Motorcycle safety key issue with a rise in popularity

Friday, May 14, 2004 | 10:47 a.m.

Easy Rider, take a class.

And watch out for motorcycles, Mr. Fast and Furious.

At a time when gasoline prices are skyrocketing and road congestion is a vital issue for a bustling Las Vegas, more drivers are considering the motorcycle as a way to get around.

But with motorcycle fatalities rising, the state is about to kick off its new motorcycle awareness campaign, an effort aimed at persuading automobile drivers to be aware of their two-wheeled road mates.

The program, which will be launched at 9 a.m. at the Community College of Southern Nevada, 6375 W. Charleston Blvd., will urge automobile drivers to "Watch for Motorcyclists: They Can Come Out of the Blue."

That message will appear on billboards and posters in Las Vegas, Reno and Elko. The campaign is part of National Motorcycle Awareness Month.

The program also addresses motorcyclists, encouraging them to participate in rider education programs, to wear proper apparel including long sleeve shirts and long pants and to drive defensively on the roads. It also warns them not to ride after drinking alcohol, said Ken Kiphart, a former longtime North Las Vegas Police motorcycle officer.

The rise in motorcycle-related fatalities has outpaced Nevada's phenomenal population growth.

The state demographer's office says that between July 2002 and July 2003 the state's population increased by 4.1 percent.

During the same period, the number of registered motorcycles in the Silver State jumped by 6.7 percent, the Department of Motor Vehicles said.

The number of registered motorcycles on Nevada's roads is nearing the 40,000 mark, while nationwide, motorcycles on streets and highways number about 7 million, according to the American Motorcycle Association of Columbus, Ohio.

"Certainly, motorcycles have become a trendy thing -- they've always been a cool thing," said Kiphart, administrator of the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety's Rider Motorcycle Safety Program that during the past 11 years has trained 18,000 motorcyclists on safe riding.

"Motorcycles also are a cheaper way to transport oneself, they reduce traffic congestion and, with smaller engines, they put out less pollution."

But, with so many more motorcycles in use, it comes as little surprise -- even to pro-motorcycle organizations -- that fatalities also are on the rise.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently announced that 3,592 motorcyclists were killed last year, up 11 percent from 2002. Last year in Nevada, 25 motorcyclists were killed in crashes, down nine from a seven-year high set in 2002.

Through the first four months of this year, 13 motorcyclists have died, putting Nevada well on pace to pass last year's toll of about one death per 1,500 motorcycles registered in the state.

Each year about eight people per 1,000 population die in Nevada from all causes, the demographer's office says.

The American Motorcycle Association says Nevada has mandated a more safety requirements than most states.

Nevada is one of 15 states to mandate a helmet for all riders. The state law also requires eye protection if there's no windshield, left and right mirrors and turn signals.

Community colleges have conducted a motorcycle safety program as part of a continuing education program since the early 1980s. Roger Fox, who since 1993 has overseen that program at the school's three campuses, said the three-day class teaches both basic knowledge and "street knowledge to increase survivability."

"Often they (automobile drivers) just don't see us -- they are looking out for the bigger vehicles," Fox said.

"We encourage riders to come here to learn the things such as how to stop quickly or how to properly swerve to safely avoid a hazard -- things that will help them avoid making what could be a fatal mistake."

The cost of the program is $100 for the classroom and driving training over three consecutive days. The college provides the motorcycle -- generally a 250 cc bike -- helmets and insurance.

Students who pass the class receive a card that enables them to get their motorcycle license from the Department of Motor Vehicles without having to take the DMV's written or rider test.

Students taking the course last week said it was enlightening.

"I took this course because I want to learn the right way," said April Thomas, 24, of Henderson, who has ridden dirt bikes for the last six years and says she is ready to get her street license.

"There are a lot of dangers out there. People are not looking out for you. You have to look out for yourself and for them."

Thomas Fedoreshenko, 48, moved from New York to Las Vegas eight months ago. He said it has always been his dream to own a motorcycle and have a motorcycle license, but it was just too cold too many months of the year back East.

"I've learned so much here with the course -- to keep your eyes and head up, to constantly look around and be aware," Fedoreshenko said. "It is a much different world on a motorcycle."

John Paul "J.P." Rosario, 30, of Las Vegas, hadn't ridden a motorcycle in 10 years and felt he needed a refresher course.

"Because of the things you learn, I would recommend that automobile drivers also take this class. It would make anyone a better driver."

Fox said last year, 1,400 students took the community college motorcycle safety training class.

If what they learned keeps them from becoming a fatality statistic, he's satisfied, he said.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motorcycle deaths compared to total traffic fatalities nationwide have been on a steady climb since at least 1997.

In 1997, just 5 percent of all fatalities nationwide involved a motorcycle. However, the 7.6 percent recorded in both 2001 and 2002 and the 8.3 percent last year were the highest in seven years.

Tom Lindsay, spokesman for the 80-year-old American Motorcycle Association, said that despite higher numbers of fatalities, said there are many factors that contribute to the motorcycle death count. His organization points one accusing finger at aggressive automobiles.

"It's about sharing the road," he said. "Despite misconceptions, most motorcycle riders are responsible, and a number of them are victims of the car driver who violates their right-of-way."

After the national motorcycle death figures for 2003 were released late last month, the American Motorcycle Association called for Congress to allocate $3 million for a study into what causes motorcycle crashes.

"There has not been such a study since the 1970s and, for a period (in the 1980s and 1990s) there was a 10-year decline in motorcycle deaths," Lindsay said. "The recent NHTSA report also found increases in SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) and large truck fatalities. So it is not just motorcycles."