With the Sanilac County Board of Commissioners also declaring May as Motorcycle Awareness Month, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson today reminded motorists to be alert and attentive while sharing the road with motorcyclists as she relaunched the Michigan Department of State’s (MDOS) annual “Look Twice. Save a Life” public education campaign.
The campaign kicks off May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month in Michigan, with Governor Gretchen Whitmer also issuing a proclamation.
As the days get longer and warm weather returns, drivers should expect an increase in motorcyclists on Michigan roadways. Warm weather months are typically the most dangerous time of the year for traffic crashes involving motorcycles. With a much smaller visual profile than passenger vehicles, motorcyclists are harder to see. Because of this, Benson reminded drivers that “looking twice” at intersections and when making left turns increases your opportunity to spot a motorcycle and prevent a crash.
From early May through late September 2021, the last year for which complete data is available, Michigan recorded 1,716 crashes between motorcycles and passenger vehicles. Those accidents resulted in 120 fatalities and 407 serious injuries — the highest annual number of fatal and serious injury crashes on record.
Motorcyclists are also at high risk of being killed or suffering a serious injury in a crash and are 28 times more likely to be killed in a crash than is an occupant of a passenger vehicle, according to statistics compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The NHTSA encourages all drivers and cyclists to drive sober, within the speed limit, and defensively to increase safety for everyone on the road.
