Looking Back at 2015, Looking Forward to 2016

As Seen in Thunder Road Magazine

 

 

 

While winter is not 'officially' here yet, I think it's safe to say that the 2015 motorcycling season is pretty much over. While it's always hard to put our bikes away for the winter, this is also the season for family, friends, food, and celebrations. When I started thinking about how fast this year seemed to fly by, it was nice to realize just how much my team and I got accomplished. I thought I would share with you a recap of some of the highlights of the year (so far), and a look ahead at "what's next" for 2016.

 

As The Motorcycle Lawyer, my top priority is helping injured bikers and their families to get justice after a crash. This year, my team and I worked tirelessly for our clients, and I'm proud to say our efforts have paid off. Not only did we do great work and help a lot of people, we were also recognized through several awards. For example, I have once again been named to Super Lawyers, which ranks top attorneys across the country. I made the list in Michigan for Best Lawyers in America, and was also named a top attorney by Hour Detroit. I also recently learned that my firm has been named a Best Law Firm by US News. Don't get me wrong: My team and I work for our clients, not for award nominations… but it's an honor to have our hard work and dedication recognized by these awards. If nothing else, being ranked so highly will hopefully allow us to reach more motorcyclists who need help after a crash.

 

This year, we increased our efforts towards promoting motorcycle awareness and safety to motor vehicle drivers. We hit more motorcycle events this year than ever before… if you saw us at an event, share a pic on our Facebook page! We also gave out bumper stickers, tire gauges, and all sorts of other swag meant to help promote motorcycle awareness. And of course, we are heavily involved in sharing motorcycle news, including important updates to motorcycling laws, safety tips, recalls, and other information bikers need through social media, press releases, our websites, and of course this magazine article.

 

In short, we did a lot to help promote motorcycle awareness, with the hope of actually preventing crashes, injuries and deaths… but it's never enough. So this year, we took it a step further and became the exclusive sponsor of the ABATE Awareness Program in Michigan. ABATE Awareness goes into driver education classes and teaches young drivers about motorcycle awareness and safety. The program has been running for over 20 years, and now that Nathan's Law has taken effect, it is likely to keep expanding. Our sponsorship of this program will help ensure that new drivers are getting the very best instruction when it comes to motorcycle (and bicycle) awareness.

 

And, because we are so community-oriented, we also participated in a great event last month with Methodist Children's Home Society (MCHS). We drove the truck to Redford, MI, decorated it for trick-or-treaters, and then my team and I handed out candy and treats to over 300 kids, all from MCHS, local foster families, or the community nearby. It was a chilly event that warmed our hearts, and gave us the opportunity to really celebrate with kids and parents from the community.

 

Legally speaking, 2015 was certainly interesting for motorcyclists. California came very close to legalizing lane-splitting, after a UC-Berkeley research study showed that in the right circumstances, lane-splitting may be safe for motorcyclists. The bill proposing to legalize lane-splitting ended up being defeated, but it generated a lot of buzz, and I know other states will be looking at the safety aspects for bikers as well over the next few months or years.

 

Of course, my team and I will be keeping an eye on this issue and other developing motorcycle law issues, and reporting back on the big stuff. This year in Michigan, for example, Nathan's Law took effect, meaning driver education programs are now required to include a component about motorcycle (and bicycle) awareness and safety. It's no secret that I think motor vehicle driver awareness is the key to enhancing motorcycle safety, so I couldn't be more pleased to see Nathan's Law in place.

 

Another change this year was to the definition of motorcycle ownership. Previously, the "owner" of a motorcycle was the person named on the bike's title. Now, an owner is defined more broadly as "a person renting a motorcycle or having use of a motorcycle under a lease for a period that is greater than 30 days, or otherwise for a period that is greater than 30 consecutive days (MCL 500.3101). As I mentioned in my last article, we recently saw a Senate Bill that could revoke motorcyclists' right to choose whether or not to wear a helmet (SB 527). This Bill would bring Michigan law back to the pre-2012 era, when bikers were required to wear a helmet by law. This isn't the first time a Bill has come forward to try and revoke bikers' right to choose, previous versions never made it past committee. Still, we will be watching with interest and reporting to you, our fans, as we learn more about the Bill's progress.

 

It's hard to do a "year in review" article without thinking about New Year's resolutions. In 2016, my team and I plan to: help more injured bikers and their families; do more to promote motorcycle awareness and safety campaigns, with the goal of reducing or even preventing motorcycle crashes, injuries, and deaths; give back to the community in new and exciting ways; do even more to help keep people informed about motorcycle laws, safety, and news; and personally, I hope to spend more time on my motorcycle.

 

Finally, we are planning some changes to our articles next year and we need your help! Connect with us on Facebook (Facebook.com/TheMotorcycleLawyer), email us (writer@lawyerforlife.com), or get in touch through our website to let us know what YOU want to read about. Do you have questions about motorcycling laws? Do you want to hear more safety tips? What about motorcycle or gear reviews? Tell us what you want to read about, and we'll do our best to make sure it happens.

 

 

One last thing: this time of year, road conditions can change quickly, and we're bound to start seeing ice and snow on the roads. This is also the season for parties and celebrations. So please, be careful out there…  and if you drink, don't drive. My team and I wish you the very best of the holiday season, and a Happy New Year!