Maine State Representative Walter Wheeler, a Democrat, has sponsored a new bill that will require the use of helmets when riding a motorcycle. Wheeler wrote the bill at the request of an 86 year old citizen, whose young relative was killed in a motorcycle accident.

Maine used to have a helmet law, but was repealed back in 1977. Since then, Maine has become friendly to bikers, shooting down subsequent attempts at resurrecting the helmet law. The last two governors of Maine are Harley riders, and government officials have always counted on bikers to help with charity work.

But lately, the media has jumped all over Maine the past few weeks sensationalizing the increase of motorcycle rider deaths. Since the Associated Press went nationwide with its report on Maine biker fatalities, a slew of other liberal news organizations have been hyping up the statistics in Maine. I monitor the news across all 50 states and around the world, as this is what I do as publisher of Biker News Online, and other news-focused websites. I haven't seen so much attention being focused on such a sparsely populated state.

Labels: Helmet Laws, Maine Motorcycle Legislation