Another Motorcycle Awareness Month Wraps Up

motorcycle awarenessDid you know that May is Motorcycle Awareness Month in the U.S.? Most bikers probably do. If you are not a biker, you have probably never heard of it. Yet as we enter the final full week of the month, a number of organizations are getting out and about to draw attention to the observance. Not to highlight how awesome the biker lifestyle is, but to raise awareness among car drivers that they need to be more careful about sharing the road.

One such group is Chapter Q of the GoldWing Road Riders Association of Carbondale, Illinois. They took the message directly to the masses by washing windshields at a popular rest stop on Interstate 57. As they washed, they educated car drivers on how to better share the road with bikers.

These are the types of grassroots efforts needed to make sure Motorcycle Awareness Month actually accomplishes something. It's not enough to simply get an official designation and recognition from a government agency like the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration. The message has to get out one-on-one.

The truth of the matter is that deaths among motorcyclists account for 5% of the accident-related deaths in the U.S., despite the fact that motorcycles themselves only make up about 2% of the total number of vehicles on the road. Statistics from the federal government suggest that bikers are 16 times more likely to die in a traffic accident than car drivers are. And what's the most common cause of motorcycle fatalities? The car driver turning left into the path of an oncoming bike.

The main thrust of Motorcycle Awareness Month is to grab the attention of car drivers so they are more aware of their surroundings. May was chosen because it is the month many of the nation's bikers start hitting the road for the summer season. Far better to raise awareness at the start of the season than to wait until it is well underway.

Innovative Technologies on the Horizon

Along with Motorcycle Awareness Month, there are those within the industry pushing for new technologies to make riding motorcycles safer. Motorcycle.com's Tom Roderick wrote in a May 12 piece about a joint project currently being undertaken by BMW, Honda, and the University of Michigan. The project aims to bring vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technology to motorcycles.

The technology allows for wireless communications between motorcycles and other passenger vehicles in order to prevent accidents. V2V systems have been in use between passenger vehicles for number of years now, offering automated braking and steering in the event other vehicles get too close. Now the idea is to incorporate the same technology in motorcycles in a way that protects bikers without compromising motorcycle stability.

Roderick believes it is only a matter of time before V2V becomes a standard part of motorcycle manufacturing. We have no reason to disagree. In the meantime, it behooves bikers all across the country to do their part to raise awareness during the month of May. Take every opportunity you can to remind car drivers, in a polite and respectful way, to watch out for you and your fellow motorcycle riders. We will all be safer that way.

 

Do your bit for motorcycle safety by attaching one of our Reflective Patches to your motorcycle jacket or vest.

 

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