In an official proclamation, Governor Jeff Landry has declared May to be Motorcycle Safe-ty and Awareness Month across the state of Louisiana.
Governor Landry cited a number of reasons for the proclamation, including the fact that motorcycles are less visible than cars and are often unseen by motorists, resulting in thousands of motorcycle riders being injured or killed every year.
Data accumulated by the Center for Analytics and Research in Transportation Safety in-dicates there were 97 motorcycle drivers killed in 2023. The National Safety Council has concluded that distracted driving has been on the rise, too, which increases the pos-sibility of failure to see motorcycles.
It is the mission of the Motorcycle Awareness Campaign (MAC) to prompt motorists to actively watch for motorcycles, thus reducing the possibility of violating the motorcycle’s right of way. To that end, MAC has recently completed a month-long swing through the state, distributing nearly 1,500 yard signs to over 25 motorcycle dealerships and other locations. A complete list of those locations can be found HERE
In addition, MAC will be holding their third annual Motorcycle Awareness Ride on May 25, 2024. There will be food and drink, live music, and a $1,000 giveaway. You can see all the details by clicking HERE.
According to MAC president, Bob Courtney, “As the weather gets warmer the number of motorcycles on the road increases dramatically. May is a perfect time to remind motorists to make an extra effort to actively watch for motorcycles.”