PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) has announced that it has committed $100,000 to help fund a comprehensive nationwide study of motorcycle crashes, and encourages individual motorcyclists, organizations, and businesses in the motorcycle industry to contribute to the effort through the AMA’s new “Fuel the Fund” campaign. In 2005, Congress approved federal funding to study the causes of motorcycle crashes, the first such research in the U.S. in more than 25 years. The $2.8 million pledged by the government calls for another $2.8 million in matching funds from the American motorcycling community before the entire federal grant will be released. The AMA, in addition to spearheading the effort to secure federal funding and committing the first matching funds, has launched “Fuel the Fund,” a national campaign allowing individuals and businesses to contribute matching funds necessary to take full advantage of the federal funding. “After declining for more than a decade, motorcycling fatalities have increased in recent years, prompting much speculation about the reasons why,” said Edward Moreland, AMA Vice President for Government Relations. “Last year, Congress agreed that we need answers, not theories.” “Now, we’re confident that American motorcyclists, rider groups, motorcycle dealers and industry leaders will come together to raise the matching funds required to get the crash study underway,” said Moreland. “This is about saving lives, and we need the help of everyone in the motorcycling community to ‘Fuel the Fund.'” Contributions to “Fuel the Fund” can be made online at www.fuelthefund.com; or by calling Cathy Brown at 800-AMA-JOIN ext. 1224; or by mail addressed to Fuel the Fund, c/o AMA, 13515 Yarmouth Drive, Pickerington, OH 43147. Legislation authorizing the funding of the crash study specifies that research grants be provided to the Oklahoma Transportation Center, located at Oklahoma State University. The last comprehensive study of motorcycle crashes, commonly called the “Hurt Report” after University of Southern California researcher Dr. Harry Hurt, was published in the 1970s.