May is Motorcycle Awareness Month!
I’m all for supporting a Motorcycle Awareness Month! I saw this announcement in an article about riding on the mainland so I had to find out, “Hey, what about us?” This doesn’t mean that our local news channels haven’t said anything; it just means that I haven’t heard it. Apparently, it is also bike (bicycle) month. The news has spoken about that and a school’s poster contest called, “Make it Safe for Me.” I like that!
If I wasn’t such a coward I would ride a motorcycle. But, I also suffer from road rage and a need for anger management so it would be a very bad idea! We had thirty (30) motorcycle fatalities last year and there were 5,290 fatalities Nationwide in 2008!
In 2007 and 2008 the numbers were horrid, probably because so many people have turned to this more gas-efficient mode of transportation. More people riding motorcycles means that more motorcycle accidents are likely to happen.
Regular readers know how I whine about biker safety, all of the time. We had another fatality earlier this week. I don’t know what the accident total is so far this year but as this is being written, I kid you not; the morning traffic report is talking about a bike down on the windward side of O’ahu. “Hello?!? You’ve got to be kidding me!” It says they are clearing it up so I’m going to guess that it was not a fatality. Thank goodness!
It’s important to make all two-wheelers safe — be they bicycles, mopeds, or motorcycles. I’ve actually found myself positioning my car behind bikers on the freeway to protect them from oblivious drivers. Obviously I’m not the only one.
That way they will have the distance they need, and a protective driver will be able to hit the brakes if the need should arise — a buffer of sorts. “Rear end my car, not a biker.” I may end up with a nice rear-end smash, but a biker would end up dead. Simple. “Look twice, save a life!” Love those bumper stickers. Click on the photos and check out these sites. Pick up a couple for your car to remind your fellow drivers. It’s Motorcycle Awareness Month!