Hi Cycle Fishes.

 I have been doing some research for issues relating to motorcycle awareness here in California and I am rather befuddled at what DOT is doing to "Promote" it. I am working on an article that will layout exactly what is going on but it will take me a few days to compile all the research data and get it done.

In the meantime, my questions to you are these:

What do you think the top 5 priorities should be for the state where awareness is concerned?

How do you think the state should promote motorcycle awareness?

Do you think that motorcycle safety and education should be lumped in to one pot?

Your answers will help me greatly and I hope you will participate.

IEDarla~

As a biker I am certainly concerned for my safety and the safety of all my brothers that ride. But I must say, and no disrespect is meant to you or your intentions, but I sometimes find it a little arrogant when bikers say we need to promote "motorcycle awareness" to drivers, or "stiffer penalties for injuring or killing a motorcyclist".

I would think if one was to promote teaching driver awareness it should be to teach overall awareness to drivers. Drivers should be taught to be aware of EVERYTHING around them whether it be motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians, all other vehicles or animals.

Same for penalties when you injure or kill someone. The penalties shouldn't be stiffer for hitting a motorcyclist. You are responsible for all of your actions when you drive... you hurt or kill anyone, there should be a stiff penalty, period!

Just one man's opinion!

I'm sure California is already "overly" involved in the motorcycle community. It's California that is trying to force their emission standards down the throats of the rest of us across the country. It is California driving up the cost of manufacturing of most everything. When I say "California" I'm talking about the government and not the fine folks who live there. (Well not yeat anyway LOL) Politicians turn everything into money making opportunities with no real interest in the issue at hand. And I believe as GoFur, it makes us a bit arrogant when we attempt to shine a light on how special we are. MRO's, not government entities, need to address issues as they arise. Example: You don't want to address the issue (before it happens) of a biker being killed because he ran underneath a 10 bottom plow being pulled by a tractor down the highway. We just might find ourselves restricted from rural/farm roads, or farmers will be assessed greater tax liabilities, etc. etc.

What we as bikers need to focus on as "activists" is that people and governments obey the rules that already exist. Example: The NHTSA cannot lobby but they still try to do that very thing.

As individuals a good many (activists) fight what they see as injustice by being defiant; i.e. continually being arrested for not wearing a helmet. Personally, I'm up in the air on this one; because an "injustice" can be seen in far too many aspects of our society and there are more ignorant followers than thoughtful believers.

I'm getting a bit off the subject here. I don't want to say things like, "you're beating a dead horse" but I will say that IMHO your point or the one you're trying to make seems to be moot. We need to take care of ourselves. We need to be respectful. We need to not only exercise our rights but our riding skills as well. Insisting on government doing something to promote our lifestyle, our safety, or give us favor is like walking around with your zipper open. And I don't like being the center of attention.


Peace

This forum does not allow me to respond to each person under the post so I will start from the top.
@ Gofur. Texas has and does promote motorcycle awareness and has a decent program. Here in California, we do not, it is nearly non-existent. I am not calling for a stiffer penalties, I am calling for education. The DMV has just released the new hand book that does outline some awareness for bikes. But again, it is not enough. I find that the bicycle community has many of the same issues. California is the leader in Motorcycle fatalities.
@Rex Education is key, and that is exactly the issue, there is little to none. So my question is this, Are we going to just sit and watch as our fellow riders get killed due to lack of information and awareness? Did you know that most drivers think that lane sharing is against the law? It is my responsibility to be an engaged rider and to teach those that don't know.
@Jimmyacorn States with the best awareness programs have the lowest mortality rate. Period. I am not saying that our lifestyle is special but for the most part is is highly ignored. Since 2008 a Federal Grant of 25 mil went out. It was 6 mil per state and 7 mil per state in 2009. Since the grant, 2009 was the first year in 12 consecutive years that fatalities DID NOT rise. 2010 stats are not out yet, but they project a 2% drop again. EDUCATION works. Yes we need to be respectful of ALL motorist, but here drivers are aggressive and ignorant of the law as it stands. We insist the babies are in car seats and that you wear a seat belt. I don't think it is too much to ask that drivers be taught about other motorcycles and the obstacles we face on the road everyday. When the Look Twice campaign started here 2 years ago, drivers were pissed.... Bottom line, Not their responsibility to look twice. And they flooded Caltrans with phone calls saying so. Over 800 of them...

