Everyone knows how much we love our bikes here at Banks and Jones. But in order to keep loving those bikes, it’s important that we, along with all the other riders and motor vehicle drivers out there, keep practicing safe riding and driving behavior when out on the roads. In an effort to remind motorcycle riders in Tennessee to stay alert and alive, the Governor’s Highway Safety Office and the Tennessee Highway Patrol set up an event for Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. According to WSMV.com, officials started the ceremonies with a press event on May 1^st headlined by a crash victim as well as the director of trauma outreach and education at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Facts about motorcycles

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2013:

• 4,668 motorcyclists died in crashes
• About 88,000 motorcyclists were injured
• 14% of all traffic fatalities involved motorcyclists
• 40% of all fatal motorcycle accidents were alcohol-related
• “Motorcyclist fatalities occurred 26 times more frequently than passenger car occupant fatalities in traffic crashes”

As of May 2015, 31 motorcyclists have died in Tennessee; last year, there were 121 total deaths.

Staying safe while riding

May might be the “official” month for motorcycle safety, but as riders we can do much more if we practice safe riding every day:

1. Don’t ride drunk. Call a cab to come get you, or ask someone for a lift.
2. Keep your helmet on. Unless you’re in a parade or slow-moving funeral procession, you have to wear your helmet: it’s the law. And it can protect your skull if you fall or get thrown.
3. Don’t cut between drivers. We get it: cars are big, bulky and slow, and the urge to move around them is strong. Fight that urge and stay alive.
4. Use protective gear. Wear brightly colored clothing at night, use reflective lights and headlights in foggy or cloudy days, and make sure to keep your arms and legs covered.
5. Stay off the phone. Not even while you’re stopped, not even when you’re by yourself on the road – just stay off your phone completely. If you must make a call or text, pull over to a safe spot on the shoulder where you are completely visible to oncoming traffic and use your phone there. Better yet, wait until you get to your destination.
6. Be aware of your surroundings. Keep an eye out for other drivers and wildlife, and pay close attention to the road, especially in the morning after a storm: the roadways could be littered with debris, or there could be icy patches or deceptively deep holes filled with water.

If you have been in a motorcycle accident, you have options to help you protect yourself and your future. Please contact the Knoxville personal injury lawyers of Banks and Jones today to learn more.