MRF Rep Report - September 2025

Jennifer Abraham

ABATE of WI is excited to announce that Cathy Dial is stepping up as our new MRF State Rep. Cathy and I have been working together for years now, and she’s ready to assume the Rep position while I slide into an Assistant Rep role so I can focus more of my time and energy on my growing business. Cathy has already proven her skills by becoming the #1 membership recruiter IN THE COUNTRY, along with nailing Top 10 spots several years in a row. Her passion for motorcycling, coupled with her leadership and caregiving skills as a nurse, makes her a multi-faceted force of greater things to come.

I want to take a moment to say Thank You to all the members who have shown me and our team so much support over the years. Growing the MRF membership and getting as many people as possible educated about the threats that we face as motorcyclists are our top priorities. Whether it’s mandatory helmet laws, conspicuity clothing, unavailability of fuel, banning internal combustion engines, profiling of bikers, or autonomous vehicles running us over and killing us, there will always be something we need to stay vigilant about.

NHTSA is back at their old tricks by tearing down the Motorcycle Advisory Council. Our vice-president, Jay Jackson was a member of the MAC, but in 4 years, NHTSA never called one single meeting, regardless of his insistence. And now it appears they are dismantling the advisory board that was created by Congress to be sure motorcyclists were taken into consideration when creating new road designs and barriers, among other things. The complete article was in your e-mail alerts.

Another email you should have received was regarding the recent court decision to hold Tesla partially accountable for killing a woman in Florida while its car was in Autopilot mode. The driver trusted the system, but the Tesla did not recognize the parked vehicle and slammed into it at over 60 mph. This is yet another example of how rushing to get technology into the hands of the consumer before it is tested and proven safe can have deadly consequences.

If you are not getting these emails, go to www.MRF.org and sign up for the e-mail alerts. Knowledge is power! When we were in Washington, DC at Bikers in the Beltway, we sat in a U.S. Representative’s office, and he told us how “cool” the features in his staffer’s Tesla were. He either had no idea or was completely unconcerned that the autonomous vehicle system has severe flaws that are putting the lives of many in danger, particularly motorcyclists, law enforcement, and paramedics. In the words of our MRF President, Kirk “Hardtail” Willard, “If you aren’t upset, you aren’t paying attention.”

Stay vigilant, my friends!

Jen

Jennifer Abraham

ABATE of WI, MRF State Rep

MRF Assistant to the Board

ABATE Region 2A Treasurer

(920) 207-4679