Correction: The Look Twice campaign was last year... It began on 2-11-2010

I understand the point regarding awareness and education. If you want some real answers try looking at those states who DO have or have paved the way for the public to be aware and educated. I'm not talking about ABATE organizations or the MRF. Google "Ohio State Motorcycle Awareness" or Kentucky or Florida. Go to those states that have the most registered motorcycles. You'll find most of what you're looking to find. I've been doing this "activist" thing for 30 years and it's been 30 years of conflict and frustration. We've fought for "rights" as bikers, achieved some positive results, and then comes along those who want more; i.e. people who think it's alright to tear up the land with off road vehicles, people who think they need to be given special treatment and provide them government controlled trails to ride. It's all bullshit to me. We say that there's too much government intrusion in our lives and yet we cause that intrusion. Don't get me wrong, I admire your convictions. I applaud your desire to want to do something. But, you're talking to a broad spectrum of bikers here who just want to ride, understand their rights, and live within their "right" for the pursuit of happiness. I don't believe we "don't care". I believe many of us have had enough and honestly, we've come to see so many things as simpley black and white, right and wrong, left and right, that we not only don't know the answers because the questions keep being asked over and over again.

I'm open for more discussion if you'd like to PM me. Politics in a forum don't mix but I'd love to talk through the PM medium if you like. Discourse is cool and it doesn't have to be heated. But of course it gets that way when on forums when there are so many diverse opinions. Plus, I think this is a great topic.

Peace

@Jimmyacorn. Don't get me wrong, I am not looking for further legislation, just simply an awareness program and education in our state that actually target the driver, not the biker. Nothing more. I agree the biker just wants to ride. But we don't want to get killed doing it because of an oblivious motorist that thinks he can make the left hand turn before you get to the intersection or didn't use a signal or check twice for a motorcycle in a blind spot. We teach young drivers the dangers of texting and driving, about drinking and driving, but very little about anything that isn't on 4 wheels. I wouldn't consider this politics at all. I am not one to shy away from debate in any forum. We were granted the money to implement a program, and in true California the way it has been used is curious to me. Dragging a wrecked bike on a trailer to a biker event or trading a novelty helmet for a DOT just doesn't seem to be the answer...

You guys will probably get pissed off but oh well. It is said that 1% of the people stand up for the other 99% that won't stand up for themselves. For twenty years I have been riding and I have been lucky, I have never gone down, Come close and the last one could have killed me. But I keep riding because I love it.

It is clear that it's status quo here and people just want something to bitch about. I will keep fighting for better awareness here in California because we need it and my ass is still going to ride.

You know, I used to commute 45 miles and three counties to work. sometimes as many as 6 commuting hours a day, and it was NOT uncommon to hear of 4 or 5 motorcycle involved accidents daily on the Southland frwys .I can not tell you how many I witnessed and how many were due to drivers that purposely squeezed out a rider or just was not paying attention.

I think May is Motorcycle Awareness nation wide, as it is here as well. Will look into it.

Not going to argue with you ... I agree motorcycle (or rider) awareness is always a good thing, but there are so many contributing factors here that I find it is impossible to quantify what would make a good education program.

Your stats are faulty ... you state that California has the highest rate of fatalities, but here's a stat for you ... in just one year, 2006, California led the nation in vehicle registrations by a huge margin, and that includes motorcycles. Here's that info: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohim/hs06/pdf/mv1.pdf ... and I would imagine that's pretty much a trend for every year. You have one of the best climates in the country for riders, you have a big state and a lot of people.

Here's something I think should be enforced ... not just for drivers who hit bikers, but for anyone who drives - stiffer penalties for drivers who are not paying attention. Hard to enforce probably, but it' should be a first step to cut down on the number of accidents.

One thing to suggest would be: Before a license is issued and before one is renewed, every driver would first have to watch a few videos on motorcycle safety/awareness. And there ya go; another budget increase in California, another tax burden. But it may be the only way. We can't force cagers to be aware; to educate themselves except through a government mandate, which have a tendency to piss people off.


