Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK — With more people riding motorcycles to save money or for recreation, the state police is urging motorists to be alert while driving.
In conjunction with national “Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month,” the Arkansas Motorcycle Safety Advisory Committee on Tuesday reminded motorists to pay more attention while driving and promote the “sharing the road” campaign.
“While there has been success in reducing automobile deaths in Arkansas, we can’t say the same for motorcycle fatalities,” Col. Winford Phillips, state police director, said during a news conference held at state police headquarters.
Motorcycle fatalities account for 13 percent of total road fatalities across the United States, and they have increased each year from 2,116 in 1997 to 5,154 in 2007, Phillips said. In Arkansas, the number of fatalities involving motorcycles jumped from 19 to 76 during the same period.
Lloyd Vanover, chairman of the Arkansas Motorcycle Safety Advisory Committee, said drivers should check the “blind spots” on their vehicles before turning to make sure there are no motorcycles in the way.
“It’s crucial that motorists always look twice for motorcycles by checking mirrors and blind spots before entering or leaving a lane of traffic and at intersections,” Vanover said.
He said studies have found that about 80 percent of motorcycle wrecks injure or kill a motorcycle rider while only 20 percent of passenger car collisions end with an injury of fatality.
Because motorcycles often can stop in about half the distance as vehicles in dry conditions, Vanover suggested allowing more distance when following a motorcycle.
“Our message to all drivers is to make this the first year in recent years when motorcycle fatalities in Arkansas do not increase,” Vanover said, adding that the state police also recommends motorcyclists wear helmets and protective gear.
Phillips said he supported a bill during this year’s legislative session that would have required motorcyclists to wear helmets. The bill failed in a House committee.
May 5th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
So May is Motorcycle Awareness Month. Whooptee Friggin’ Doo. Some of the names will change, but expect the same old hollow proclamations, pointless pronouncements and self-serving photo ops … the same clueless cub reporting confusing “motorcycle awareness” (the cause) with “motorcycle safety” (the commodity) … and when all the hoopla is history, yet another annualized increase in the number of responsible motorcycle riders left dead and dying on the side of the road, their tickets punched by care-less motorists whose cell phone calls, texting and other discretionary distractions take precedence over paying attention to their driving. And why should we expect otherwise, when the cost of maiming or even killing a biker in America is often no more than what you’ll pay to beat a speeding ticket?
More at tinyurl[dot]com/motorcycleawarenesswhitewash