Pittsburgh, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Allegheny County Safety Partners gathered to kick-off the motorcycle riding season for a "Blessing of the Bikes" to raise awareness of motorcycle safety during National Motorcycle Safety.
The partners invited motorcycle riding emergency responders and their families to the Three Rivers Harley Davidson to share safe riding tips, distribute motorcycle safety resources, and bless their motorcycles in the hopes of bringing them safety this riding season.
During the event, PennDOT shared information on the Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program (PAMSP) and how riders can take advantage of the recently revamped program's motorcycle training courses tailored for all skill levels.
According to PennDOT data, there were 807,444 licensed motorcyclists statewide in 2021. Motorcyclists make up nearly 9% of Pennsylvania's driving population.
In 2022, there were 3,328 crashes involving a motorcyclist, resulting in 217 fatalities statewide. Though motorcyclist fatalities decreased slightly in 2022, they reached a 10-year high in 2020, increasing further in 2021 to 226. Last year's 217 fatalities ties 2020 for the second highest number in more than 10 years. To combat these numbers, motorists and motorcyclists must work together to keep each other safe.
The partners also highlighted the importance of watching out for emergency personnel who ride. As these responders focus on saving lives, the motoring public are asked to make the responders' safety a priority as well. This includes sharing the road properly with motorcycles and abiding by Pennsylvania's Move Over Law, which requires drivers approaching an emergency response area who are unable to safely merge into a lane farther away from the response area to "pass the emergency response area at a speed of no more than 20 miles per hour less than the posted speed limit and reasonable for safely passing."
The Allegheny County Safety Partners consist of AAA East Central, Allegheny County Health Department, Allegheny County Police Department, Allegheny County Pretrial Services, Allegheny County Sheriff Department, Children's Hospital Injury Prevention, City of Pittsburgh Police, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Traffic Injury Prevention Project.
For more information on motorcycle safety, visit www.PennDOT.pa.gov/safety.
PennDOT's media center offers social-media-sized graphics highlighting topics such as seat belts, impaired driving, and distracted driving for organizations, community groups, or others who share safety information with their stakeholders.
For regional updates, follow PennDOT on Twitter and join the Greater Pittsburgh Area PennDOT Facebook group.
Contact: Yasmeen Manyisha, ymanyisha@pa.gov
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