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St. Lawrence County traffic safety officials says motorcycle accidents on rise

Posted 5/28/15

As motorcycle crashes increase, new program aims to reduce accidents, injuries, deaths in St. Lawrence County As the number of motorcycle crashes in St. Lawrence County has edged up in recent years, …

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St. Lawrence County traffic safety officials says motorcycle accidents on rise

Posted

As motorcycle crashes increase, new program aims to reduce accidents, injuries, deaths in St. Lawrence County

As the number of motorcycle crashes in St. Lawrence County has edged up in recent years, the county’s Traffic Safety Program is urging new riders to take advantage of a motorcycle safety program from the state.

With the motorcycle-riding season fully underway in the North Country, some statistics from the county’s traffic safety office are informative.

Motorcycle registrations in the county increased from 2435 in 2003 to 4329 in 2010; from 2008 to 2010, there were 122 motorcycle collisions involving death or injury in the county; an average of 40 injuries and one death per year from 2010 to 2012 occurred in the county; countywide, the number of motorcycle crashes edged up from 46 in 2012 to 55 in 2013.

National statistics show that motorcyclist fatalities occurred 26 times more frequently than passenger car occupant fatalities in 2013, and analysis of those fatal crashes showed that a quarter of the motorcycle riders involved were riding their vehicles without valid motorcycle licenses.

Meanwhile there is a disproportionate number of deaths and injuries among older – but not necessarily more experienced – riders. Authorities found that nearly two-thirds (62.3 percent) of drivers involved in crashes resulting in deaths and injuries in 2013 were age 40 and older. This may be because older drivers are more likely to be able to afford motorcycles, so there are more of them on the road. It also may be that although these drivers are older, they still may lack motorcycle driving experience. In slightly over 11 percent of county motorcycle crashes, driver inexperience was listed as a contributing factor.

In the face of numbers like these, the county’s traffic safety office is recommending participation in a program promoting training and safe rider operation increasing public awareness about sharing the road with motorcycles.

New York State has established a motorcycle safety program, Basic RiderCourse, in partnership with the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. Funding comes from a portion of the motorcycle licensing and registration fees. Besides promoting training and safe rider operation, it also promotes increasing public awareness about sharing the road with motorcycles.

Training sites for the course provide lightweight motorcycles for class use. Participants must wear protective clothing and boots, as well as a DOT approved helmet and eye protection. The course includes classroom learning as well as practice and evaluation on an outdoor practice course. This allows a prospective motorcyclist the opportunity to test their abilities without the expense of purchasing a motorcycle.

As part of this collaboration, the state Department of Motor Vehicles offers an alternative to the traditional motorcycle road test for New York State driver licensees with a valid motorcycle permit. Those who successfully complete the 15-hour basic course and who pass the written and stills test are eligible to apply for the waiver of the road test. The course must be completed at a DMV/MSF approved training site.

To find the nearest training site, you may access the MSF web site at http://www.nysmsp.org/ or call them at 1-800-446-9227.

There is a wealth of information at The Safe New York web site, http://www.safeny.ny.gov/mcyc-ndx.htm.