The American Motorcyclist Association
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Posted May 11, 2007 Email Print this article Print

Motorcycle awareness: Your ideas

With Motorcycle Safety Awareness month beginning on May 1, we recently reported about efforts by the AMA, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, and local clubs and organizations across the country to promote motorcycle awareness, just as more motorcycles start showing up on the roads for summer.

We also invited you to send in your ideas about how to raise motorcycle awareness. Here's what some of you had to say:

A one-man public relations campaign

Recently, I sent an email to my family and friends encouraging them to read a document put out by the MSF called "Ten Things all Car & Truck Drivers Should Know About Motorcycles." (See the full document at the MSF website.)

I would like to see others take a moment and e-mail or write to friends and family and remind them to watch for motorcycles. By contacting family and friends, I feel this approach adds a personal touch to the message.

Here is the letter I sent:

Hi All

As you know I travel many thousands of miles a year on my motorcycle. It is a sport that I enjoy very much and I strive for excellence and safety in my performance every time I ride. I have found that, even though I am a motorcyclist, I sometimes let distractions take my focus from driving my car or work van. My promise to all is to improve my focus while driving and to continue to work toward being a better motorcyclist.

I have attached a document that I hope you will take a moment to read. It might help you save a motorcyclist's life, maybe mine.

Please take a moment to read the attached document. If you are so inclined, forward this to anyone you know who drives. Make copies and hand them out, anything will help. For more information visit the AMA website or the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.

Burk Forsythe

The Q&A factor

I think there should be 10 questions related to motorcycles on every drivers license written test in all 50 states for new applicants or renewing applicants. It isn't the total answer, of course, but I believe it would be a good start.

Pretty safe in pink

I normally ride alone. I used to have people cut in front of me, move into my lane without looking. Someone almost ran me over a cliff one time. I bought my hot-pink jacket this spring and I noticed that people really see me when I wear it. Small children in cars wave at me with smiles, drivers turn their heads. Hey, if they see me, I'm safer. I'm wearing my pink outfit from now on.

Atsuko Michael

Next, I would start a campaign to eliminate cell phone use in motor vehicles. Too many people can't "multi-task."

Rick Newlee

Say it in lights

I live in the Chicago area and have noticed that many high-traffic metropolitan areas have road signs providing updated traffic information. On the way to a BMW motorcycle flea market just west of Rockford, I came upon a traffic update sign that read "Watch for Motorcycles." If we can get that on those signs more often, that would get the message to thousands of drivers every day.

Eric J. Repking

Tips for both sides

For car drivers:

Give the motorcyclist the entire lane when passing. Motorcycles need the entire lane to avoid road hazards that wouldn't affect cars. Especially in the spring when gravel on the road and potholes are more common.

Don't pull out in front of a motorcycle. Realize that it's more difficult to gauge a motorcycle's speed and distance because of their smaller size.

For riders:

I think we all need to publish the standard hard signals for group riding. More and more people are getting bikes and going out on rides that are not familiar with group riding. [Editor: See our story on group riding tips in Rider Resources.]

Once thing I hear from car drivers that really upsets them and may cause road rage is a smaller group of riders that's spread out to use two lanes, blocking the passing lane on a four-lane road.

Kevin Frost

HOV etiquette

In places where it is illegal to cross into the car pool lane, don't! The yellow lines are there for a reason, and it's not a quick check of your color vision.

Along those lines, use your turn signals! We motorcycle riders are pitiful at this, as well.

Colin Rasmussen

Ride to work, raise awareness

Encourage all bikers (through club meetings, AMA announcements, website postings, etc) who reasonably can to make every day a ride-to-work day. With gasoline at or above $3 a gallon in many parts of the country (and still climbing), this makes more sense than ever. To raise awareness for bikes, we need more bikes consistently on the road. And this is one way to be pro-active about awareness. [Editor: Meanwhile, don't forget national Ride to Work Day, the third Wednesday in July.]

Alan Hunter

Riders would be better drivers

Wouldn't it be great if everyone had to learn to ride before they learned to drive?

That old excuse that "I didn't see the bike" doesn't work with me. I heard that when they ran into the school bus I was driving.

Bonnie Cousins