May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, designed to encourage all drivers and motorcyclists to share the road with each other. Increased awareness of motorcycle safety has helped improve the number of injuries and fatalities of motorcyclists.
In 2014, 4,586 motorcyclists were killed in traffic crashes, a decrease of 2.3% from 4,692 in 2013. Those deaths account for 14% of the total highway fatalities that year. This decrease in motorcycle fatalities continues to break a tragic trend over the last 17 years, which saw only one other decline in 2009. Injured motorcyclists also decreased from 93,000 in 2013 to 88,000 in 2014.
Safe riding practices and cooperation from all road users will help continue to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries on U.S. highways, but it is especially important for motorists to understand the safety challenges faced by motorcyclists (such as size and visibility) and motorcycle riding practices like downshifting and weaving to know how to anticipate and respond to them. By raising motorists' awareness, both drivers and riders will be safer sharing the road.
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