Motorcycle Insurance Articles
The Motorcycle Industry Council Explained
2010-05-30
The Motorcycle Industry Council is a nation-wide trade association. Established as a not-for-profit organization, its mission is to promote motorcycling and the motorcycle industry in the United States. Currently, the Motorcycle Industry Council is comprised of approximately 300 members involved in the motorcycle industry, including manufacturers, distributors and insurance carriers. Membership is limited to business organizations that are directly affiliated with the industry; dealers and individual motorcycle enthusiasts cannot be members, although the Motorcycle Industry Council partners with groups of such individuals on matters of common cause.
The Motorcycle Industry Council has been in existence, though under other names, since 1914. Its current name has been in use since 1970. The Council has headquarters in Irvine, California, and operates a government relations office in the Washington, D.C., area.
For the general public, the Motorcycle Industry Council maintains an Internet resource called Discover Today's Motorcycling (DTM). Here you will find guides on such topics as motorcycle safety and shopping for motorcycles and accessories. The Motorcycle Industry Council also encourages the media to use DTM as a source of information regarding motorcycling in the United States. Other services to the general public include motorcycle, dirt-bike and ATV driving schools.
For its members, one of the most critical functions of the Motorcycle Industry Council is legislative advocacy and governmental affairs. Employees and members of the Council spend numerous hours educating legislators and regulators on issues affecting the motorcycle industry, including motorcycle insurance regulations. This requires a proactive approach, given that motorcycle insurance regulations and most other governmental regulations of the industry are enacted and enforced on a state level. Accordingly, the Motorcycle Industry Council must keep its eye on the activities of 50 different states, all at one time, as well as any possible federal regulatory action.
Other functions of the Motorcycle Industry Council include working to inform the media and the public about the motorcycle industry, data collection, and statistical research and analysis. Many of these additional functions ultimately aid the Council in its legislative efforts, both at the state and federal levels.
Motorcycle insurance benefits are also a major concern for the Motorcycle Industry Council, and this is one of the primary reasons that membership on the Council is open to insurance carriers. If motorcycle insurance premiums become too cost prohibitive, or motorcycle insurance benefits too restrictive, the industry as a whole will suffer. With insurance carriers on the Council, a more comprehensive approach can be formulated to promote the industry's needs.
For more information about the Motorcycle Industry Council, you can do an online search of its name, and you will find many reliable resources explaining the Council and its functions.