May is National Motorcycle Awareness Month and the Ohio State Highway Patrol is reminding motorists that there will be an increase in motorcycles on the roadways with the warmer weather. They are also reminding motorcyclists to ride endorsed, trained, and sober.
From 20120 to 2012 motorcycle-involved crashes resulted in 509 fatalities and more than 11,480 injuries in the State of Ohio. In 2012 alone there were 165 motorcycle-related fatalities, which was a three percent decrease from 2012. Of those, the motorcyclist was at fault 71 percent of the time.
The Patrol says that taking a training class and riding with a proper endorsement can help protect you as a motorcycle rider from injury or even death. Out of the 8,571 citations the Patrol handed out to motorcyclists between 2010 and 2012, 20 percent were for operating a motorcycle without a proper license or endorsement.
As a rider, the Patrol says simple things like ensuring you have a valid motorcycle endorsement, receiving quality motorcycle training and wearing proper safety equipment can be key elements in staying safe. For more information, visit www.motorcycle.ohio.gov.
Riding sober is also very important. The Patrol says that from 2010 to 2012, 50 percent of the fatal motorcycle crashes involved an impaired motorcyclist. Of course, motorcycle safety is not solely the responsibility of the rider. The Patrol says motor vehicle drivers share in this important effort by being aware of motorcyclists.
The Patrol offers the following steps drivers can use to be more aware of motorcyclists.
- A motorcycle is a motor vehicle with all the privileges of any vehicle on the roadway.
- Give motorcyclists a full lane of travel.
- Look for motorcyclists on the highway, at intersections, and any time you are changing lanes.
- Allow plenty of space in front of the vehicle you are driving and do not follow a motorcycle too closely.
A statistical map detailing citations and other motorcycle related information can be found by clicking here.
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