I wrote the following as my response to ABATE of Illinois PAC's federal candidate questionnaire, titled the "ABATE of Illinois PAC General Election Survey". ABATE of Illinois PAC is a political action group that advocates for freedom on transportation issues.
According to Wikipedia, ABATE stands for several things, among them:
- A Brotherhood Against Totalitarian Enactments
- American Bikers Against Totalitarian Enactments
- A Brotherhood Aimed Towards Education
- American Bikers for Awareness, Training & Education
- American Bikers Aimed Towards Education
- American Bikers Advocating Training & Education
To learn more about ABATE PAC, visit the following links:
Section
1 - Helmet Laws
Issue:
Since 1986, the Illinois General Assembly has had an ongoing debate
over mandatory helmet laws.
The Federal Government has occasionally tried to influence this
debate using studies that have been
refuted by independent research. Other States have slowly expanded
youth and bicycle helmet laws
to create a mandate on adult riders.
ABATE
of Illinois has consistently supported the freedom of a rider to do
their own research and choose
for themselves by opposing all forms of mandatory helmet laws.
Ql)
Would you vote for a mandatory helmet law for all motorcyclists? Yes or no, and if yes, would you sponsor or co-sponsor the bill?
A1) No, not at the federal level.
Q2)
Would you vote for a mandatory helmet law for minors? Yes or no, and
if yes, would you sponsor or co-sponsor the bill?
Q2a)
If you answered yes, for what ages?
A2) Yes, for minors under 16, unless the helmet hinders their mobility,
visibility, and/or reaction time.
Issue:
In past years bills have contained mandatory helmet requirements for
both motorcyclists and bicyclists.
Some have proposed confiscating the bicycle until parents can
retrieve it from the police. In
past, bills have tried to fine parents, third parties or even
children for not wearing a bicycle
helmet.
Q3)
Would you support a helmet law for all bicyclists? Yes or no, and
if yes, would you sponsor or co-sponsor the bill?
A3) No
Q4)
Would you vote for a bicycle helmet law for minors? Yes or no, and
if yes, would you sponsor or co-sponsor the bill? If you answered yes, for what ages?
A4) No
Section
2 - LED Accent Lighting
Issue:
Illinois legalized solid LED accent lights for motorcycles 4 years
ago but unlike neighboring states,
they excluded Red and Blue colors. Modern LED systems have thousands
of color options which
creates an enforcement issue with Red / Orange colors and Blue /
Green colors. Modern systems
also glow Red underneath the bike when brakes are applied. This
increases visibility & safety
but is technically illegal in Illinois.
Q5)
Would you support legalizing all colors for accent lighting on
motorcycles in Illinois? Yes or no, and if yes, would you sponsor
or co-sponsor the bill?
A5) Yes,
as long as flashing LEDs with two colors or more aren't displayed in
public (as they could trigger epileptic seizures). I would sponsor
legislation to that effect; it would require a constitutional
amendment to become a federal law, however.
Section
3 ; Autonomous Vehicles aka “Driverless Cars”
Issue:
Companies are testing driverless cars in Illinois with no
regulations, and little oversight.
These
vehicles rely on sensors to see" and a computer to drive for the
human occupant" The federal
government
has been very slow to issue any regulations on these vehicles,
instead letting states
develop
individual standards. ABATE is aware of independent research showing
that the collision
awareness
systems used by AVs do not see motorcycles effectively. Motorcycles
are not being
considered
in the design or the rulemaking process. Even here in Illinois, we
have had an
Autonomous
Vehicle Task Force for nearly two years, yet motorcycles were not
involved in the
conversation
until June of this year.
Q6)
Would you support legislation requiring IDOT to include
representatives from all
vulnerable
road users in developing regulations for Autonomous Vehicles?
A6) I
am a candidate for federal office, so the position for which I am
running, should not have the power to shape the policymaking
concerning the operations of the Illinois Department of
Transportation. So I am neutral to this proposal in regards to the
current race in which I'm running, but If I were a candidate for
statewide office, I would say yes, and that I would co-sponsor
legislation to that effect.
Q7)
Would you support regulations requiring the successful completion of
closed circuit testing before
allowing an autonomous vehicle on Illinois roads?
A7) Yes, if I were a candidate for statewide office. I am running for
federal office and I do not support federal government involvement in
policymaking concerning transportation, aside from regulating
interstate commerce. The proposed legislation pertains to
transportation, and to transportation commerce, but not solely to
commerce. What I can say for sure is that this issue should remain in
the hands of the State of Illinois, and that I as a federal
legislator would not interfere with Illinois's ability to test
autonomous vehicles in closed-circuit trials (on the condition that
such testing does not take place on public roads straddling two
states or more).
Issue:
In addition to driverless cars, some companies are trying to enable
remote control of Semi
Trucks
on Illinois roads. This process known as 'platooning" allows the
lead vehicle of a convoy to
control
several trucks behind them. ABATE believes there are very serious
safety concerns with this
technology
Q8)
Would you support allowing remote controlled Semi Trucks on Illinois
Roads?
A8) Yes,
but only if they complete closed-circuit testing first. I would
sponsor legislation to that effect.
Section
4 - Gasoline / Ethanol Fuel Blends
Issue:
Com growers and environmentalists push for increasing Ethanol in our
gasoline supply by
subsidizing
higher percentage ethanol blends with tor credits. It is against
federal law for motorcycles
to use any blend higher than 10% (E-10). Fuel blends higher than 10%
can void motorcycle warranties. E-15 pumps are not clearly labeled prohibiting motorcycle
use, and some pumps
are so called "blender pumps" which could cause a
motorcycle to fuel with up to 4 gallons of E-15
when they thought they were fueling with E-10.
Q9)
Would you support requiring E-15 and higher blend pumps to be clearly
labeled "not for
motorcycle
use"?
Q9) Yes,
on the grounds that the federal government has an interest to
regulate commerce in such a way that protects the consumer's right to
be fully informed about the product (and protects his property rights
in his vehicle).
Q10)
Would you support requiring E-l5 and higher blends to have their own
dedicated pumps to
prevent
accidental misfuels caused by blender pumps?
A10) Yes, on the grounds that the federal government has an interest to
regulate commerce in such a way that protects the consumer's right to
be fully informed about the product (and protects his property rights
in his vehicle).
Responses Written on September 4th, 2020
Submitted on September 4th, 2020
Introduction Written on September 8th, 2020
Published on September 8th 2020
