{"id":360,"date":"2013-06-05T06:57:20","date_gmt":"2013-06-05T10:57:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/?p=360"},"modified":"2014-03-07T00:35:08","modified_gmt":"2014-03-07T02:35:08","slug":"motorcycle-safety-its-for-everyone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/motorcycle-safety-its-for-everyone\/","title":{"rendered":"Motorcycle Safety:  It&#8217;s For Everyone"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png?w=1170&#038;ssl=1\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"StumbleUpon\",\"Reddit\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_twitter_via=\"TS_Guy\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Motorcycle%20Safety%3A%20%20It%27s%20For%20Everyone\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div><p>Summertime means heading to the beach; it means cookouts with family and friends; it means fresh food from the garden; it means hitting the road to see the sights.\u00a0 Summertime also means motorcyclists will be out enjoying the warmer weather. How many motorcyclists, you ask? More than ever before. In 2011, there were almost 8\u00bd million registered motorcycles, up from 5 million in 2002.<a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftn1\">[1]<\/a>\u00a0 And, while motorcycles account for\u00a0only 3% of all registered vehicles and a mere 0.6% of all vehicle miles traveled, the 4,612 motorcyclists killed in 2011 accounted for 14% of all traffic fatalities. These numbers translate to a disturbing statistic: motorcyclists are 30 times more likely to be killed in a traffic crash than someone in a passenger car.<a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftn2\">[2]<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Motorcycles and Road Safety<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_11742\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Motorcycle-DC.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11742\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11742\" alt=\"www.TrafficSafetyGuy.com\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Motorcycle-DC.jpg?resize=300%2C199&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Motorcycle-DC.jpg?resize=300%2C199&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Motorcycle-DC.jpg?resize=1024%2C679&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Motorcycle-DC.jpg?resize=280%2C185&amp;ssl=1 280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Motorcycle-DC.jpg?resize=1170%2C776&amp;ssl=1 1170w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Motorcycle-DC.jpg?w=1206&amp;ssl=1 1206w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-11742\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thousands of Motorcycles Riding in Washington DC<\/p><\/div>\n<p>There are a number of factors causing these alarming statistics. They include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Motorcyclists not wearing a DOT-compliant helmet<\/li>\n<li>Speeding by the motorcyclist<\/li>\n<li>Operating while impaired by alcohol or drugs, and<\/li>\n<li>Drivers of other vehicles not seeing the motorcycle<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Forty percent of motorcyclists killed in 2011 were not wearing helmets; 35% were speeding; 30% were impaired with a BAC of .08 or higher; and, almost 20% of the fatal crashes involved a car turning left in front of a motorcycle.<a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftn3\">[3]<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0Of course, there can be overlap between these factors.\u00a0 For example, many of the impaired motorcyclists killed were not wearing a helmet. \u00a0It also is noteworthy that 22% of the motorcyclists were operating their motorcycles without a valid endorsement or motorcycle license.<a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftn4\">[4]<\/a>\u00a0 While this is not a direct cause of the fatalities, it is an indication that the motorcyclists were not properly instructed or trained on motorcycle operation.<\/p>\n<h3>We Need a Comprehensive Approach<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_11744\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/MotorCycle-poster.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11744\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11744\" alt=\"www.TrafficSafetyGuy.com\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/MotorCycle-poster.jpg?resize=300%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/MotorCycle-poster.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/MotorCycle-poster.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/MotorCycle-poster.jpg?resize=280%2C187&amp;ssl=1 280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/MotorCycle-poster.jpg?w=1080&amp;ssl=1 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-11744\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stop Impaired Riding message<\/p><\/div>\n<p>What is clear from all of the numbers is that motorcycle fatalities are a significant concern and, like so many traffic safety issues, it will take a comprehensive approach to make a difference.\u00a0 It will take all motorcyclists wearing appropriate safety gear, including a DOT-compliant helmet and high visibility gear.\u00a0 It will take motorcyclists not drinking and driving, just like every other driver on the road.\u00a0 It will take novice and experienced riders to reacquaint themselves with their bike, and consider taking training courses on operating a motorcycle.\u00a0 A significant percentage of new motorcycle registrations were bought by baby boomers with extra cash getting their dream motorcycle.\u00a0 Many have not ridden in years, if at all.