Motorcycle Fatalities Decline in 2009

Motorcycle Safety Month is being ushered in with good news for the first time in more than a decade: motorcycle fatalities declined dramatically in 2009 in Missouri and nationwide.

Last year Missouri saw a 21.5 percent decrease in motorcycle fatalities while nationwide fatalities have declined by at least 10 percent.

In an effort to continue this decrease, Missouri is joining with federal, state and local highway safety, law enforcement and motorcycle organizations in proclaiming May 2010 as motorcycle safety awareness month.

As the weather improves, more and more motorcyclists are hitting the roads. Drivers of all vehicles need to be extra attentive and make sure you share the road and everyone Arrives Alive.

In 2009, 85 people were killed in motorcycle crashes. Ten percent of Missouri’s 2009 fatalities involved a motorcycle, and 99 percent of the people who died in crashes involving a motorcycle on Missouri roads were the motorcyclist.

Watch out for motorcycles. They can be small and hard to see. Riders, do you part and wear a helmet and reflective gear. Look. Learn. Arrive Alive.

For more information about motorcycle safety, visit www.savemolives.com/ or the Missouri Motorcycle Safety Program website at www.mmsp.org/.

Use Your Head

One of the reasons I'm proud to work at MoDOT is that I've seen first-hand the passion employees at all levels have for safety. Through work with the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety, I've been privileged to witness this in multiple Missouri organizations, and it's staggering to realize how many individuals are truly dedicated to making sure you and your loved ones arrive home safely each night.

That passion could not be hidden at a news conference yesterday where our director released survey results showing Missourians support a mandatory helmet law by more than a 9-to-1 ratio. He urged Gov. Nixon to veto a recently passed bill from the Missouri legislature amending the state's all-rider helmet law, a law that has saved lives for longer than my own lifetime.

Director Rahn was joined by a trauma surgeon, a motorcycle crash survivor and a doctor who lost his father to a motorcycle crash. The video below shares their comments. I hope you'll take a moment and consider the consequences of repealing Missouri's current helmet law. No matter the outcome, maintain your own passion for safety -- buckle up in your car and wear your helmet if you ride.