Motorcycle Safety in the Spring

Here a story and two videos from valleynewslive.com that will help you think about motorcycle safety this spring. Check it out.

Also take a look at my article, 10 Ways to Be Safe on a Motorcycle.

In addition, look at my 25 Motorcycle How-To articles to learn techniques to become a better rider and keep you even safer. Read more.

Motorcyclists: Watch Out for Left Turners and Be Prepared

I have Google Alerts set to capture most media accounts of fatal motorcycle accidents. So, I see many "left-turner" crashes involving motorcyclists. It makes me want to scream that the majority of riders don't know about left turn accidents or choose to ignore them. I've written about these accidents for the better part of 12 years. I feature "10 Ways to Be Safe on a Motorcycle" on every page of my website. I've written about it in my new Kindle book. I just saw another tragic story about a rider who liked to live on the edge. These stories tend to lock into helmets and proper riding attire as possible ways to prevent accidents. Helmet laws are also discussed heavily. Back and forth discussions among riders and non-riders often ensue in the comments after stories. However, nothing seems to stop the continuing carnage of similar accidents that go on and on across the country. Maybe nothing can stop this senseless loss of life. But, maybe, just maybe we can collectively stop one or two of these accidents by reading the following story and telling a rider friend or two. Can't hurt. Here's an excerpt:

"It was 82 degrees with low humidity and light wind the day Scott Pohl died. This is significant because a motorcycle was not Scott’s primary transportation. He usually drove his pickup to work. Scott’s shift for most of his six-day week started at 4:30 p.m. But on Fridays and Saturdays he’d start at 7 p.m., which is also significant. It is why he was headed east on North Territorial Road in Salem Township at 6:32 p.m. on the second day of summer, approaching an SUV driver who never saw him coming." -- John Counts, AnnArbor.com

Read more.

See also:

• Uneasy Riders: Serious injury rates higher for unhelmeted motorcyclists, but records don't tell all
  
  
• Uneasy Riders: Search how Michigan motorcyclists with and without helmets fared in accidents