Summer 2011<strong>Driving</strong> <strong>Freedoms</strong><strong>Driving</strong><strong>Freedoms</strong>Table Of ContentsVolume 22 • Issue 3Road Trip.......................................... 2Survey Says....Roundabouts............ 3NMA Washington Report................... 4Traffic Ticket Overhead..................... 6Mileage-Based User Fees................ 7Laws on Use of Electronic Devices... 9Members Write.................................11News From Around The Country..... 12Experts Corner................................ 13SCCs & Activists List....................... 14Copyright © 2011 by NMA Foundation.All rights reserved.<strong>Driving</strong> <strong>Freedoms</strong> (permit # 0716556-KWP) is theofficial publication of the NMA Foundation, Inc. <strong>Driving</strong><strong>Freedoms</strong> is published quarterly by the NMA Foundation,Inc., 402 W. 2nd St., Waunakee, WI 53597. (608/849-6000)Email: nma@motorists.org Web site: www.motorists.org.Nonprofit bulk permit paid Madison, WI. Annual membership inthe <strong>National</strong> <strong>Motorists</strong> <strong>Association</strong> includes a subscription to<strong>Driving</strong> <strong>Freedoms</strong>.Editorial StaffManaging Editor............................Gary BillerStaff Writer............................. James J. BaxterStaff Writer................................. Aaron QuinnStaff Writer.................................Robert TalleyEditor-at-Large.............................. Bill JordanCover“Mileage-Based User Fees:A Tax By Any Other Name”Road Tripby James J. Baxter, President, NMAEvery year I like to take areading on the state of cross- countrytravel. This May I loaded up my“long in the tooth” Honda Sabre andheaded from Wisconsin to SouthernCalifornia.When the flower petals thatwere falling to the ground melted, Ishould have suspected a bad turn inthe weather. It rained in Wisconsinand all the way through Iowa.However, I mostly got wet only onmy right side–that’s what happenswhen you have a 30 mph crosswindout of the north.The temperature hung in themid-40s throughout the day and intothe evening when I declared an endto the “fun” and found a motel inFremont, Nebraska.Lessons for the day includedthe realization that my supposedwaterproof shoes weren’t, mysomewhat expensive Aerostichriding suit was worth every pennyand then some, and it’s really nicewhen the motel, bar, and restaurantare all in one building.The next morning I burned upmost of breakfast time getting mysmallish rubber boots on over mytwo-sizes larger shoes, knowing fullwell I would never stop and takeon this task once on the road. ThenI headed for Boulder, Colorado tovisit an old friend.During much of this day I hadthe wind behind me, still out of thenorth, and I stuck to two lane roadsas I had the previous day. It rained,but not too hard. Traffic and trafficenforcement are typically light onthese roads. The latter follows theformer; that’s where the money is.(As in, “Why do they rob banks?”)It turns out my friend was inEstes Park, not Boulder, so I had thepleasure of driving a snaky canyonroad, in the dark, amongst the deerand elk, at the end of a 12-hourriding day.Somewhat embarrassingly, butwisely, I pulled over on occasion tolet faster traffic go by. If I had gonemuch slower on some of the corners,I would have fallen over for lack ofmomentum. There are no trophiesfor road racing in my closet at home.After a great visit and a virginaudience for some of my favoritestories, I headed over the Rockies onI-70. I don’t like this road, especiallyon a motorcycle. The traffic consistsof 30 mph truck traffic, 85 mphcommuters who know the turf,horsepower-eating altitude, windsfrom three directions at once,periodic snow storms, and vertigoinducingtunnels. Otherwise it’s OK.Then I encountered oneof highway signage’s greatmysteries–“NO SERVICES FOR 60MILES”– strategically located justbeyond the turn-off for those lastservices.First I slowed to 70, then 60,and finally to 45 mph. I was still20 miles out when the reserve lightstarted to blink. I figured the reservewas good for 15 miles. I washunched over the tank, looking likeMr. Aerodynamic, tottering down(Continued on Page 4)