HARLEY OWNERS GROUP CHAPTER #2030
MOTORCYCLE SAFETY
MMA Announces 2010 Motorcycle Safety Awareness Proclamation
The Massachusetts Motorcycle Association (MMA) announced today to its membership that Governor Patrick has issued the 9th consecutive Motorcycle Safety Awareness Proclamation on behalf of the Motorcyclists of Massachusetts proclaiming March 22nd through April 30th 2010 as “Motorcycle Safety Awareness Period”.
“The beginning of the riding season in New England is especially important,” stated Doc D’Errico MMA Safety & Education Director, “the roads are still covered with sand and other motorists have largely forgotten what motorcycles look like – small objects moving very quickly instead of large lumbering snow plows.”
Since 2002, the MMA has worked closely with the office of the Massachusetts Governor to declare an annual Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Period. Governor Deval Patrick has once again extended that courtesy to Motorcyclists in the Commonwealth for 2010.
“Safety & Education is a critical part of the MMA’s mission”, commented Dave Condon, MMA Chairman, “the 2010 Proclamation is crucial to our vision of working closely with the Commonwealth to assure that the roads of Massachusetts are safer for all motorists, especially Motorcycles.”
“The Safety Awareness Period seems to work”, added D’Errico. “Road signs and Radio spots seem to help alert motorists to Motorcycles and the accident and fatality rates are significantly lower in the early part of the season. It’s our mission to continue to drive that awareness throughout the short Motorcycle season in Massachusetts.”
While it’s the responsibility of all motorists to share the road safely and courteously, a reminder that motorcycles are motorists, too, helps remind drivers of all vehicles, including motorcycles, to be more alert.
For More Information, see http://www.massmotorcycle.org or contact SafetyDirector@massmotorcycle.org
The Massachusetts Motorcycle Association (MMA) announced today to its membership that Governor Patrick has issued the 9th consecutive Motorcycle Safety Awareness Proclamation on behalf of the Motorcyclists of Massachusetts proclaiming March 22nd through April 30th 2010 as “Motorcycle Safety Awareness Period”.
“The beginning of the riding season in New England is especially important,” stated Doc D’Errico MMA Safety & Education Director, “the roads are still covered with sand and other motorists have largely forgotten what motorcycles look like – small objects moving very quickly instead of large lumbering snow plows.”
Since 2002, the MMA has worked closely with the office of the Massachusetts Governor to declare an annual Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Period. Governor Deval Patrick has once again extended that courtesy to Motorcyclists in the Commonwealth for 2010.
“Safety & Education is a critical part of the MMA’s mission”, commented Dave Condon, MMA Chairman, “the 2010 Proclamation is crucial to our vision of working closely with the Commonwealth to assure that the roads of Massachusetts are safer for all motorists, especially Motorcycles.”
“The Safety Awareness Period seems to work”, added D’Errico. “Road signs and Radio spots seem to help alert motorists to Motorcycles and the accident and fatality rates are significantly lower in the early part of the season. It’s our mission to continue to drive that awareness throughout the short Motorcycle season in Massachusetts.”
While it’s the responsibility of all motorists to share the road safely and courteously, a reminder that motorcycles are motorists, too, helps remind drivers of all vehicles, including motorcycles, to be more alert.
For More Information, see http://www.massmotorcycle.org or contact SafetyDirector@massmotorcycle.org
Motorcycles have a higher fatality rate per unit of distance travelled when compared with automobiles. According to the NHTSA, in 2006 18.06 cars out of 100,000 ended up in fatal crashes. The rate for motorcycles is 55.82 per 100,000.[1]In 2004, figures from the Department for Transport in the UK indicated that motorcycles have 121 deaths or serious injuries per 100 million vehicle kilometers, compared to the corresponding figure of 2.6 for motorists.[citation needed]
A national study by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATS) found that:
- Motorcycle rider death rates increased among all rider age groups between 1998 and 2000
- Motorcycle rider deaths were nearly 30 times more than drivers of other vehicles
- Motorcycle riders aged below 40 are 36 times more likely to be killed than other vehicle operators of the same age.
- Motorcycle riders aged 40 years and over are around 20 times more likely to be killed than other drivers of that same age.[2]
According to 2005 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA, 4,008 motorcycle occupants were killed on United States roads in 2004, an 8% increase from 2003.[3]
During that same period, drivers of automobiles showed a 10% increase in fatalities, and cyclists showed an 8% increase in fatalities. Pedestrians also showed a 10% increase in fatalities. A total of 37,304 automobile occupants were killed on U.S. roads in 2004.[4]
Additional data from the United States reveals that there are over four million motorcycles registered in the United States. Motorcycle fatalities represent approximately five percent of all highway fatalities each year, yet motorcycles represent just two percent of all registered vehicles in the United States. One of the main reasons motorcyclists are killed in crashes is because the motorcycle itself provides virtually no protection in a crash. For example, approximately 80 percent of reported motorcycle crashes result in injury or death; a comparable figure for automobiles is about 20 percent.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorcycle_safety