LAKE COUNTY – With great weather and clear roads motorcycle riders are appearing in greater numbers on California's highways and streets, and drivers and motorcyclists are urged to be more careful to avoid collisions.

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, during which the California Highway Patrol aims to

increase awareness about motorcyclists on the roads.

On May 19 the Board of Supervisors and the Lakeport City Council presented proclamations marking the month to Melissa Fulton, representing the Local 28 Chapter of the American Brotherhood Aimed Toward Education.

The group rides socially but focuses on making sure all riders – regardless of the kind of bike they ride – are educated to ride safely and be aware of laws that can severely and many times, unnecessarily, restrict motorcycling.

“Safety is a concern for anyone who rides a motorcycle,” Fulton, who has been riding since 1970, told the board and council.

Since mid-April, when the weather improved, hundreds of motorcycles have been out on area roadways, said Fulton.

The concern, she said, is that many drivers don't look out for motorcycles. She said she hopes the proclamations marking Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month will create awareness in the community.

Fulton told Lake County News that many riders over age 50 – who were riding a lot before the kids, the mortgage and the job took over – are getting back on bikes. She said they too need to not rely on 30 year old skills on newer, faster bikes.

She suggested they take the California Motorcyclist Safety Program. Fulton took the course in 2001, 31 years after she started riding, and said she was amazed at what she learned. Her insurance expense also was reduced.

ABATE also is particularly concerned about legislation, such as SB 435 sponsored by Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Santa Monica), which will authorize the inclusion of model year 2000 and newer motorcycles in California's smog check program, starting in 2012. The group calls it “the most infamous and wide-reaching assault on California motorcyclists since the Helmet Law in 1992.” Some of the criteria for requiring motorcycle smog checks is based upon a motorcycle being driven eight hours a day.

The state's Strategic Highway Safety plan, which is a road map for improving safety on the state's roadways that all state traffic safety organizations follow, includes an element to improve motorcycle safety.

“Our goal is to encourage the motoring public to be vigilant in observing motorcyclists on the

road and to encourage all riders, new and returning, to get trained," said state CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow.

The same qualities that make California so attractive for residents and tourists alike – warm weather, plenty of sun and beautiful scenery – also make it an especially popular state for motorcyclists.

State Department of Motor Vehicles Director George Valverde reports that California is home to more than 1.2 million licensed riders. Every year in California thousands of motorcyclists are involved in collisions resulting in the loss of hundreds of lives.

Preliminary numbers from 2008 indicate more than 500 motorcyclists were killed in collisions

statewide. In fact, rider fatalities are consistently on the rise with each passing year.

"The unfortunate thing is most of these collisions could be easily avoided simply by increasing

awareness," said Caltrans Director Will Kempton. “With a little extra vigilance, I believe we can

dramatically reduce the number of lives lost in motorcycle crashes."

Officials said creating a safer highway environment is the shared responsibility of drivers and motorcyclists alike. This is achieved by staying alert and using common sense and courtesy while on the road.

“With motorcycle deaths becoming such an all-too-often-seen tragedy recently, we need

everyone – riders and car drivers alike – to take notice and actively work on the problem," said

OTS Director Christopher J. Murphy. "Through education and enforcement, we hope to see a

decrease in the number of motorcycle-involved collisions in California."

Each year, the No. 1 identifiable primary collision factor for motorcycle-involved collisions is unsafe speed, said Commissioner Farrow, who's also a former police motor officer. "It's important for motorcyclists to minimize their risks by riding responsibly, always wearing a helmet and other protective gear and never riding after consuming alcohol."

The CHP strongly encourages all riders to sign up for the California Motorcyclist Safety

Program (CMSP) before beginning to ride. CMSP offers the Basic Rider Course for beginners

and Advanced Rider Courses for riders who are interested in sharpening their skills.

Last year was another record year for CMSP with 70,469 students enrolled in the Basic

Rider Course, according to Robert Gladden, director of Program Administration for the Motorcycle

Safety Foundation. "That total represents an l1 percent increase over the previous year and

brings the program total to more than 600,000 students trained since inception."

To enroll in a CMSP course at any of the 124 training sites throughout California call 877-RIDE-411. The CMSP Basic Course will be no more than $250 for riders who are 2l years old and older and for those under age 2l, who are required by law to take the course, it is $150.

Additional information may be obtained at the CMSP Web site www.ca-msp.ors.