COLUMBUS—May is National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month and the Ohio State Highway Patrol would like to remind motorists that there will be an increase in motorcycles on the roadways with the warmer weather and to remind motorcyclists to ride endorsed, trained, and sober.

In 2013 there were 132 motorcycle-related fatalities. This is a decrease of 31 fatalities from 2012, a drop of 19 percent. From 2011-2013 motorcycle-involved crashes resulted in 470 fatalities and more than 11,078 injuries in the state of Ohio.

There were 36 motorcycle-related crashes in Crawford County between 2011 and 2013. The Bucyrus District of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, which covers 13 counties, investigated 1,312 crashes during that same time period.

Taking a training class and riding with proper endorsements as a motorcycle rider can help protect yourself and others from injury or even death. Out of the 2,206 citations the Patrol handed out to motorcyclists in 2013, 22 percent were for operating a motorcycle without a proper license or endorsement. As a rider, simple things like ensuring you have a valid motorcycle endorsement, receiving quality motorcycle training and wearing proper safety equipment can be key elements in staying safe. For more information visit http://www.motorcycle.ohio.gov/.

Riding sober is also very important. From 2011-2013, 44 percent of the fatal motorcycle crashes involved an impaired motorcyclist. Of course, motorcycle safety is not solely the responsibility of motorcyclists. Motor vehicle drivers share in the important effort by being aware of motorcyclists.

There are some important steps to become more aware of motorcyclists:

  • A motorcycle is a motor vehicle with all of the privileges of any vehicle on the road way.
  • Give motorcycles a full lane of traffic.
  • Look for motorcyclists on the highway, at intersections, and any time you are changing lanes.
  • Allow plenty of space in front of the vehicle you are driving and do not follow a motorcycle too closely.

A statistical map detailing citations and other motorcycle related information can be found at http://statepatrol.ohio.gov/doc/Motorcycle_Bulletin_2014.pdf.