May is Motorcycle Safety Month in Iowa
The month of May has been designated as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. With summer just around the corner the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB), a bureau of the Iowa Department of Public Safety, would ask motorcycle riders and other motorists to be extremely cautious as we begin to experience increased motorcycle traffic on Iowa’s highways. As the number of motorcycles on the Road grow, these types of programs become more and more valuable
The GTSB has partnered with the Iowa Department of Transportation and motorcycle clubs in Iowa in an effort to heighten awareness on this issue and would like to share the following statistics:
Over the past four years, Iowa motorcycle fatalities have increased 53% from 30 in 2000 to 46 in 2005
Since 1997, U.S. motorcycle fatalities have increased over 90%, totaling more than 4,000 in 2004
Two-thirds of all motorcycle/passenger vehicle crashes involve passenger vehicle operator error
A detailed analysis of 2003 numbers show 56% of all Iowa fatal motorcycle crashes involved excess speed or speed too fast for conditions on the part of the motorcycle operator
Iowa’s motorcycle riding population is aging, like other states. Ten years ago, 33% of all licensed motorcycle operators were age 45 or older, today, 59% of those operators are 45 or older
Iowa is experiencing an unacceptable increase in the number of motorcycle related fatalities. These fatalities are preventable. If you ride a motorcycle, please exercise caution, wear clothing that will stand out in traffic. If you are driving a car or other vehicle, be aware of motorcycle traffic and look twice before pulling out from an intersection.
A partner with Inserra & Kelley, Attorneys At Law since 1993, Craig Kelley focuses on personal injury law with a large emphasis on motorcycle and bicycle related cases and claims with the goal of first helping clients heal and then getting speedy resolution of their disputes.
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