Motorcycle rider course.
SALT LAKE CITY — In an effort improve motorcycle safety, The Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) launched the “Ride to Live,” a safety campaign to educate motorcyclists and drivers about lane filtering and encourage riders to enroll in motorcycle skills courses. In Utah, motorcycle crashes are 11 times more likely to result in a death than auto crashes.
As warm weather returns, more motorcyclists will return to Utah roads. Drivers must be in the habit of seeing motorcycles and anticipating rider behavior. While motorcyclists need to wear proper gear and improve riding skills.
UDOT spokesperson John Gleason said, “Motorcycles are among the smallest and most vulnerable vehicles on the road. They don’t have the same protections as cars or trucks, and this puts riders at greater risk of serious injury or death in a crash.”
“Ride to Live” kicks off with crash survivor Joe Perez sharing how his rider education helped him walk away from a crash with only minor injuries. The campaign will air several videos highlighting personal stories, rider skills and lane filtering tips for riders and motorists to better educate road users.
Gleason explained every year UDOT sees fatalities that could have been prevented had a driver or rider paid better attention or been more prepared. Making small improvements to driving behaviors can put a stop to these terrible crashes and save lives.
Utahns can visit ridetolive.utah.gov to schedule rider skills courses and get a 25% discount code. For beginning riders, the course includes both classroom and range instruction, covering foundational topics for straight-line riding, stopping, shifting, negotiating curves, risk reduction and riding strategy. For more experienced riders, the course builds on and improves skills that include braking, swerving and cornering.
Motorists can also visit zerofatalities.com/motorcyclists for tips on how to best share the road with motorcyclists.
will@cvradio.com