Iowa DOT News

AMES, Iowa – March 31, 2011 – With rising gas prices and warmer weather, drivers on Iowa highways will soon be joined by more motorcyclists. Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) statistics show since 2001 motorcycle registrations in our state have increased by nearly 30 percent to 170,999 in 2010.

With the increase in registrations has come an increase in crashes and fatalities involving motorcyclists. In 2001, 36 motorcyclists were killed on Iowa highways; in 2010 that number rose to 60. In the last 10 years, there have been 9,287 crashes involving a motorcycle. As a result of those crashes, 481 fathers, mothers, sons and daughters were killed, and another 2,248 suffered major injuries.

Crashes Involving Motorcycles Fatalities and Injuries for
Calendar Years 2001 through 2010
(as reported by law enforcement – 2010 numbers are preliminary)

The increased number of motorcycles is just one factor leading to more crashes and fatalities. With the upswing in distractions available to drivers, they are paying more attention to items inside the vehicle and less attention to the task of driving safely. In crashes with motorcyclists, drivers often say that they never saw the motorcycle. Even when a driver is paying attention to the task of driving, a motorcycle’s outline is much smaller than most other vehicle silhouettes and, especially early in the spring, most drivers are not looking for motorcycles.

Even if a driver sees a motorcyclist, safety is far from assured. Smaller vehicles appear farther away and seem to be traveling slower than their actual speed. The vehicle driver’s misjudgment of the motorcycle’s speed is frequently noted in these crashes. The Iowa DOT’s State Safety Engineer Jeremey Vortherms encourages all motorcyclists to “Be a part of the solution and ride bright.”

Data shows nearly 73 percent (10-year average) of crashes with motorcycles and 60 percent of motorcycle fatalities occur in broad daylight. Riders should wear bright-colored clothing to increase the chances of being seen, since the rider’s body is half of the visible surface area of the rider/motorcycle unit. A motorcycle rider wearing a bright orange, red, yellow or green helmet, jacket or vest has been shown to increase a motorist’s ability to see the smaller vehicle. Reflective clothing or strips on the helmet and vest also increase visibility for night riding.

Motorcycle equipment can help the rider and motorcycle be more visible to other drivers. Since many vehicles now use daytime running lights, daytime motorcycle headlamps are not as conspicuous as they once were. Now, a modulating motorcycle headlamp is a good way to help motorcycles get noticed in traffic. Other motorists are more likely to give motorcycles a second look, and better judge their speed and placement in traffic.  Modulating head lamps conforming to the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (43 CFR 51.108S7.9.4) are permitted on motorcycles in all states.

There are many tools motorcyclists can use to be more visible on the road.

• Avoid driver’s blind spots by using strategic lane positioning.
• Use the motorcycle’s turn signal and signal your intentions with hand signals. Wearing bright or reflective gloves will make hand signals more visible. 
• Alert following vehicles when slowing down or stopping by flashing the vehicle’s taillight, or install a safety taillight system that automatically flashes and then holds steady when braking.
• Install a modulating headlight.
• Add reflective materials to the motorcycle.

#

Contact: Toni Kerkove at 641-423-1675 or [email protected]