May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is promoting motorcycle safety in the month of May. The agency has declared May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, and is encouraging local communities and motorcycling organizations to spearhead safety campaigns and other efforts.

To help these efforts, the agency has prepared a Share the Road planner which contains vital resources you can use to conduct your own motorcycle safety campaign in your community.The agency’s key message for the month of May is to “Share the Road.” The message is targeted at motorists who are urged to look out for motorcyclists as they drive. The NHTSA wants motorists to understand that:

· Motorcycles are vehicles too, and riders enjoy just as many privileges as motorists do.

· Know that there are more numbers of motorcyclists on Georgia highways now, than in decades past. Look out for these motorcyclists.

· Check your mirrors before you make a lane change.

· It’s also important to look for motorcyclists who might be in your blind spot.

· Look especially close at motorcyclists that you are following. Sometimes, a motorcyclist may fail to turn off his signals, and the signals are not self canceling. Therefore, if the signal says the motorcyclist is about to make a turn, it may not be true. The bottom line is that you look out for signs of his movement.

The NHTSA wants to focus the message not just on motorists, but also on pedestrians and bicyclists who are also involved in collisions with motorcycles every year.

Motorcyclists also have a responsibility in their own safety.

· They must make themselves visible, and must make efforts to ensure that other motorists see them.

· Motorcyclists must avoid all kinds of distractions while riding.

· Helmets saved in 1,829 motorcyclists in 2008. Always wear a helmet approved by the Department Of Transportation, while riding.

The Atlanta motorcycle accident lawyers at the Katz Personal Injury Lawyers represent injured victims of motorcycle accidents in and around the metro Atlanta area.