on-road injuries suffered by children aged 15 years or younger in 2005 – only 21 were injured as on-road motorcycle passengers.

Jaczek asked for the Bill to be sent to committee for further consideration "on behalf of Katie Mellor and Nigel and all those concerned with an undeniably unnecessary risk to vulnerable children."

And then, after some debate between MPPs, Liberal MPP Bas Balkissoon ( Scarborough-Rouge River) stood up and addressed the origins of Bill 117.

"I just want to read parts of a letter by Katherine Mellor," he said. "Katherine is in the gallery today. She wrote this letter back in June 2008, to (Transport Minister Jim) Bradley as a parent.

"She says: `In my daily parenting plight, I have recently had a new situation cross my path, which has served to be both alarming and perplexing. To make a long story as concise as possible, my soon to be ex-husband has decided, to my chagrin, that my son Liam (8 years old) should be a regular passenger on his motorcycle.'

"To her dismay, she found that the `only two requirements the Ministry of Transportation in Ontario have are that any passengers need to wear a helmet with a chinstrap, and their feet must touch the footrests. I would like to add that depending on the motorcycle the footrests could be quite high, meaning; even a very small child of 3-to-5 years of age could potentially be a passenger! The bottom line is that children under the age of at least 12 do not truly grasp the ramifications of riding as a passenger on a motorcycle.'

"She goes on to say: `My request to you, Minister Bradley, is that changes to the MTO rules and regulations regarding children as passengers on motorcycles be looked into immediately. Not just the next time the issue is up for review, as it might be too late for my son at that time.'"

And so it seems that the root of this issue stems from a private animosity between divorcing parents. He takes their 8-year-old son for motorcycle rides while she fears for the child's safety.

Whether it's right or wrong for children to be passengers on motorcycles is not the issue. The fact that the vast majority of children who ride as passengers do so behind careful, responsible parents is not considered. The fact that most motorcycle accidents are caused by inexperienced riders is ignored.

The Ontario government is spending a great deal of time, effort and money to debate a proposed bill because two people could not agree on what's best for their child.

Bill 117 has been referred to the Justice Policy committee for discussion.






It's amazing how much I roll my eyes and how they haven't gotten stuck up inside my orbital sockets...

http://watch.ctv.ca/news/latest/riders-s...clip109618
Here is the newscast. The police agree that "age restriction is the wrong way to go about it", and perhaps a weight/height restriction is a feasible option.

Helena Jaczek, have you lost your damn mind?