Peace

 @ PCdoc.  My numbers are not faulty they are as reported to GHSA.org Governors Highway Safety Association to which states submit to.  The point is and what some seem to be missing is we are not talking about new laws or legislation or new funding for that matter.  A federal grant took care of the cost and from what I can tell through the documents and reports, California pissed it away.

Didn't California legislate Motorcycle Awareness month (May) in 2010?

As for Florida; I don't know for sure but I would guess that the majority of deaths are out of state riders. The mid-life crisis has caused a lot of folks to fulfill a dream of riding. They buy bikes, don't bother to take the RS course, think they can ride, and end up killing themselves.

May is Motorcycle Awareness and is Nation Wide it was initiated through the Federal Grant & the Strategic Highway Safety Plan. Regardless of where a rider is from or what state they are killed in the stats are the stats. In 2008 35% of fatals nationally involved speeding, 50% of those were solo crashes. In the same year 30% had a BAC of more than .08. So there is more to this than just making the average driver aware, It's getting the dumb ass to not drink and ride and slow down. Also dealers are reporting flat sales to the SHSP stating that most sales were upgrades and not first time riders. The economy has been shown to also have an effect on the decline of deaths on a national level.

Though the Feds initiated the Highway Safety Plan, it was left up to the states. And the California state highway safety plan is just that, a state DOT effort; however it is funded. It is suppose to be a co-ordinated effort with a number of entities and there is plenty to co-ordinate. Distracted driving is one for example. We've tried like hell to get (hand held)cell phone use banned in Ohio but to no avail even though plenty of states have enacted such legislation.

As for statistics; they favor those who create them. Surgeons talk about head injuries and provide statistics on just that. They don't know that over 80% of bikers actually do nothing to help themselves just before impact. They don't know that most T-bone (broadside crash) injuries are not head injuries but wrists, lower arms, and upper thighs. They don't mean a horses tail on a chicken. How many were drunk, how many were speeding, how many didn't have a license, how many didn't have training. The stats mean squat but you did say it best "getting the dumb ass to not drink and ride and slow down". We cannot MAKE a person be responsibile. It's up to the individual. And I can tell you that it takes a personal tragedy before that person will get the message. ABATE of Ohio doesn't serve alcohol at the state ABATE party. But guess what, HAZEN is Pa. ABATE party and they go so far as to actually sell alcohol. How frkn stupid is that? How ignorant and irresponsible is that?

Your last statement: "The economy has been shown to also have an effect on the decline of deaths on a national level."
I just don't know what to make of that. How far outside the scope of an issue does one go in an attempt to prove a (moot) point? Yeah, if you can't afford to ride you're probably not gonna die in a motorcycle accident.

So, your objective is to educate us so we don't kill ourselves? Educate cagers so they don't kill us? No amount of statistics is going to accomplish either of those. Do you want to know what DOT is doing? Get to some of your local MRO meetings and ask them what's going on. They're suppose to know. But then again they might be too busy bribing politicians through the PAC fund or planning an bar to bar poker run.

Peace

It is clear that you did NOT read the reports through the SHSP or you would know that all of the issues that you just made ARE tracked and reported by each state. IE if the rider was drinking,speeding, BAC levels and if they are a licensed rider if it is required by that states law. To say that education would not work, if that were the case then we should pull all PSA for teen drivers, and drunk drivers and to parents that leave children in their cars on a hot summer day.

The economical impact and your statement makes no sense to me. A large percentage of the riders I know use their bikes on a daily basis here in California, It's cheaper to operate a motorcycle than it is a car. Additionally this is part of the information that is collected through the SHSP and the information was collected by dealers and manufacturing who were part of this particular challenge team.

Bikers are going to continue to drink and drive, My only hope is just like the 2 people I knew who killed themselves last year doing so, that those in the future only continue to kill themselves and not others. And frankly I know more about the law, funding and awareness issues than ANY of my biker friends weather they are patched or LE. Of all those I have spoken with (outside of law enforcement} not 1 could tell me what the rules were that surround lane sharing here in the state. NONE, they just knew that they can do it.

