From a press release issued by the AMA:

AMA SUPPORTS JANKLOW VERDICT

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) has announced its support of the verdict in the case of U.S. Rep. Bill Janklow (R-SD), who was convicted late yesterday of second-degree manslaughter and three other counts related to a traffic accident that claimed the life of a Minnesota motorcyclist.

On Saturday, August 16, motorcyclist Randolph Scott of Hardwick, Minn., was killed in a collision with a car driven by Janklow. The fatal accident took place at the intersection of two county roads in eastern South Dakota. Reports released by investigators indicated that Janklow’s car, traveling at speeds estimated at more that 70 mph, did not stop at the stop sign and continued into the path of the motorcycle, giving the rider no chance to avoid the fatal collision.

“We believe that the jury reached the correct verdict in this case,” said Edward Moreland, AMA Vice President for Government Relations, “The legal system can never eliminate the loss suffered by the Scott family, but it was clear from the beginning that the tragic events of August 16 went far beyond a simple traffic accident. We hope this verdict sends a strong message, both to citizens and to the justice system.”

The AMA will continue to monitor the Janklow case as it moves toward sentencing, set for January 20, 2004. Janklow has announced that he will resign from the U.S. House of Representatives effective the same day.

In the days following the accident, the AMA called on motorcyclists nationwide to contact South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds and Attorney General Larry Long, and to urge them to seek justice in the case. Using AMA Rapid Response, motorcyclists and other concerned citizens can send e-mail messages directly to South Dakota officials. AMA Rapid Response, which allows users to contact lawmakers, government officials and the media with the click of a button, is available on the Association’s website, AMADirectlink.com.

The AMA notes that tragic crashes like the one involving Janklow, in which a car or other vehicle violates the right of way of a motorcycle, are all too common on the nation’s highways. The most comprehensive study ever conducted into motorcycle accidents found that nearly 75 percent of motorcycle accidents involve another vehicle, and that in almost two-thirds of those crashes, the cause could be traced to the other vehicle violating the motorcyclist’s right-of-way.

For more than a year, the AMA has been involved in a campaign called Motorcyclists Matter that focuses attention on the dangers faced by motorcyclists and other vulnerable road users, including bicyclists and pedestrians, as a result of drivers who violate their right-of-way. The Association is also campaigning in Washington, D.C., for funding for a new study into the causes of motorcycle accidents — the first in more than two decades.