Published: May 09, 2007 04:53 pm      

May is motorcycle awareness month

By Kelly Young

news@jacksonvilleprogress.com

In an effort to raise awareness and teach proper safety techniques, the state of Texas has declared the month of May to be Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month.

To Bryan “Nobody” Horn, a member of both American Bikers Aiming Towards Education (ABATE) and Texas Motorcycle Rights Association (TMRA), May is the perfect time of year to highlight motorcycles and recognize their place on the road.

“The month of May was chosen because with the coming of warmer weather there is usually an increase in the number of motorcyclists on Texas roadways. We just really want to bring it to everyone’s attention that we are out there,” Horn said.

“Last year I lost two friends on motorcycles, and neither wreck was their fault.”

Horn said more people are riding motorcycles than in the past, which means car drivers will need to be on the lookout even more.

“Statistics have shown that the majority of motorcycle-vehicle accidents are the result of an inattentive automobile driver, with the most common excuse being “I didn’t see the motorcycle,” Horn said. “If you paint the word ‘Police’ on the front of a motorcycle, people can see it five miles back in their rear-view mirror, but somehow you take a loud, shiny, chromed-up Harley, and they never see it.”

In an effort to raise awareness, ABATE AND TMRA are asking municipalities across the state to issue proclamations declaring the importance of motorcycle safety. Mayor Robert Haberle signed one such proclamation Tuesday, May 1.

“Another way we are attempting to raise awareness is through the use of ‘Share the Road’ signs. Jacksonville now has these at its city limits, thanks to the efforts of the Cherokee Wind Warriors. These signs should help stimulate awareness among motorists to the fact that there are motorcyclists out there and that the road should be shared with them,” Horn said.

According to Horn, while cities are allowed to erect these signs within their city limits, the Texas Department of Transportation restricts the signs from being placed along highways and state roads – where a great deal of motorcycle accidents occur.

Horn said the use of helmets actually causes more problems than it prevents.

“I’m against mandatory helmet laws because it restricts our vision and we can’t hear as well with a helmet on. In one case, where my friend died in a motorcycle accident, if he hadn’t been wearing his helmet, the crash wouldn’t have broken his neck,” he said.

“If you take a helmet and drop it from eight or nine feet, it’s going to bust. What good is that helmet? I believe the law should have a mandatory motorcycle safety class for people under 18-years-old and for people just getting their feet wet, but there should be no mandatory helmet law.”

The biggest piece of advice Horn can give drivers is to “look twice, save a life.” He also believes that bikers need to ride defensively – always trying to anticipate the actions of cars around them.

Horn has been pleased by the support motorcycle rights groups have received from both Representative Chuck Hopson and Senator Robert Nichols.

May was first named Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month in 1976.