02-05-2025
West Virginia Governor's Highway Safety Program reminds people to drive safe during Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month
CHARLESTON, WV (WVNS) — The West Virginia Governor's Highway Safety Program encouraged motorcycle safety as May kicks off Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.
According to a press release, the West Virginia Governor's Highway Safety Program (GHSP) partnered with the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to encourage drivers that 'Motorcyclists' Safety Is Everyone's Safety.'
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The press release from the West Virginia Governor's Highway Safety Program stated that safe driving and riding practices, as well as informing other drivers, can help decrease the amount of motorcyclist deaths on roads in the Mountain State.
Motorcyclists should always be aware of their surroundings. It is imperative that you have the correct license to ride a motorcycle in West Virginia. Always wear your DOT-compliant helmet. Make sure you dress for the slide, not just for the ride. Motorists need to look out for motorcycles since they are small and harder to see.
Since it is grass cutting season, please do not blow grass clippings onto the roads and streets because it is dangerous for motorcyclists. Driving on grass clippings is very slick, like driving on ice.
Mary Jarrell | GHSP Motorcycle Safety Training Coordinator
NHTSA data included in the press release stated that 15 percent of the total highway deaths in 2022 were 6,218 motorcyclists who died in traffic accidents. 33 percent of the total number of motorcyclist deaths in 2022 were related to speeding, and 51 percent of the deaths were from motorcyclists who were 21 to 24 years old.
According to the data, drug/alcohol impairment was also a part of fatalities in motorcycle related accidents, and in 2022, 42 percent of motorcyclists who died in single-vehicle accidents were impaired by drugs or alcohol.
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The West Virginia Governor's Highway Safety Program advised that DOT-compliant motorcycle helmets can help lessen injuries and save lives. The press release stated that the use of motorcycle helmets went from 64.9 percent in 2021 to 66.5 percent in 2022, and that data from the NHTSA estimated that in 2017, helmets saved the lives of around 1,872 motorcyclists, and if all motorcyclists worn DOT-compliant helmets, an additional 749 lives could have been saved.
According to the press release from the West Virginia Governor's Highway Safety Program, motorcyclists can finish rider education courses and keep a current motorcycle license, ride and drive defensively and not ride when distracted or impaired, and follow the speed limit and traffic laws and use personal protective gear and a DOT-compliant helmet with a 'FMVSS No. 218 Certified' label.
Drivers are encouraged to use turn signals when merging or changing lanes, leave more following distance to move or stop in an emergency, do not drive while impaired by drugs or alcohol, follow the speed limit, check all mirrors and blind spots before merging or changing lanes, and drive defensively.
The press release stated that despite motorcycles being small vehicles, motorcyclists have the same rights as any other driver when on the road and enough room should be left for them on a lane, and their smaller size can make them harder to see, which can make it possible to misjudge distance and speed. Drivers are also encouraged to avoid distractions that could place other people at risk, and to yield to motorcyclists, especially at intersections.
Additional information about the West Virginia Governor's Highway Safety Program can be found on their website or by calling 304-926-2509, and motorcycle safety information can be found here.
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