GREENE COUNTY — May marked the beginning of riding season for many motorcyclists in America. It has also been Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month and it’s not too late to begin looking out for your fellow motorists.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Greene County Safe Communities Coalition remind all motorists that Motorcyclists’ Safety Is Everyone’s Safety. Motorcycle safety is an ongoing responsibility for all road users. By consistently following safe driving and riding practices and sharing them with others, all motorists can help reduce the number of motorcyclist fatalities on America’s roads.
Each year, motorcyclists are overrepresented in traffic crashes. Two leading contributors to this reality are speed and alcohol impairment. It is essential to note that, while riding was once viewed as a leisure activity, it is now often a person’s primary or sole mode of transportation. Riders and drivers must both pay critical attention to their driving habits and to each other while on the roads.
According to NHTSA data, there were 6,218 motorcyclists killed in traffic crashes in 2022, representing 15% of total highway fatalities for that year. Speeding was a major contributing factor for motorcyclist fatalities in 2022, accounting for 35% of all motorcyclist fatalities. More than half (51%) of those fatalities were motorcyclists, 21 to 24 years old. Alcohol impairment also played a significant role in motorcycle-involved crash fatalities: Forty-two percent of motorcycle riders who died in single-vehicle crashes in 2022 were alcohol-impaired. In Greene County alone, there were a total of 205 motorcycle-related crashes from 2022-2024, of which ten resulted in a fatality.
Like seat belts, wearing DOT-compliant motorcycle helmets can save lives and reduce injuries. After three years of declines, helmet use increased from 64.9% in 2021 to 66.5% in 2022. NHTSA data estimates that helmets saved 1,872 motorcyclists’ lives in 2017 (the latest year comprehensive data was analyzed) and that 749 more lives could have been saved if all motorcyclists had worn their helmets.
Vehicle drivers and motorcyclists can help reduce the number of fatalities and injuries on America’s roadways
by observing all traffic laws and obeying the speed limit, driving and riding alcohol- and drug-free, avoiding distractions while driving or riding, yielding to motorcyclists, especially when drivers are turning at intersections, wearing high-visibility protective gear and DOT-compliant motorcycle helmets while riding.
Learn how to identify a safe, DOT-compliant helmet at www.nhtsa.gov/motorcycle-safety/choose-right-motorcycle-helmet.
Another significant step that motorcycle riders can take to promote road safety for all motorists is completing a rider education and training course.
For more information on motorcycle safety, visit NHTSA.gov/Motorcycles. For additional statistics, please visit https://cdan.nhtsa.gov/ and search “motorcycle” under Crash Data Publications. For more information about the Greene County Safe Communities Coalition, please contact Loressa Gonyer, Coordinator, at 937-374-5655 or via email at [email protected] .
