May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness month. So you may have noticed the following billboard messages promoting this important safety issue.
• Look Twice for Motorcycles and Share the Road
• Look twice, Save a Life
• Four Words to Avoid “I Didn’t See Him”
• Arrive Alive
• There’s a Life Riding on It
• Look and Save a Life – Bikers Have Families Too
• Can You See Me Now?
So, what about the other 11 months of the year? Do we forget, in between? Not if we have friends and family that ride a motorcycle, we don’t. So, although speeding and zipping between cars are two of the biggest contributors to motorcycle accidents, there are some things riders have no control over. There’s no protective exterior, like a car has. 4,500 motorcyclists died in 2014. That number is staggering.
There are a few things a motorcyclist can do to protect themselves, besides constantly scanning around them and being aware of their surroundings. Wearing protective gear, such as Kevlar has proven to be a huge factor in saving lives (and skin). Kevlar is a synthetic fiber of high tensile strength used especially as a reinforcing agent in the manufacture of tires and other rubber products and protective gear such as helmets and vests. Use of a Department of Public Safety compliant protective helmet is also super important. Over 60% of riders don’t wear a helmet at all. And, a full face helmet is even better, if you want to save face.
So, look twice for motorcycles and share the road. Motorcyclists have the same rights when driving on the road, and they have families just like the rest of us.
Until next week…
Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist
Motorcycle Safety Awareness – Comedy Defensive Driving