{"id":178588,"date":"2024-04-29T03:37:48","date_gmt":"2024-04-29T08:37:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/?p=178588"},"modified":"2024-04-29T03:37:49","modified_gmt":"2024-04-29T08:37:49","slug":"state-says-be-aware-of-motorcyclists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2024\/04\/29\/state-says-be-aware-of-motorcyclists\/","title":{"rendered":"State says be aware of motorcyclists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

VW independent staff\/submitted information<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

COLUMBUS — Ohio drivers should expect to see more motorcycle riders on the road as peak riding season gets underway, according to Motorcycle Ohio, a division of the Ohio Traffic Safety Office. Motorcycle Ohio is raising awareness about motorcycle safety ahead of National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month in May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are over 500,000 registered motorcycles on Ohio\u2019s roadways and safety is everyone\u2019s responsibility,\u201d said Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Andy Wilson. \u201cAll drivers must look twice on the highway, at intersections, and any time they are changing lanes \u2013 you may just save someone\u2019s life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Authorities are hoping to prevent motorcycle accidents like this one. VW independent file photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In 2023, 230 Ohioans were killed in motorcycle-related crashes, a 47 percent increase from just five years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • 82 percent of motorcycle crashes occur between May and October.<\/li>
  • Speed is a leading cause of motorcycle crashes. 32 percent of riders involved in fatal crashes were speeding, compared to 25 percent of passenger car drivers.<\/li>
  • \"\"27 percent of all fatal motorcycle crashes last year involved alcohol or drugs, up from 16 percent in 2022.<\/li>
  • \"\"78 percent of motorcycle fatalities in 2023 involved riders who were untrained.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cMotorcycle crashes are preventable,\u201d said Kimberly Schwind, Assistant Director of the Ohio Traffic Safety Office. \u201cWe know the training that happens in Motorcycle Ohio courses is saving lives. With everyone\u2019s help, we can make Ohio\u2019s roadways safer for us all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Ohio Department of Public Safety \u2013 through the Ohio Revised Code \u2013 is charged with establishing a motorcycle safety and education program. This year, the department\u2019s Motorcycle Ohio program is celebrating 36 years of providing Ohio\u2019s riders the opportunity to improve their skills and make the roadways safer for all motorists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

    \u201cEach year, about 12,000 riders commit to safe riding by completing a Motorcycle Ohio training course,\u201d said Michele Piko, the program coordinator for Motorcycle Ohio. \u201cThis year more riders are signing up to get trained, and we are experiencing near-record course registration. Courses are underway now at training sites in 33 counties across the state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Funded by motorcycle plate fees and class registrations, the mission of Motorcycle Ohio is to provide affordable, effective training courses, and to reduce fatalities and injuries on Ohio\u2019s roadways through rider education, public information campaigns, and licensing improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    On Friday, the program also presented its first \u201cSaved by the Helmet\u201d awards of 2024 to six riders. The award is given throughout the year to Ohio riders who survive serious crashes while wearing a helmet. The riders received a certificate of recognition and a new replacement helmet from the Department of Public Safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Riders over 18 are not required by Ohio law to wear a helmet, but Motorcycle Ohio hopes that acknowledging riders who wear proper protective gear will help promote and increase awareness of the life-saving value of motorcycle helmets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    VW independent staff\/submitted information COLUMBUS — Ohio drivers should expect to see more motorcycle riders on the road as peak riding season gets underway, according to Motorcycle Ohio, a division of the Ohio Traffic Safety Office. Motorcycle Ohio is raising awareness about motorcycle safety ahead of National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month in May. \u201cThere are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-178588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-07 11:58:29","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=178588"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178588\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":178590,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178588\/revisions\/178590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=178588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=178588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=178588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}