OHS Motorcycle Safety Awareness Event This Saturday Sept. 15th

Event hosted by OHS & Grotto Pizza Milford

Milford – Delmarva Bike Week is being held September 13th to 16th with lots of activities from Seaford, DE to Ocean City, MD for riders of all kinds.  During this time motorist can expect to see more motorcyclists on the roads and the Delaware Office of Highway (OHS) wants to remind all how to share the road safely by hosting a Motorcycle Awareness event at Grotto Pizza in Milford on Route 1 on Saturday September 15th from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

This free event is open to all drivers and riders and will feature many activities to take advantage of including;

  • A Confidence Course set up by the Dover Air Force Base Green Knights and DMV for motorcyclists to test their riding skills.
  • Seat belt musical chairs. To secure your seat you have to buckle up!
  • Tipsy tricycle. Put on the fatal vision goggles and see if you can maneuver the tricycle around the cones without knocking any down.  For adults 21 years and older.
  • Share The Road display. This display shows motorists how to properly give motorcyclist room on the road.
  • Seat Belt Convincer. Delaware State Police will demonstrate why buckling up can save your life in a roll over crash.
  • Milford PD and Delaware City PD will have their police motorcycles on display.
  • Plus a live remote by Cool 101.3 and information and give-a-ways by State Farm Insurance & Bayhealth Medical Center.

OHS Motorcycle Safety campaign titled Respect Your Ride is aimed at motorcyclists and directs riders to www.MotorcyclesafetyDE.org, where they can find information about the proper tools and training to make them the safest rider they can be.

Public awareness efforts are also aimed at reaching the drivers of passenger vehicles.  Along with the Motorcycle Awareness event, radio advertisements are also being aired during Bike Week to remind motorists to pause and look twice to share the road with motorcyclists, which can easily be missed in a vehicle’s blind spot.

Motorcyclists are much more vulnerable than passenger vehicle drivers in the event of a crash.  Research shows that approximately 80 percent of motorcycle crashes injure or kill a motorcycle rider, while only 20 percent of passenger car crashes injure or kill a driver or passenger in their vehicle. Currently there have been fourteen (14) motorcyclists killed on Delaware roadways out of 72 traffic deaths this year, which is almost 20% of the traffic fatals to date.  At this time last year Delaware had lost fifteen (15) motorcyclists on the roadways, which was also almost 20% of the traffic deaths at that time.

For more information on Motorcycle Safety visit OHS at www.ohs.delaware.gov, and www.MotorcyclesafetyDE.org, follow OHS regular campaign updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DEHighwaySafe and Facebook www.facebook.com/ArriveAliveDE and visit the Delaware DMV Motorcycle section at http://www.dmv.de.gov/services/driver_services/drivers_license/dr_lic_motorcycle.shtml.