Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, in May and every month

A portion of a NHTSA motorcycle safety poster (Image: National Highway Transportation Safety Administration)

For those with riding and non-riding seasons, May is approximately the beginning of the riding season. It makes sense then that the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has designated May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. Of course, activities and programs based around this particular month are applicable all year round.

For its part in Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, the NHTSA provides materials to anyone interested on their Share the Road campaign. Their talking points document provides the following objective.

As the weather improves, more and more motorcycle riders are hitting the roads throughout the country. The goal of this material is to remind motorists and other road users to look out for and “share the road” with motorcycle riders, while motorcycle riders are reminded to follow the rules of the road, wear safety helmets and other protective gear that will increase their visibility, and never ride impaired by alcohol or drugs.  All road users are reminded to never drive, bicycle, walk or ride while distracted.

Although at two items it is short, the NHTSA also offers this Share the Road Checklist.

Motorists and other road users should:

• Expect to see motorcycles at any time, and search aggressively for them.
• Motorists and bicyclists should check their mirrors and blind spots before merging or changing lanes, especially in heavy traffic.  Pedestrians should stop and look left-right-left for traffic before they step off the curb.  A motorcycle can easily be hidden behind a car or truck.

Additional messages built into the Share the Road program include the following.

KEY MESSAGES: “Share the Road”

• Motorcycles are vehicles with the same rights and privileges as any motor vehicles on the roadway.
• Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month is a national initiative aimed at getting motorists, other road users and motorcyclists to “share the road” with each other.  
• Riders need to make themselves visible, and draw attention to themselves even if other drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians may not be actively looking.
• Nearly half of all motorcycle crashes involve another motor vehicle. In approximately 40 percent of those crashes, the other vehicles were turning left while the motorcycles were going straight, passing or overtaking the vehicles.
• Motorcyclists should never ride while distracted.

Helmets save lives

• All DOT-compliant motorcycle helmets sold in the United States meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218, the performance standard which establishes the minimum level of protection helmets must afford each user.
• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that helmets saved the lives of 1,829 motorcyclists in 2008. If all motorcyclists had worn helmets, an additional 823 lives could have been saved.
• Helmets are estimated to be 37 percent effective in preventing fatal injuries to motorcycle riders and 41 percent for motorcycle passengers.
• For every 100 motorcycle riders killed in crashes while not wearing a helmets, 37 of them could have been saved had all 100 worn helmets.
• As of March 2010, 20 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico require helmet use for all motorcyclists. Other States either required only a subset of motorcyclists to use helmets (such as those under 18), or have no helmet requirement.

Motorcyclist Conspicuity

• Wear brightly colored protective gear and a DOT-compliant helmet. Red, yellow, orange and white are highly visible and help a rider stand out.
• Strategically use your lane position to see and be seen.
• Use reflective tape and stickers to make you more visible to other motorists.
• Use turn signals for every turn or lane change, even if you think no one will see them.
• Combine hand signals and turn signals to draw more attention to yourself.

Related article:
Fact sheet and posters for Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month