SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) – Motorcycle experts are speaking out about roadway safety as Florida Highway Patrol troopers warn that I-75 is getting more congested and they are seeing more crashes as Southwest Florida continues to grow.
Victor Sailsbury, a rider coach at Ride Safe USA, said operating a motorcycle “takes a different skill set than just operating a regular vehicle.”
Ride Safe USA offers the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic Rider Course, which is required by Florida law before a rider can get a motorcycle endorsement.
“We try to give them skills — mental skills and physical skills — to deal with situations when they happen out there that’s out of their control,” Sailsbury said.
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Steve Bixler, general manager at Hap’s Cycle Sales, one of the oldest motorcycle shops on the Suncoast, said his family-owned shop has operated since 1948. He said even small preparation can make a big difference.
“Even when it wasn’t required by law we still absolutely advocated that people should get educated and take the safety course,” Bixler said.
State Trooper Kenn Watson said impatience on the roadways can be dangerous.
“We have to pack patience — making quick lane changes, accelerating past slower moving vehicles can be extremely dangerous,” Watson said.
Sailsbury said safety is also about perception, because one reckless rider can shape how people treat everyone on two wheels.
“One bad apple and they blanket assume all motorcyclists are like that and it’s not true out there but that’s the one that they notice,” Sailsbury said.
Sailsbury said his job is to prepare students for busier, faster roads, where riders have less protection and less time to react. He said it comes down to understanding the risk and riding defensively.
“If anything happens out there between car and motorcycle — the motorcycle is at higher risk because the car has more protection, more safety features available where we don’t have those on the motorcycle — so there is a lot of responsibility,” Sailsbury said.
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