|
May 2, 2012
Johnson, a longtime rider, and fellow motorcyclists
cruise into press conference
HUDSONVILLE, Mich. – Secretary Ruth Johnson, fellow
motorcycle riders from across Michigan and safety advocates kicked off May as
Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month today, urging riders to wear the proper gear,
take advantage of safety courses and to share the road.
"Michigan has more than half a million motorcyclists and as we head into the
warm weather, we need to do everything we can to be safe—wear the proper gear,
stay aware and take rider education classes," said Johnson, who rode a HarleyDavidson Sportster to the kickoff, held at the Grand Rapids
Harley-Davidson Dealership in Hudsonville. "Car and truck drivers, please be
cautious. With gas at nearly $4 per gallon and expected to go higher this
summer, we'll probably see more motorcyclists on the road."
Johnson said new efforts to improve motorcycle safety include an upcoming
public service announcement, which is a joint project of the Michigan Secretary
of State, Michigan Department of Transportation and the Michigan State Police.
Other advances include expansion of the advanced rider motorcycle training
course into the Grand Rapids area and a new one-day returning rider or refresher
training course.
Johnson was joined by Office of Highway Safety Planning Director Michael L.
Prince ,who said: "Motorcyclists are obviously much more vulnerable to injury
than passenger vehicle occupants. For that reason, we urge riders to take the
state's basic and advanced rider safety courses, to always ride defensively, and
to wear protective gear that makes them visible to other motorists. The best
person to look out for a motorcycle rider's safety is the rider."
Steven Ender, the Grand Rapids Community College president, said he just took a
course to refresh his skills after returning to riding. "I am proud of the fact
that in the past 10 years, GRCC has trained more than 10,000 motorcyclists to be
safe riders through our Motorcycle Safety Training Program," Ender said.
"Motorcycle riding can be so much fun, but safety always has to come first. The
first thing I did when I decided to start riding again after being away from it
for a few years was to take the refresher course—and I'm glad I did."
Cathy Hall, 46, of Norton Shores and a motorcycle education coach since 2008,
said more women are taking up motorcycling. She earned her motorcycle
endorsement in 1994 and has logged more than 250,000 miles.
Hall's advice to riders? "Education, continual education, is critical.
Everyone out there on a motorcycle, you have one shot to get it right. You have
to know how to handle whatever situation arises. Education is the best way to
handle the risks out there."
Motorcycling continues to grow in popularity across the state. Since 2007,
the number of endorsed riders has jumped almost 50,000, to 553,000. More than
60,000 of those riders are women.
Johnson, who obtained her first motorcycle endorsement as a teenager, is
believed to be one of the first women in Oakland County to get endorsed. A
motorcycle endorsement on a driver's license is required by law to ride on
public roads.
Riders must successfully complete a knowledge test and a safety course or a
skills test with a third-party tester before an endorsement is issued. A safety
course is required for 16- and 17-year-olds as well as for adults who fail the
skills test twice.
The Michigan Secretary of State's office administers Michigan's Motorcycle
Safety Program, overseeing a network of 30 public and private training programs.
Courses include basic, advanced and refresher courses for Michigan
motorcyclists. More than 120,000 students have attended training since 2001.
Visit www.Michigan.gov/sos for a list of motorcycle
safety training programs or for more information about safe motorcycling.
Information about motorcycle safety training programs and other department
services is available at www.Michigan.gov/sos or through the
official Secretary of State Twitter feed (www.twitter.com/Michsos)
and Facebook updates (www.facebook.com/Michigansos).
###
For media questions, please call Gisgie Dávila Gendreau,
Michigan Department of State, at 517-373-2520.
Related Documents & Topics
> Photo
1
> Photo
2
> Photo
3
> Photo
4
> Photo
5
> Photo
6
|
Sign up for news from the SoS!