\u00a0 But today\u2019s motorcycles are larger and more powerful than 20 and 30 years ago, and there are more motor vehicles on the road. \u00a0With appropriate training, motorcyclists can learn to ride more safely; they can learn\u00a0defensive riding techniques; and, if they are older, accept that their riding skills may have diminished because of age.<\/p>\n<p>Motorcyclists are not the only ones that have to change their behavior. Other drivers must take the time and make the effort to actually be aware of their surroundings, including motorcycles. \u00a0Motorcycles are smaller, thus harder to see or to judge their speed. \u00a0We all\u00a0must drive aware and alert. We all must\u00a0take that extra moment to look for motorcyclists. Motorcycle safety requires all of us to allow more distance when following a motorcycle, and for all of us to always signal before changing lanes or merging with traffic. Minor road conditions for a car, such as a pothole or pavement seams, can be a major hazard for a motorcycle, where the operator may have to react quickly to avoid the risk.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_11743\" style=\"width: 211px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Motorcycle-Mirror.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11743\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11743\" alt=\"www.TrafficSafetyGuy.com\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Motorcycle-Mirror.jpg?resize=201%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"201\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Motorcycle-Mirror.jpg?resize=201%2C300&amp;ssl=1 201w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Motorcycle-Mirror.jpg?resize=688%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 688w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Motorcycle-Mirror.jpg?resize=125%2C187&amp;ssl=1 125w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Motorcycle-Mirror.jpg?w=738&amp;ssl=1 738w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 201px) 100vw, 201px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-11743\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Share the Road Poster<\/p><\/div>\n<h3>Remember &#8211; Share the Road!<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em><span style=\"color: #377c2c;\">\u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov\/CAMPAIGNS\/Motorcycle+Safety\/Share+The+Road\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"broken_link\"><span style=\"color: #377c2c;\">Share the Road<\/span><\/a>\u201d<\/span><\/em><a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftn5\">[5]<\/a> is a clear message that motorcyclists have the same rights and privileges as any other motor vehicle on the road. \u00a0It is time that all of us recognize the significant role we play in motorcycle safety and saving lives.\u00a0 May was Motorcycle Safety Month, the month where there is typically an initial surge in ridership across the country.\u00a0 But it is not just May when motorcycle safety is critical; every day, of every month, of every year is a critical time for motorcycle safety.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<div>\n<hr align=\"left\" size=\"1\" width=\"33%\" \/>\n<div>\n<p><a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftnref1\">[1]<\/a> <em><span style=\"color: #377c2c;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov\/Pubs\/811765.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #377c2c;\">Traffic Safety Facts, Motorcycles, 2011 Data<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/em>, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT HS 811 765 (May 2013).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftnref2\">[2]<\/a> Traffic Safety Facts, Motorcycles, 2011 Data, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT HS 811 765 (May 2013).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftnref3\">[3]<\/a> Traffic Safety Facts, Motorcycles, 2011 Data, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT HS 811 765 (May 2013).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftnref4\">[4]<\/a> Traffic Safety Facts, Motorcycles, 2011 Data, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT HS 811 765 (May 2013).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftnref5\">[5]<\/a> NHTSA developed model \u201cShare the Road\u201d language by reviewing material used by motorcycle safety agencies and national organizations that have a vested interest in increasing motorcycle safety.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"StumbleUpon\",\"Reddit\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_twitter_via=\"TS_Guy\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Motorcycle%20Safety%3A%20%20It%27s%20For%20Everyone\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div><p>Summertime means heading to the beach; it means cookouts with family and friends; it means fresh food from the garden; it means hitting the road to see the sights.\u00a0 Summertime also means motorcyclists will be out enjoying the warmer weather. How many motorcyclists, you ask? More than ever before. In 2011, there were almost 8\u00bd<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11824,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[40],"tags":[38,39,41,42,43,29],"class_list":["post-360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motorcycle-safety","tag-share-the-road","tag-motorcycle","tag-motorcycle-safety-2","tag-motorcycle-safety-month","tag-motorcycling","tag-national-highway-traffic-safety-administration"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Motorcycle.jpg?fit=1281%2C853&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p497ui-5O","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=360"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12104,"href":"https:\/\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360\/revisions\/12104"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trafficsafetyguy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}