When warmer weather hits, the summer toys emerge from their winter slumber–including motorcycles. Therefore, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NTHSA) has designated May as National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. Motorcycle usage has been steadily increasing in recent years. And why not? Riding a motorcycle brings an incredible sense of freedom, presence, exhilaration, and a healthy dose of adrenalin. Psychology Today even describes it as “meditation with a machine.” But alongside all the positive aspects of taking your motorcycle on the open road come some risks.
Motorcycle safety needs to be top of mind for riders
Any motorized vehicular accident is scary and well worth avoiding. However, motorcycle accidents tend to be much more detrimental overall than car accidents. Motorcyclists are 29 times more likely to be killed in a crash than vehicle passengers. Riding a motorcycle and driving a car aren’t even really comparable skills. Riding a motorcycle requires serious coordination, balancing, braking, and swerving abilities, aptitudes that the average driver doesn’t need to concern themselves with.
Road hazards also present a whole new world when on a motorcycle as compared to driving in an enclosed vehicle. Rain, potholes, snow, oil spills, sleet, debris, road salt, wildlife… something that could conceivably be a non-issue or a minor inconvenience for your average driver could be deadly for a motorcyclist.
Motorcycle safety campaigns
Fortunately, there are several motorcycle safety campaigns designed to get motorcyclists and non-motorcyclists alike thinking about how to safely share the road as we lead into motorcycle season.
Motorist Awareness of Motorcycles
Despite the many hazards listed above, one of the deadliest hazards for motorcyclists is other motorists. Your typical run-of-the-mill fender bender is anything but typical when a motorcycle is involved. The Motorist Awareness of Motorcycles campaign exists to increase motorist awareness of blind spots and to share tips designed to make the road safer for all.
Rider Safety
This campaign focuses on education on the harms of driving while impaired. Drunk driving continues to be a deadly issue. In 2019, one person was killed in a drunk driving incident every 52 minutes in the US, and one-third of fatality crashes involve drunk drivers. Impaired driving costs the US $44 billion on an annual basis.
Share the Road
Share the Road is targeted at motorcyclists and educating them on safe motorcycle riding practices. This campaign aims to reduce the incidents of motorcycle fatalities (which hit 5,014 in 2019).
For all you riders, or soon-to-be riders, out there, we bid you a happy National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month and a wonderful summer of safe adventures. In the unfortunate event you find yourself, or a loved one, involved in a motorcycle incident, the team of experienced specialists at Bennett Injury Law can help to navigate your next steps.
