May Is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month In Tennessee
admin | May 2, 2009, 0:00 | No Comments »
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Department of Safety has teamed up with the
Governor?s Highway Safety Office, the Motorcycle Awareness Foundation
of Tennessee, the Tennessee Truckers Association, the Nashville Area
Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), Walk/Bike Nashville and the
Murfreesboro Police Department to encourage motorcycle riders,
bicyclists and drivers to ?Share the Road.? May is Motorcycle
Safety Awareness Month and National Bicycle Month, and to kick it off,
the agencies hosted a safety festival Saturday, May 2, 2009, at Bumpus
Harley Davidson in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
?As the weather improves, more and more motorcyclists and bicyclists
are hitting the roads. With that in mind, drivers of all vehicles need
to be extra attentive and make sure they ?Share the Road,?? said
Department of Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell. ?Motorcycles and
bicycles are some of the smallest vehicles on our roads, often hidden in
a vehicle?s blind spot, so everyone needs to really look out for
them.?
Motorcycle fatalities nationwide have steadily increased over the past
decade. In Tennessee, the number of motorcyclists killed in crashes
jumped from 42 in 1998 to 143 in 2008. Statistics for 2000-2008 and a
list of Motorcycle Safety Tips are attached to this release.
?This steady increase over the past decade represents one of our
greatest highway safety challenges,? said Governor?s Highway Safety
Office Director Kendell Poole. ?When you consider that one out of
every seven deadly crashes last year involved a motorcycle rider, it is
clear that drivers need to be extra cautious.?
Motorcyclists and bicyclists have responsibilities too. Riders must
follow the rules of the road and always wear protective gear. More
than 300,000 Tennesseans are licensed to operate motorcycles. Tennessee
law requires that they, and their passengers, wear approved helmets and
protective eyewear.
?Motorcyclists must understand that riding a motorcycle is different
than driving a car,? said John Milliken, the state coordinator of
Tennessee?s Motorcycle Rider Education Program. ?Motorcyclists are
much more vulnerable than passenger vehicle occupants in the event of a
crash. It is imperative that they educate themselves by taking an
accredited training course and never ride beyond their skill ability.?
The Department of Safety?s Motorcycle Rider Education Program
approves courses and instructors across the state. To find out more
about the program, go to: http://tennessee.gov/safety/mrep.htm
The mission of the Motorcycle Awareness Foundation of Tennessee (MAFT)
is to remind drivers to stay alert for the less visible motorcycles on
the roadways. ?More than half of all motorcycle crashes involve
another vehicle, so all drivers must be aware of motorcyclists,?
stated MAFT State Coordinator, Bob Edwards. ?We also want to remind
riders that they should always ride defensively and within their own
limits.? To find out more information about the MAFT, go to
www.maft.us
At the event, the Tennessee Truckers Association set up its ?No
Zone? truck to illustrate the importance of being visible while
riding or driving near tractor-trailers. TDOS set up a safety course
for motorcyclists, and many of them participated in a ride Saturday
afternoon from Bumpus Harley Davidson to Lynchburg, TN.
The Tennessee Department of Safety?s mission i
s
(www.tennessee.gov/safety) to ensure the safety and general welfare
of the public. The department encompasses the Tennessee Highway Patrol,
Office of Homeland Security and Driver License Services. General areas
of responsibility include law enforcement, safety education, motorist
services and terrorism prevention.
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