SMRO activities include lobbying legislatures, letter writing campaigns, and paying for public service announcements and political advertisements.
This program is geared toward teaching the driving public to maintain a greater awareness of the motorcyclists with whom they share the road.
ABATE chapters have been criticized for the appearance of hypocrisy in their road safety message, in that while their public service advertisements aimed to get drivers to be more aware of motorcycles are helpful, the chapters undermine that message by opposing mandatory helmet laws, and by appearing to encourage alcohol consumption while riding.
The traffic and commuting beat columnist for The Baltimore Sun, Michael Dresser, wrote in July 2007 that, "While ABATE [of Maryland's] message is great, there are some problems with the messenger.
[...] ABATE's arguments against helmet laws are largely based on the dubious premise that they violate individual rights or invade privacy.
So if the state decides to require users of that network to take steps to avoid spilling the contents of their skulls on public pavement, it is well within its rights."
Dresser contrasts this with the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, which has urged riders to not consume even one drink before riding, saying that even a road-legal blood alcohol level of 0.05% increases a rider's risk by 40 times, due to the greater challenge of motorcycle riding compared to driving a car.
[1] In response to a deluge of counter-points and demands for an apology, Dresser ran a second column in which he offered 7 point-by-point rebuttals to the letters from ABATE members.
Members also said that even though more than 100 years would pass until motorcycles would be invented, the Founding Fathers of the United States also met in taverns to plan the revolution.
Dresser was also criticized for emphasizing the helmet law issue, when in fact Maryland ABATE had made increased penalties for right-of-way violators a top legislative priority, and had assisted handicapped people in getting disabled parking permit license plates.