May is Motorcycle Awareness Month and the local God’s Country Chapter of A.B.A.T.E. (Alliance of Bikers Aimed Toward Education) is kicking into high gear to spread the word about biking safety.
The group will hold a public information session on motorcycle awareness starting at 1 p.m. Sunday at the American Legion Club, 22 Pine St., Bradford, followed by a group ride to the Zippo/Case Museum on Congress Street.
The keynote speaker will be Andy Kelly, the Pennsylvania representative of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation, a membership-based national motorcyclists’ rights organization with headquarters in Washington.
“The purpose of the meeting is to help raise the motoring public’s awareness of the motorcycles that share the road with them,” said Dan Karrasch, spokesperson for God’s Country Chapter of A.B.A.T.E. “You do not have to be a motorcyclist to attend.”
Karrasch said a few of the key topics will include diligence in watching for motorcyclists and urging against texting while driving and tailgating.
“‘I didn’t see the bike’ is the number one thing uttered after a motorcycle versus car accident,” he said. “Something that might be a small scratch or dent to a car is many times a tragedy to a motorcyclist.
“The biggest things we want to take away is the advice to ‘look twice, save a life’ and to put the phone down no matter how good a multi-tasker you think you are,” Karrasch continued. “Most texters take their eyes off the road for at least five seconds — that is the same, at 55 mph, as driving the length of a football field. It can wait.”
He related a statistic from the Hurt Report showing the most common cause for a motorcycle accident is another vehicle violating the motorcyclists’ space.
“The advice for motorists is that there are other users out there that depend on you to be as aware of them as they are of you,” Karrasch said. “Please look twice — look left, right, then left again— and put the phone down.
“Don’t tailgate us as we stop a little faster than you can. We also move faster than you think we are due to our visual size,” he explained. “And please do not try to share our lane — we move around in our lane space due to visibility and lane conditions.”
Karrasch said safety is not a one-way street — precautions apply to motorcyclists as much as motorists as they share the road.
“Motorcyclists have a good share of responsibility here also,” he said, telling bikers to “ride like (they) are invisible.”
Conspicuity, being seen, is a key component to a biker’s safety, according to Karrasch.
“Make sure you are clear before you turn, make sure your lighting system working right, don’t ‘force the pass’ when riding, don’t tailgate, ride where a driver can see you — just like the truckers say — ‘If you can’t see me, I cannot see you,’ great advice,” he said.
“Be visible in your attire — reflective vests, strip on your bike or gear are good things or run your high beam during daylight hours,” Karrasch said. “Get educated, slow down, don’t drink and ride. Those, by the way, are the three biggest killers of motorcyclists.”
In related news, the Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program is now offering free motorcycle safety classes at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.
Students who successfully complete the course will receive a motorcycle license from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
A motorcycle permit is required to register for classes and can be obtained at the PennDOT License Center. Class schedules are available online at www.pamsp.com.
Karrasch said God’s Country and Endless Mountain chapters of A.B.A.T.E. will also hold a benefit run for Community Nurses Hospice from 10 a.m. to noon June 6.
Registration for all street legal vehicles will be at the Moose Club in Emporium and the run will end at the Eagles Club in St. Marys, where food will be provided. The run will be held rain or shine and costs $15 per rider and $5 per passenger.
God’s Country Chapter of A.B.A.T.E. meetings are held at noon the third Sunday of every month at the Park Hotel in Port Allegany. A.B.A.T.E. of Pennsylvania is an organization of motorcyclists dedicated to the protection of the individual rights of motorcyclists through political change, public education and charitable works.
As part of this mission, the group is also active in the elimination of unfair legislation as it concerns motorcyclists; promoting motorcycle safety through both motorist and rider education; and improving the image of motorcyclists to the general public.
A.B.A.T.E. of PA has a program, Operation Save A Life (OSAL), where an OSAL educator will come to any gathering of the motoring public to present a program to help raise motorcycle awareness.
“It takes about an hour and can be tailored to the group,” Karrasch said, encouraging anyone who is interested in hosting “a new and different safety meeting” to contact him at 814-368-5254 or email at danieljkarrasch@gmail.com.
