May is National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month

With the weather warming up and more motorcyclists hitting the road, May has been designated National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. Law enforcement across the country will be out in force patrolling the roadways to make them safer for motorcyclists. Lieutenant Matt Boyd of the Muskingum County division of Ohio State Highway Patrol said that there is a lot riders can do to be safer.

“The motorcycle riders, we want them to be safe, sober, and licensed,” said Lieutenant Boyd. “We encouraged them to take a riders training course even if they’ve been riding. There are training courses offered by Motorcycle Ohio where they can go back and spruce up their skills on the motorcycle.”

Of the 163 motorcycle-involved crashes in Ohio last year only 35 percent of the bikers were wearing protective helmets. The 163 crashes in 2015 was up 16 percent from last year and in 2016 in Muskingum County alone there have been 27 crashes which involved a motorcycle. Lieutenant Boyd said that even non-motorcycle riders can do their part to make the roadways safer.

“We ask people getting into the summer months to take that second look and look twice to save a life. We ask people to take that extra look for motorcycle riders. Give them a full lane of travel, don’t crowd them, give them plenty of space as they ride and understand that they have the same rights on the roadway as a vehicle does,” said Lieutenant Boyd.

For more information about National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month you can visit the Highway Patrol’s website at www.statepatrol.ohio.gov.