NEWINGTON, Conn — May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, and the Connecticut Department of Transportation is urging all drivers and motorcyclists to remember that “motorcyclist safety is everyone’s safety.”
CTDOT has joined the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in reinforcing the potentially lifesaving safety message as riding season picks up momentum across the state and country.
A release from CTDOT on Wednesday said that every year motorcyclists face disproportionate risks on the road, and speed is a leading cause of traffic fatalities.
Each year, in Connecticut, more than 50 motorcyclists are killed on average on the roadway, according to CTDOT, which said that in 2022, there were 65 motorcycle fatalities in the state, the largest number in more than 35 years.
Nationally, NHTSA’s 2022 data showed that 6,218 motorcyclists lost their lives in traffic crashes, making up 15% of total highway fatalities. That marked a 1% increase from 2021.
According to NHTSA data in 2022, per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, motorcyclists were approximately 22 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a motor vehicle crash and four times more likely to be injured.
In 2022, speeding was a major contributing factor to motorcyclist fatalities; 35% of all motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes were speeding, compared to 22% of all passenger car drivers, 15% of all light-truck drivers and 6% of all large-truck drivers, according to NHTSA. Motorcyclists ages 21-24 years old involved in fatal crashes had the highest speeding involvement at 51%.
“With warmer winters comes longer riding seasons. Sadly, that has also meant more fatalities on our roads,” CTDOT Commissioner Garret Eucalitto said in the release. “Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month reminds us that safety is everyone’s responsibility. If we all practice safe driving habits, we can collectively work towards reducing roadway fatalities and create a safe environment for all users.”
CTDOT listed several tips for maintaining safety on the roadways when encountering motorcyclists. First and foremost, always check your blind spots, as motorcycles are smaller than most vehicles and can be difficult to spot when changing lanes. Take your time before merging and search your blind spots before maneuvering.
It’s also important to be cautious when passing and make sure to signal your intention to pass a motorcyclist by using your turn signal. Drivers should be several car lengths ahead of the motorcycle before returning to their lane.
Additionally, motorcycles react quicker than cars. Rear-ending a motorcycle can be fatal to the rider so maintain an adequate following distance behind them. Also be aware of the weather; bad weather reduces visibility and has more drastic effects on motorcycle riders than it does on those driving passenger cars.
At night, increase your following distance and make sure high beams are turned off when approaching a motorcycle. Staying in your lane is critical; motorcycles are legally entitled to their own lane of traffic. In no situation are you allowed to drive in the same lane as a motorcycle.
“No matter how small these vehicles are or how much extra room there appears to be, sharing a single lane with a motorcycle is a recipe for a crash and is illegal,” the CTDOT release said.
To play it safe, drivers should initiate their turn signals sooner than they normally would when they know there is a motorcycle behind them.
Intersections are also dangerous and the site of many crashes involving cars and motorcycles. Come to a complete halt, view and obey posted traffic signs and signals and look both ways for approaching traffic before proceeding slowly.
Watching for turning motorcycles is key as many motorcycles do not have self-cancelling turn signals. Lastly, take a second look at left turns.
“Vehicle crashes involving the collision of a left-turning car and an approaching motorcycle can be very severe,” the CTDOT release said.
One can visit here for more information on motorcycle safety from NHTSA.
----
Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
----
Do you have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com.
----
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.
