On a sunny morning in early June, William Taylor was run off the road & killed by a young woman who "didn’t see him." He was not speeding, he was an experienced rider, he did absolutely nothing wrong that morning yet he is dead & she was given a small fine & a ticket for careless driving. Within an hour after that accident, people in 1st Mountain Chapter were on the phone, trying to discover the identity of the victim. Only one person knew Billy Bones, but that never makes a difference. Billy’s widow was contacted so that she would know that when she needed anything that, there were people ready, wanting to help. They kept track of what happened to the person whose negligence caused this tragedy & discovered that she was only given a ticket & a fine. They contacted the Assistant District Attorney who had been given this case & asked him to explain how this could happen. It was then that they were told that there is no law making this type of tragedy a crime. At that point they asked the N.M.M.R.O. if there was anything that could be done & what A.B.A.T.E. could do to help to make this crime have actual repercussions. The N.M.M.R.O. found a sponsor for a law, researched similar laws, either existing or proposed, in other states & with the help of several legislators wrote a bill. Rick Miera introduced the bill & they lobbied. They asked for & received help & support from other motorcycling clubs, organizations & individuals with their lobbying efforts. Many motorcyclists have lost loved ones in similar collisions, not just in New Mexico, but nationwide. When the people who cause these collisions are not held accountable, the victims & their loved ones are victimized even further. Letters & phone calls from these people have helped A.B.A.T.E. & N.M.M.R.O. gain the ear of many legislators. In the most recent session of the legislature, a law passed the House of Representatives but didn’t make it through the Senate committee before the end of session. The N.M.M.R.O. & A.B.A.T.E. are now planning to redouble their efforts for the next legislative session & have received the promise of help from Bob Schwartz, the Governor’s Senior Advisor on Crime. The N.M.M.R.O. & A.B.A.T.E. are in the process of scheduling a meeting of interested parties to get the bill written & plans to start lobbying members of both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees as soon as possible.

By Patty Berry
State Coordinator
ABATE of NM

If any of you that are in Southern New Mexico are interested in joining ABATE, go here:
http://www.abateofnm.org
Make sure you write in "Mesilla Valley Chapter" in the comments.

Who are you going to blame when your rights as a biker are taken away?
It's time to get envolved NOW!