Education works, to insinuate that it does not is well...interesting. And I wonder why I am having this conversation with someone that DOES not live in California and knows nothing about rider conditions, hazards and dangers here where a 30 mile drive takes 2 hours or more.

Oh and only hands free phone use is allowed here in California, and we are looking at the possibility of using a phone while driving to be against the law PERIOD which I am a fan of to be honest... And educating driver YES. as a large part of the population thinks that lane sharing is breaking the law and for the most part is why they get pissed off. When they understand it they are more accepting and cautious. This I know from MY experience and educating others.

It is clear that you did NOT read the reports through the SHSP or you would know that all of the issues that you just made ARE tracked and reported by each state. IE if the rider was drinking,speeding, BAC levels and if they are a licensed rider if it is required by that states law. To say that education would not work, if that were the case then we should pull all PSA for teen drivers, and drunk drivers and to parents that leave children in their cars on a hot summer day.

The economical impact and your statement makes no sense to me. A large percentage of the riders I know use their bikes on a daily basis here in California, It's cheaper to operate a motorcycle than it is a car. Additionally this is part of the information that is collected through the SHSP and the information was collected by dealers and manufacturing who were part of this particular challenge team.

Bikers are going to continue to drink and drive, My only hope is just like the 2 people I knew who killed themselves last year doing so, that those in the future only continue to kill themselves and not others. And frankly I know more about the law, funding and awareness issues than ANY of my biker friends weather they are patched or LE. Of all those I have spoken with (outside of law enforcement} not 1 could tell me what the rules were that surround lane sharing here in the state. NONE, they just knew that they can do it.

Education works, to insinuate that it does not is well...interesting. And I wonder why I am having this conversation with someone that DOES not live in California and knows nothing about rider conditions, hazards and dangers here where a 30 mile drive takes 2 hours or more.

Oh and only hands free phone use is allowed here in California, and we are looking at the possibility of using a phone while driving to be against the law PERIOD which I am a fan of to be honest... And educating driver YES. as a large part of the population thinks that lane sharing is breaking the law and for the most part is why they get pissed off. When they understand it they are more accepting and cautious. This I know from MY experience and educating others.

Interesting post ,question & responses,

1. What 5 prioritys? ; ) the state will have difficulty ascertaining even one.The top would be having all drivers undergo some sort of awareness training as part of a more rigorous exam process,add more informational/technical aspects to driver handbook describing different techniques for more aware driving habits.Getting media more proactively involved w/govt to promote more awareness messages.

2.read above,also start teaching the kids in HS the importance of motorcycle awareness and by extension all other sorts of driving situations encountered at an earlier age,also promote the very serious nature of driving a vehicle.also again video tutorials at DMV offices promoting & testing awareness knowledge?

Driving safety education & awareness can be grouped under the same heading pretty much IMO the state can foster a more tolerant public attitude towards motorcyclists,example posting motorcycle awareness messages on state owned billboards along freeways.reminding people local PD riders & public riders can safely filter thru traffic.

The DOT is a govt entity & is only as good as the people that run it,here in Calif they do a hard job fairly well,yet there is room for improvement at almost any level of govt lol

Wish ya luck on that,hope this helped somewhat !

Blur, As part of the safety program the DMV hand book was revamped and I looked through it. There is little more than a blurb on motorcyclist. IN the report they pinpointed 12 action items, but in my opinion they didn't hit the mark. From what I can ascertain, we may not see the Look Twice message on Freeway signage until May. I TOTALLY with your item number 2!

The federal grant gave all states equal opportunity to put in place programs that would educate drivers on a variety of issues, But here, we just blew it, our awareness/education plans fall short of what other states have done,

Not sure how we blew it? The DOT didnt follow thru or never bothered promoting such plans?
W/out some sort of feasible program that isnt costing the dept excess in terms of budget,
Or is it the switcheroo?
asking for programs/plans w/out money to implement or study the programs/plans?
did we lose funding as a result of our inaction by the DOT?
Thanks for the response !

 All states were given a grant in 2008 I put the bulk of the information here 

I linked to the pages with the reports where I found most of my information.  Keep in mind I have been researching this and following it for over a year.  It is mind boggeling the amount of information and how scattered it is. And unless you know where to look the info is not easy to find.