By WHITNEE ICE
St. Joseph Post
Motorcyclists' safety is being emphasized this month through Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop H Spokesperson Jake Angle says there is an increase in motorcyclists during the warm months including May, June and July.
“During that time frame obviously with more bikes on the roadway, a higher percentage of bikes out there, so obviously we’re going to see more crashes during the warmer months,” Angle tells St. Joseph Post.
Angle says May is the perfect month for Motorcycle Safety Awareness because the warm weather brings out motorcyclists.
“May is that time of the year when obviously the temperatures start warming up and then we all know that when the temperatures warm up, people then enjoy getting out on the roadways on their motorcycles,” says Angle. “That’s their favorite time of the year.”
Angle says the risk of injury for motorcyclists is much higher than a vehicular traffic crash.
“It’s just critically important that we understand that from a safety aspect motorcyclists have a smaller footprint out there on the roadway,” says Angle. “They're smaller, they’re easier to lose in a blind spot.”
Preliminary 2020 statistics from the Missouri State Highway Patrol indicate that there were 173 crashes involving a motorcycle. In these crashes, 157 people were injured and 11 people were killed.