It was a busy spring for motorcycle safety activities. Through a Proclamation by Governor Sandoval, May was designated as “Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month” in Nevada.
The Spring also saw an increase in outreach activities conducted by the Nevada Rider Motorcycle Safety Program (Program). The Program had a presence at three motorcycle rallies, three dealership events, and the Carson City Sheriff Extreme Motor Challenge. The focus of these outreach events included formal motorcycle training, “Looking Twice for Motorcycles,” and “Riding Sober”. The Program is always looking for opportunities to spread the motorcycle safety message, so contact Nevada Rider if you would like our presence at any of your events.
Two media campaigns ran between May and July. The first was directed at drivers of cars and trucks to “Look Twice for Motorcycles.” One of the most common crashes occurs when an automobile pulls out in front of a motorcycle—especially around intersections. The second campaign was directed at motorcyclists to “Ride Sober.” Impaired riding continues to be a major factor in crashes and fatalities.
The Zero Fatalities – Motorcycle Safety Task Force has been actively working on Advisory Opinions for the 2019 legislative session. The task force is considering topics for possible legislative action, including increasing access to training for tri-mobile and moped riders and strengthening the eye protection statute to disallow windshields to be used in lieu of the more effective goggles, eye glasses, and face shields.
Going forward, the Task Force is working on rewriting the action steps to support the following four strategies for motorcycle safety:
- Increase targeted enforcement and public education programs for high-risk behaviors and yielding to motorcycles
- Increase the percentage of motorcyclists that are trained and licensed
- Improve motorcycle-friendly roadway design, traffic control, construction, and maintenance policies and practices
- Increase crash survivability through appropriate protective gear and improved emergency response
The new action steps are being written to be SMART (Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely). By the regularly-scheduled September Task Force meeting, the action steps will be finalized and work will begin immediately after.
