State Meeting Notes – August 16, 2025

DIXIE ABATE STATE MEETING NOTES: 8/16/25, THE SECRET, LEESBURG, AL
SIGNED-IN ATTENDEES:
Kris Cook
Matthew Schroeder
Shane Coker
Richard Comston
Chuck McKinley
Susan McKinley
Ira “Cowboy” Jones
Blythe Joslin
The meeting was called to order by Shane at 2 PM in the main house at The Secret.
The meeting notes from 6/21/25 are accepted; likewise the Treasurer’s report.
We discussed the MRF news that NHTSA has disbanded the MAC:
Jay Jackson, Motorcycle Riders Foundation Vice President and appointee to the U.S. Motorcyclist Advisory Council (MAC), was notified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that his appointment has been terminated. We are shocked and disappointed by this decision and are still gathering information. It appears the other appointees have received similar notifications.
The MAC was created by an act of Congress in November 2021. Yet despite a requirement in the law to establish the MAC within 90 days, it took until 2023 for the nomination process to begin. It wasn’t until the summer of 2024 that the members of the MAC were selected.
The inability of NHTSA to convene the 13-member board is a slap in the face to the nearly 10 million motorcyclists in this country. The mandate of the MAC was to advise the Secretary of Transportation, the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration regarding transportation safety issues of concern to motorcyclists, including — motorcycle and motorcyclist safety, barrier and road design, construction and maintenance practices, as well as the architecture and implementation of intelligent transportation system technologies.
MRF President, Kirk “Hardtail” Willard, said of the decision, “This is a striking example of how the concerns of motorcyclists are ignored. If you aren’t upset, you aren’t paying attention.”
The MRF has already contacted members of Congress, including those on the Congressional Motorcycle Caucus, to alert them of this unacceptable action by bureaucrats in D.C.
More MRF news:
It is time now to sign up for the Meeting of the Minds in Shreveport. The dates are September 25 through 28, 2025. Pre-registration must be received by 9/10/25. It costs $100.00 for a MRF member, and $120.00 for a non-member. Registration includes all workshops, workshop materials, and the banquet Saturday night. It won’t get much closer than Shreveport. Take advantage of the location this year!
News: Lane filtering legislation failed in Oregon.
We are discussing bringing a Safe on Red bill again in the next session. We will decide at the next meeting.
Kris displayed a picture of our billboard in Montgomery. It looks good. It is on the north side of I85 1275’ east of Eastern Blvd.
Our next meeting is in Decatur: October 18, 2 PM, at pavilion C in Delano Park, 825 Gordon Dr. SE. We’ll advertise the meeting and see if we can generate some interest in getting a ride to the meeting from different points in the state. We need to start having rides again.
We talked about letting Sharon Martin help us set up at Bama BikeFest next year. There is one in March, June, and October.
Sharon had invited us to set up at her Rally at the Rattler event the week of October 18, but Kris can’t get off work and no one else volunteered to set up the booth. It would have been a good opportunity. She will keep us in mind for next year.
We talked about independent bike shops we could take IMA information to. Shane mentioned 278 Cycle Shop, 10200 US 278 West, Altoona, AL 35952. KC to see if she can get materials to them.
We need to get back into Drivers Ed classes. Kris can’t do it until she retires at the end of the year. Fewer and fewer schools have Drivers Ed classes these days. There are several private driving schools in Birmingham, which would be a good place to start.
Shane wants to start a riding game next year, probably giving a cash prize at the end of the year to the member who has logged the most mileage on the odometer during the year. This will be a good-sized prize.
We need to call ALDOT and see for sure how often they are displaying motorcycle awareness PSA’s on the electronic message boards over the highway. Kris to get back in touch with them and ask