Do you have any other ideas, tips or suggestions for motorcycle safety?

In the past few years we have seen more and more people use motorcycles as their primary mode of transportation. Also, with the approach of nice weather, we will see more more people operating motorcycles on the roads in and around Central Pennsylvania and the entire Commonwealth.

When operating a motorcycle it is imporant to be safe. Here are a few tips that can improve your level of safety:

1. Be safe by conducting a pre-ride check to identify any mechanical defects with your motorcycle.
2. Be visible by signaling your intentions, making sure your headlight works and is on day and night, using reflective strips or decals on your clothing and on your motorcycle, and flashing your brake light when you are slowing down and before stopping.
3. Dress safely by wearing an approved helmet and eye protection, and wearing bright colored clothing, over the ankle foot protection, long pants, long-sleeved shirt, and full-fingered gloves.
4. Use common sense by keeping a safe distance from other motorists and give yourself enough time to react to dangerous situations, using lane positioning to be seen; ride in the part of a lane where you are most visible, and avoid weaving between lanes.
5. Ride unimpaired by not riding when you are tired or under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
6. Ride by being courteous and responsible with respect to other drivers.
7. Don’t speed and know the local traffic laws and rules of the road.
8. Be Prepared by developing your riding techniques before going into heavy traffic and knowing how to handle your bike in conditions such as wet or sandy roads, high winds, and uneven surfaces.

A west Michigan man was killed early Tuesday morning when he struck a tree that had been felled by Monday’s powerful storms. According to the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department, construction barrels warning motorists of the obstacle had been removed sometime Monday night. The motorcyclist had been wearing a helmet and traveling at a prudent speed, but was apparently unable to avoid hitting the tree after cresting a hill.

This fatal crash leaves many questions unanswered. Most importantly, why were the construction barrels removed while the obstacle remained in the road? By all accounts, the victim did everything a motorcyclist should do: he was wearing a helmet and obeying the speed limit. While the storm system that moved through lower Michigan earlier this week was responsible for many downed trees and power lines, this particular hazard had been identified and a barrier set up.

All fatal accidents are tragedies. This one seems particularly awful because potentially life-saving warnings had been inexplicably removed from the area prior to the crash.

A west Michigan man was killed early Tuesday morning when he struck a tree that had been felled by Monday’s powerful storms. According to the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department, construction barrels warning motorists of the obstacle had been removed sometime Monday night. The motorcyclist had been wearing a helmet and traveling at a prudent speed, but was apparently unable to avoid hitting the tree after cresting a hill.

This fatal crash leaves many questions unanswered. Most importantly, why were the construction barrels removed while the obstacle remained in the road? By all accounts, the victim did everything a motorcyclist should do: he was wearing a helmet and obeying the speed limit. While the storm system that moved through lower Michigan earlier this week was responsible for many downed trees and power lines, this particular hazard had been identified and a barrier set up.

All fatal accidents are tragedies. This one seems particularly awful because potentially life-saving warnings had been inexplicably removed from the area prior to the crash.

A west Michigan man was killed early Tuesday morning when he struck a tree that had been felled by Monday’s powerful storms. According to the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department, construction barrels warning motorists of the obstacle had been removed sometime Monday night. The motorcyclist had been wearing a helmet and traveling at a prudent speed, but was apparently unable to avoid hitting the tree after cresting a hill.

This fatal crash leaves many questions unanswered. Most importantly, why were the construction barrels removed while the obstacle remained in the road? By all accounts, the victim did everything a motorcyclist should do: he was wearing a helmet and obeying the speed limit. While the storm system that moved through lower Michigan earlier this week was responsible for many downed trees and power lines, this particular hazard had been identified and a barrier set up.

All fatal accidents are tragedies. This one seems particularly awful because potentially life-saving warnings had been inexplicably removed from the area prior to the crash.

July 3, 2011

A motorcycle rider participating in an event in Onondaga, NY to protest New York State’s mandatory helmet law has wrecked and died of a traumatic brain injury doctors say was preventable with a helmet.

According to ABC News, Philip Contos, 55, rode without a helmet in an annual event organized by American Bikers Aimed Toward Education (ABATE) on Sunday to protest the helmet law. During the ride, Contos applied the brakes of his motorcycle, lost control and flew over the handlebars, landing on the roadway and striking his head on the pavement.

Emergency services transported Contos to Upstate University Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead. He suffered a skull fracture and traumatic brain injury (TBI) from the wreck.

“The medical expert we discussed the case with who pronounced him deceased stated that he would've no doubt survived the accident had he been wearing a helmet,” state Troopers told ABC News 9 in Syracuse.

New York is one of twenty states that have mandatory helmet laws requiring motorcycle riders to comply by wearing a helmet approved by the Department of Transportation, called a DOT Approved helmet.

USA Today reported in 2008 that motorcycle deaths increased in states that loosened helmet laws.

“Laws mandating helmet use at all times have no significant effect on the safety of motorcycling in general, although use of a helmet may or may not be beneficial in individual accident circumstances,” ABATE’s position on helmet laws said, using statistics as old as 1981 and as recent as 2001 to support their position. “The decision on when to wear a helmet while operating a motorcycle should remain with each responsible adult rider.”

The Associated Press reports that 3,615 people died last year in motorcycle accidents.