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<\/a>May is \u201cMotorcycle Safety Awareness Month\u201d – \u2018Share the Road\u2019 Campaign Aims to Increase\u00a0Motorcycle Safety Awareness for All Road Users<\/h3>\nThe Madison County Sheriff\u2019s Office\u00a0reminds motorists and motorcyclists alike during\u00a0Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month to \u201cshare the road\u201d in order to help prevent motorcycle crashes, deaths and\u00a0injuries on Madison County roads.<\/p>\n
\u201cMotorcyclists will be out in force as the weather gets\u00a0warmer, which is why May is the perfect month for\u00a0Motorcycle Safety Awareness,\u201d said Madison County\u00a0Sheriff Allen Riley. \u201cSerious and fatal crashes with\u00a0motorcycles are on the rise, and helmet usage is on the\u00a0decline. We all need to be more aware of motorcyclists in order to save lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2014, 4,586 motorcyclists were killed in traffic crashes, a decrease of 2.3 percent from 2013\u00a0(4,692). Those deaths account for 14 percent of the total highway fatalities that year, despite\u00a0motorcycle registrations representing only 3 percent of all vehicles in the United States in 2014.<\/p>\n
Injured motorcyclists also decreased from 93,000 in 2013 to 88,000 in 2014.<\/p>\n
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that 1,630 lives were\u00a0saved in 2014 because of proper helmet usage, but another 715 lives could have been saved if\u00a0helmets had been worn.<\/p>\n
Wearing a helmet is an important way for a motorcyclist to stay safe, but we all play a part \u201cIt\u2019s up\u00a0to all motorists and motorcyclists to make our roads safer,\u201d Riley said. \u201cAll road users need\u00a0to share the responsibility of keeping the roadways safe. By following road signs, obeying speed\u00a0limits, and always staying focused on the road, deaths could be prevented.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sheriff Riley offered tips to drivers on how to prevent a crash with a motorcycle:<\/p>\n
\uf0b7 Though a motorcycle is a small vehicle, its operator still has all the rights of the road as any\u00a0other motorist. Allow the motorcycle the full width of a lane at all times.<\/p>\n
\uf0b7 Always signal when changing lanes or merging with traffic.<\/p>\n
\uf0b7 If you see a motorcycle with a signal on, be careful: motorcycle signals are often non-canceling and could have been forgotten. Always ensure that the motorcycle is turning\u00a0before proceeding.<\/p>\n
\uf0b7 Check all mirrors and blind spots for motorcycles before changing lanes or merging with\u00a0traffic, especially at intersections.<\/p>\n
\uf0b7 Always allow more follow distance \u2013 three to four seconds \u2013 when behind a motorcycle.\u00a0This gives them more time to maneuver or stop in an emergency.<\/p>\n
\uf0b7 Never drive distracted or impaired.<\/p>\n
\u201cMotorcyclists must also take precautions to remain safe on the road,\u201d Riley said.<\/p>\n
Motorcyclists can increase their safety by following these steps:<\/p>\n
\uf0b7 Wear a DOT-compliant helmet and other protective gear.<\/p>\n
\uf0b7 Obey all traffic laws and be properly licensed.<\/p>\n
\uf0b7 Use hand and turn signals at every lane change or turn.<\/p>\n
\uf0b7 Wear brightly colored clothes and reflective tape to increase visibility.<\/p>\n
\uf0b7 Ride in the middle of the lane where you will be more visible to drivers.<\/p>\n
\uf0b7 Never ride distracted or impaired.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy following basic safety rules, we can all help prevent crashes,\u201d Riley said. \u201cOur message\u00a0is for all drivers and riders: Share the responsibility of keeping our roads safe\u2014always share the\u00a0road.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
May is \u201cMotorcycle Safety Awareness Month\u201d – \u2018Share the Road\u2019 Campaign Aims to Increase\u00a0Motorcycle Safety Awareness for All Road Users The Madison County Sheriff\u2019s Office\u00a0reminds motorists and motorcyclists alike during\u00a0Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month to \u201cshare the road\u201d in order to help prevent motorcycle crashes, deaths and\u00a0injuries on Madison County roads. \u201cMotorcyclists will be out […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42450,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3,32,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","category-crime","category-top-story"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p43meu-hCR","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/madisoncountycourier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Mad-Co-Sheriffs-Dept.jpg?fit=221%2C266&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=67757"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67757\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=67757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=67757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=67757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}