Motorcycle safety is everyone’s safety

Submitted by Patrick Massey of KDQN.net

Coinciding with Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, May marks the beginning of riding season for many motorcyclists in America. The Arkansas State Police Highway Safety Office (AHSO), state and local law enforcement, and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) want to remind all motorists that Motorcyclist’s Safety Is Everyone’s Safety. Motorcycle safety is an ongoing responsibility for all road users. By consistently following safe driving and riding practices and sharing the road with others, all motorists can help reduce the number of motorcyclist fatalities.

Each year motorcyclists are overrepresented in traffic crashes. According to NHTSA data, there were 6,218 motorcyclists killed in traffic crashes in 2022, which represents 15% of total highway fatalities for that year and a 1% increase from 2021 (6,143). Per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, motorcyclists were about 22 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a motor vehicle crash and 4 times more likely to be injured. Two leading contributors to this reality are speeding and alcohol impairment.

For more information on motorcycle safety, visit NHTSA.gov/Motorcycles or call the Arkansas Highway Safety Office at (501) 618-8127, and go to https://www.tzdarkansas.org/ to learn about Arkansas’ Toward Zero Deaths campaign to eliminate preventable traffic fatalities.