Love Is the Motorcycle Safety - Training, Protection and the Law

Love is the dMotorcycle Safety

Training, Protection and the Law

There are a lot more people riding motorcycles today than in years past and this means that there are less experienced operators on the road. With a sharp steady rise of fatalities and injuries the statistics prove the need for educational training in motorcycle safety. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an estimated 148,000 motorcyclists have died in traffic accidents since the enactment of the Highway Safety and National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 (NHTSA).The motorcycle riders involved in accidents are essentially the ones without proper training; 92% were self-taught or learned from family and friends (motorcycle-accident.com). Motorcycle rider training reduces accident involvement and is related to reducing injuries in the event of accidents.

According to the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF), more than 3 million motorcycle riders have taken and graduated from an MSF safety course (DMV.org). With training these people would be taught the essential need for wearing protective equipment, learning evasive maneuvers, and the importance of being aware of their surroundings while riding a motorcycle. The basic rider course would also teach how to inspect the motorcycle, how to start and stop the motorcycle, how to maneuver the motorcycle in a different variety of driving environments and traffic situations, and much more (DMV.org). From the footwear, chaps, leather jacket, choice of gloves, eye glasses, and head gear, the rider learns that he or she is the one that will makes the decision as to what they will wear for protection. This is a very important decision, truly a matter of life and death. Consequently, an unwise decision could also result in a debilitating injury in the event of a motorcycle accident.

I think that many of these controversial issues require a good dose of common sense to resolve. First, let's consider our choice of footwear while riding a motorcycle. Over- the- ankle leather boots protect from a variety of riding hazards. They protect ankles from stones that are thrown up from the roadway and prevent burns from the hot exhaust pipes. Rubber soled boots will help provide a strong grip on the pavement at intersections and help keep your feet on the pegs while riding (MSF47). I have witnessed people wearing everything from tennis shoes to flip-flops. I wondered what was wrong with the person that was crazy enough to wear a pair of flip-flops and considered asking them if they were stupid. What do these people think is going to happen to their feet if that motorcycle does a flip-flop? I don't think they realize just how fast that could become a reality. The likelihood of injury is extremely high when you are involved in a motorcycle accident. Ninety-six percent of single vehicle accidents resulted in some kind of injury to the motorcycle rider. Half of these injuries to