Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month off to a rough start

Last weekend proved to be a dangerous one on the roads for motorcyclists.

Sunday, an Idaho Falls man was killed when his motorcycle crashed into a barbed wire fence in Utah County. The driver, Patrick Killian, was pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger is in critical condition. Both of them were wearing helmets.

Saturday two motorcycle crashes sent people to the hospital. One couple hit a deer with their Harley-Davidson north of Soda Springs. Another motorcyclist crashed his bike south of Inkom. He was not wearing a helmet.

Preliminary Idaho Transportation Department data shows that five motorcyclists have died on Idaho highways so far this year. In 2014, 25 riders were killed in the Gem state.

May is Motorcycle Awareness Month, so we checked to see what a training program and motorcycle dealer are doing to keep riders safe.

Steve Dutcher, the controller at Action Motor Sports in Idaho Falls, said the store sells about 100 motorcycles every month.

“Our salesmen are trained to always gauge the person’s experience,” said Dutcher. “We never recommend a motorcycle that’s bigger than the experience level could handle.”

Dutcher said they then turn customers to another purchase.

“A helmet is an absolute given for safety gear and we’ve got everything else,” said Dutcher. “Jackets, gloves and boots.”

Dutcher said the investment in the right gear is really an investment in your life.

“This leather jacket is reinforced at all your impact points,” said Dutcher. “Your shoulder, your elbows, your back and it just shapes around your body.”

Getting geared up, though, is just the start.

Nikki Egbert is an Idaho STAR instructor, but also a riding academy instructor at Chester’s Grand Teton Harley Davidson.

“There are a lot of people taking advantage of the courses,” said Egbert.

The programs cover how to properly ride, as well as different risks and how to react to them.

“Drinking and riding is a huge risk, not riding with the proper gear on is a risk,” said Egbert. “Even the risks of just not being aware of your surroundings.”

According to ITD, nearly half of Idaho’s fatal accidents have involved another vehicle. Egbert said responsibility lies with non-bikers, too.

“Look twice for motorcyclists, because just because you don’t see them in your mirror, just because you don’t see them in your blind spot doesn’t mean they’re not there,” said Egbert.

At Action Motor Sports, the STAR motorcycle training program is recommended to every customer, even if they’re skilled riders.

“I took the course with several years of experience,” said Dutcher. “I learned a lot of valuable things.”

Egbert said many insurance companies will offer a discount when given a completion certificate for courses like these.