Get Involved in Motorcycle Awareness Campaigns

As Seen in Midwest Motorcyclist Magazine

 

 

As bikers, we all know the slogan, “Look Twice – Save a Life. Motorcycles are Everywhere!” Many of you don’t know how that saying came to be the rally call for motorcycle awareness campaigns across the country. 

In May of 1995, a young man named Lance Malone was killed in Georgia when a truck driver made a left turn directly in front of his motorcycle. The driver was never charged. After their devastating loss, Lance’s parents wanted to honor their son’s memory, and hatched the idea for a motorcycle awareness campaign using that very slogan. The Malone family continues to receive support and donations from bikers, drivers, and corporations around the world, and according to their website (www.looktwicesavealifebumperstickers.com), they’ve distributed more than 800,000 worldwide. 

Since then, the “Look Twice – Save a Life” slogan has been adopted and adapted by many other biker safety groups. ABATE is probably best known in the US for promoting that slogan through various products including patches, signs, banners, and many more. The Michigan chapter recently started selling “Look Twice – Save a Life” lawn signs and banners in preparation for the 2014 riding season, which can be seen on their website (www.abateofmichigan.org). 

There are basically two types of motorcycle safety campaigns. A few campaigns are aimed at biker education and safety training. Last year, the Michigan State Police used Federal funds for their “Ride Safe to Ride Again” campaign, which was geared towards getting riders to improve their riding skills for a safer season. Rather than focusing on driver education, the “Ride Safe to Ride Again” program’s website states, “The best person to look out for you is you. Ride safe so you can ride again.”

Most campaigns, on the other hand, are geared towards motor-vehicle driver education and awareness. While groups like ABATE agree that safe riding will increase your chances of staying alive, most take the position that the emphasis needs to be getting drivers to be on the lookout for and drive safely around bikers. Without driver awareness, there is no safe riding. 

I created my own awareness campaign several years ago, using “Watch for Motorcycles” as the slogan. It’s short and sweet, but it gets the message across. Part of my focus is to try to prevent motorcycle accidents, largely through motorcycle awareness campaigns. A portion of our fees goes towards accident prevention, and so far, we've given out over 30,000 bumper stickers, hosted several billboards, and always have an awareness blitz in May, during Motorcycle Awareness Month. 

While my own “Watch for Motorcycles” slogan is my favorite, here are a few others you may or may not be familiar with:

• Motorcyclists are Dying to Be Seen

• Let’s NOT Meet By Accident! (ABATE)

• 4 Deadly Words: “I didn’t see him” (Motorcycle Safety Foundation)

I recently came across a new take on motorcycle awareness: the Count Motorcycles game. The game, which was officially launched last year, awards points to drivers and their passengers for each motorcycle they see. It’s a lot like “Punch-buggy”, which most of us played with friends and siblings growing up. The creator, Dave Accetta, didn’t want to focus on motorcycle crash statistics or placing blame on drivers. Instead, he wanted to find a fun and easy way to encourage motor-vehicle occupants to start actively looking for motorcycles. The game’s website, www.countmotorcycles.com, lays out the rules, points, and offers some tips for drivers and passengers on how best to spot motorcyclists. There’s even an “advanced” level of the game for playing at night, in bad weather, or when they encounter a group of riders. Even if you don’t play the game, if drivers made it a point to count bikers each time they went out in their vehicles, the roads would probably be a lot safer. 

Getting the message out there to drivers is a tricky task, and it’s up to all of us as bikers to get involved. Support your local motorcycle safety groups. Get a bumper sticker, or a lawn sign, and display it. Write to your State Representatives and ask them what they’re doing to help keep bikers safe. Talk to people. Join our Facebook group, and start “liking” and “sharing” safety information that we post. Follow our blog and spread the word. It’s one thing to say we need more drivers to watch for motorcycles. It’s another to actually do something to help spread the word. Most of all, when you drive, “Watch for Motorcycles!” 

 

Attorney Jason A. Waechter is a national attorney specializing in the areas of motorcycle and motor vehicle injury litigation. Mr. Waechter has collected millions of dollars in settlements, awards and verdicts for his motorcycle clients over the past 20 years.  Jason feels a duty to give back to his community. A portion of each case settled goes to educational resources for bikers, funds to help bikers while their cases are being litigated and our motorcycle accident prevention campaign.  Call Attorney Jason Waechter toll free at 1-877-BIKER LAW. Or visit www.TheMotorcycleLawyer.com