TRAVERSE CITY — “In motorcycling dress for the slide and not the ride. Which means that you might not be as comfortable riding the motorcycle, but you have protective gear in case you do go down on the motorcycle,” said Traverse City Police Department patrol sergeant Kyle Hometh.
The National Highway Safety Administration’s most recent numbers from 2023 show how there were a little more than 3,000 motorcycle crashes in Michigan that year, resulting in 165 deaths.
Wednesday morning, A 27- year old Mount Pleasant motorcyclist died.
Police said the driver of a truck did not yield at a yield sign hitting the motorcycle rider near Bromfield street.
That crash is currently under investigation.
That accident and the many others pose a significant question regarding motorcycle safety.
Spring and summer mean a lot of motorcyclists hitting the road.
According to the Motorcycle Safety Administration, the chances of accidents are much higher for those on two wheels.
Michigan state police trooper Campbell said one of the major reasons is that car drivers are not looking for motorcycles.
“A lot of times in the a-pillar of the vehicles, kind of where your door meets your windshield, is a common blind spot for motorcycles. They are much smaller than a passenger vehicle, so they could potentially get lost in that area. That’s why we encourage people to look twice, because your sight of motorcycles may have changed from the last time you looked,” said Campbell.
Another issue resides on the motorcyclists end.
“We like to recommend that people put together an equipment checklist. Make sure your looking at your tires and breaks, the motorcycle controls themselves and all your oil and other fluids. Make sure that the motorcycle is properly maintained and safe to be ridden,” said Campbell.
And while Michigan law does not require helmets for everyone riding a motorcycle, Aubrey Honeycutt from classic motor sports said helmets can reduce injury if you happen to take an unexpected dive.
She also said its imperative to know the difference between helmets.
“Many of our helmets are equipped with a MIPS technology, and what MIPS is, is when you’re in an impact, your brain can move in all sorts of directions, It’s not just a forward and back direction. With the MIPS technology, we have this shell out here that can move around and and absorb all of those different types of directions. It puts so much less strain on the brain, the head, neck and shoulders. It really helps absorb a lot of the impact from different directions that you wouldn’t necessarily think of instead of just a forward and back hit.”
Over at the Traverse City Police Department Kyle Hometh said intersections are where he sees the majority of motorcycle crashes.
Here’s what drivers can do to reduce risk.
“Always at an intersection look twice, make sure your not just looking for vehicles but for motorcycles as well.”