I am not one to tip toe around things. I am not just an advocate for bikers and biker safety. I do EVERYTHING I can to get the word out when it comes down to the topic of "Look Twice" and lane sharing here in the state of California. This isn't something I got onto 4 days ago, it has been a few years now that I have been aggressivly trying to spread the message.
There are a few problems in getting the message out. Keep in mind that I am referring to here in California. Also don't get butt hurt, but I am going to just state the cold hard facts.
1) Many states, and other countries for that matter have televised PSA's spreading the Look Twice message. California does not.
2) On Feb 11 of 2010 California started the Look Twice Save a Life Campaign and it is due to end in 2012. However, I can not tell you the last time I saw the signs on here.
3) The biker community has not done their part to effectively spread the word to DRIVERS. Even though I have worked hard, (it is a job for me) I have realized that even I have not targeted the audience and demographics that I should when tagging my work for the WWW. A change I will be making today. The biker community is well aware of the issues at hand, but here is the question. When was the last time YOU e-mailed a PSA to your friends who DO NOT ride or posted a Look Twice video to your social networking page?
The media is available within the commumity but not shared outside of it. Personally I can speak to my own experiences. I share these messages often, but the friends IN the riding community do not repost and share. But when a local biker goes down or worse is killed, there is outrage. But no one becomes engaged in the EDUCATION of the driver. PERIOD. It's nothing more than a bitchfest towards the driver that last a few weeks or a month then falls to the wayside because the next big event is coming up.
4) California does not educate its young drivers to "LOOK TWICE" or on lane sharing practices.
5) California has the highest mortorcycle mortality rate in the country, followed by Florida.
6) There is no law written specifically for lane sharing here in California and is governed by 3 Codes.
The message to Look Twice couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, as it is not targeted to the DRIVER. So what are we going to do about it? It is OUR responsibility to share these messages everyday OUTSIDE of of the riding community. To your Mother or Aunt, your Grandma, cousin and the young driver. Yes there are plenty of educational videos and blogs, but they don't mean crap if they are not viewed by the audience that needs to see them the most.
Visit my Blog Look Twice Save a Life and please share or write your own message, but please... Share it!
