(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Transportation and Utah Department of Public Safety are teaming up to promote motorcycle safety.
As the weather gets warmer, more Utahns are ready to take out their motorcycles for a joy ride.
To increase awareness surrounding motorcycle safety in Utah, UDOT and DPS officials introduced the “Ride to Live” campaign. The goal is to reduce motorcycle-related crashes, injuries and fatalities on Utah roads.
According to UDOT officials, motorcycle crashes are 11 times more likely to result in a death than auto crashes. The “Ride to Live” safety campaign aims to educate motorcyclists and drivers about lane filtering and encourage riders to enroll in motorcycle skills courses.
“Motorcycles are among the smallest and most vulnerable vehicles on the road. They don’t have the same protections as cars or trucks, and this puts riders at greater risk of serious injury or death in a crash,” said UDOT spokesman John Gleason. “Every year we see fatalities that could have been prevented had a driver or rider paid better attention or been more prepared. Making small improvements in our driving behaviors can put a stop to these terrible crashes and save lives.”
For beginning riders, the course includes both classroom and range instruction, covering foundational topics for straight-line riding, stopping, shifting, negotiation curves, risk reduction and riding strategy. For more experienced riders, the course builds on and improves skills that include braking, swerving and cornering.