BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – It’s Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, and motorcycle riders and the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission want both riders and drivers to stay vigilant on the roads.
According to the LHSC, all traffic-related deaths in Louisiana went down from 2021 to 2023, but motorcyclist deaths have gone up by 13%.
“It’s important that everyone who wants to experience this hobby remembers there are dangers to it but it can also be the most incredible feeling to ride and to be on a bike,” Beaux Brasseaux, business manager at Harley-Davidson in Baton Rouge, said.
Brasseaux does not own a car; he rides his motorcycle everywhere he needs to go. But, riding motorcycles comes with its fair share of dangers and deadly statistics.
“Everybody says Louisiana roads are crazy, right. And when you choose to do that on a motorcycle as well, you have to be hyper vigilant,” Brasseaux said.
Brasseaux says not paying attention can quickly turn into a lethal situation when motorcyclists are on the road.
“You have to treat yourself as if you are a pen. There’s a video that one of the highway safety patrols did in another state that showed for almost a mile away, you can’t see a motorcycle if you hold a pen up,” Brasseaux said.
While riders cannot control the actions of other drivers on the road, there are several things they can do to best protect themselves.
“Being able to operate the motorcycle proficiently, cooperate with traffic, be able to read patterns through traffic and kind of anticipate what other people are doing is a big part of really being safe on a motorcycle,” Masen Garvin, Motorcycle Safety Foundation certified course trainer, said.
Garvin says many riders do not have an endorsement, which is legally required to operate a motorcycle. It involves meeting with an instructor and completing safety courses. He says it is also important to have the right safety gear on.
“More people are on motorcycles so therefore statistically you have a higher chance of more motorcycle accidents, so doing those things and just making sure you’re as proficient as possible on a motorcycle is a big deal,” Garvin said.
As the weather starts to warm up, even more riders will be out on the roads. Safety is a two-way street, and the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission says everyone needs to pay attention—whether it’s behind the wheel or riding on two wheels.
“It’s the basic safety measures in terms of not driving impaired put your phone down don’t drive distracted and this goes for both car and truck drivers as well as motorcyclists, drive the speed limits. And those things can help us get to where we need to be,” Greg Fischer, LHSC Public Information Officer, said.
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