A.B.A.T.E. of Michigan Region 7
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Fighting for the Rights of ALL Michigan Motorcyclists since 1976

ABATE of Michigan
Invites you to join with us and help participate in making
- MICHIGAN -
One of the best places
IN THE WORLD to Ride!

What is ABATE?
ABATE (American Bikers Aiming Toward Education) of Michigan, Inc., is a nonprofit, grass-roots organization dedicated to preserving the rights and promoting the safe operating practices of Michigan motorcyclists. We are entirely self-funded and as such have no hidden agendas as we are not linked to any other groups.

We have a very active safety education program, most of which was initiated by ABATE members.

Our safety education is divided into 4 parts:

  • Rider education: concentrates on educating the riders themselves. This is done by certified motorcycle safety instructors and Chief Instructors in the State of Michigan, many of who are ABATE members.  The main objective is to provide a qualified learning environment to enable the novice and experienced rider to attain and upgrade necessary skills for safer riding on the public roadways.  ABATE lobbied the legislature and was successful in restoring funding for motorcycle safety after the governor removed it from the 2004 budget.
  • The motorcycle awareness: course teaches students in Driver Education classes how to be aware of motorcyclists on the road. Data shows that 40% of all accidents involving cars with motorcycles are caused by the car driver that has less than 6 months driving experience, and approximately 70% of all accidents are the fault of the car driver not seeing the motorcycle.

·    Licensing awareness: is a program that was wholly conceived by ABATE of Michigan and has been endorsed by the Secretary of State. When we read the December 2003 Study conducted by the University of Michigan that showed about 44% of crash-involved motorcyclists were not legally licensed to operate a motorcycle, we decided to take action. We came up with a program to make motorcyclists aware of these facts with the goal of prompting more motorcyclists to get their endorsements in order to improve safety.

·         Alcohol Awareness program is divided into 3 portions:

o        Ride Straight Campaign: This was created by a joint effort of NHTSA and AMA and stresses moderation by placing graphic posters in strategic locations (bars, magazines, bike dealers). ABATE of Michigan is one of the first groups in the US to actively support this program.

o        Workshops: ABATE holds alcohol awareness workshops at the regional (county) level as well as at the state level. These use nationally proven techniques (“Fatal Vision” goggles to simulate a BAC of .08, field sobriety tests, etc.) to demonstrate the dangers of alcohol.

o        Role Model Program: This relatively new program teaches by example: Region Officers and Road Captains volunteer to abstain totally while “on-duty”, thus setting an example for others to follow.

In addition, ABATE has fought for motorcyclists’ rights on many fronts; for instance, ABATE defeated two night-time motorcycle bans in Oakland County in 2007.

If you want to get in touch with us, there are several ways:

  •  Call the state office at (248) 685-9150

  • Attend a local ABATE meeting. Click on Region Information  for a meeting nearest you.