Change Begins At The Community Level
The NMA has been issuing statewide email alerts to members for several years, providing information about pending developments, usually legislative, on key issues for drivers. While that practice continues on a regular basis, we have also recently started sending targeted, community-based alerts, where NMA member involvement could make a difference at the local level.
NMA community alerts have touched on red-light camera programs, proposed reductions in speed limits, and new toll roads under consideration, among other issues. Here are some of the communities that have received our email alerts since November:
- Albuquerque, NM
- Kansas City, MO
- Naples (Collier County), FL
- Palm Beach, FL
- Rochester, NY
- Tampa, FL
- Seattle, WA
We have expanded the definition of “community” to include members within the area code (or close-by area codes) of the impacted location, with the understanding that residents and commuters both can be adversely affected by arcane policies.
If your city has, or is considering, a policy that impacts the rights of drivers, be sure to contact the NMA and let us know the details. We will alert other members in your community. If there is already organized opposition to the policy, be sure to make them aware of the resources that the National Motorists Association can bring to bear, such as sample petitions, pertinent statistical studies, reports of similar efforts by other communities around the country, and a national voice.
One of the most effective ways to affect change is through local, grassroots efforts. Just ask the voters of Heath and Chillicothe, Ohio and of College Station, Texas, who recently took action at the ballot box and voted down the use of photo enforcement in their communities.
On a unrelated, but interesting note:
Check out the new design of our Speed Trap Exchange website which lists over 55,000 speed traps across the USA and Canada. Please help out the NMA and your fellow drivers by posting the speed traps in your area. Forward the site to your friends and get their input too!