May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and state transportation departments all around the country are gearing up for Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month in May. Purposely set in spring as the weather warms and riding season gets into full swing, the awareness program is designed to spotlight the dangers of motorcycle riding while providing tips on how to make riding safer and more fun.
It would seem that motorcycle safety awareness is needed now more than ever. We've already seen a string of serious motorcycle injury accidents in St. Louis this year and the numbers only look to go up as we get into summer. The national statistics on motorcycle crashes are even more sobering.
To illustrate the dangers of riding, organizers behind Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month have released an analysis of crash statistics. Here are some of the more startling numbers:
- In 2008, the last full year statistics are available, there were 5,290 motorcyclist fatalities in highway crashes.
- The number of motorcycle crash deaths has risen every year since 1997.
- Almost half of these fatalities occurred when a motorcycle crashed into another type of vehicle.
- More than 90% of the fatal two-vehicle crashes involving a motorcycle happened on non-interstate roadways.
- Half of the cases where a motorcycle collided with another vehicle occurred at an intersection, and a large portion of those incidents happened as a result of another vehicle making a left turn in front of a motorcyclist.
More statistics and tips on how to prevent motorcycle accident injuries and fatalities can be found on the NHTSA website.
