Motorcycle safety important for both riders and non-riders
Memorial Day weekend turned out to be dangerous for motorcycle riders.
A wreck in Pinedale on Saturday killed a man and sent a woman to the hospital. Another wreck Sunday night killed a man in Idaho Falls. And just yesterday, a man was sent to the hospital after a collision with a car, also in Idaho Falls. Idaho STAR, a motorcycle safety program, says motorcyclists need to ride within their skill levels and practice.
“People haven’t been riding all winter,” said Shannon Griggs, an Idaho STAR instructor. “A lot of people get rusty. Can you imagine not driving your car all winter and then in the spring time go ‘oh I’m gonna drive my car.’ And so, a big important thing is to go out and practice those skills that got rusty.”
Motorcyclists want to see and be seen. It’s important that they are always aware of their surroundings.
“We want to see what’s ahead in the roadway,” Griggs said. “We want to be using the SIPDE process so that’s scan, identify, predict, decide and execute. So using all of that we want to avoid a lot of what’s going on.”
It’s not just motorcyclists who need to be on the lookout. People driving cars must be respectful of motorcycles and give them their space on the road.
“A lot of cars think that, ‘oh, that spot right there, that’s where I want to pull in,’ you know?” Griggs said. “And it’s not there for them. It’s there incase there’s an emergency we want room to stop, so give us room.”
Idaho STAR also wants to remind riders to wear good helmets and protective gear when out on your motorcycle.
