The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration deemed May “Motorcycle Awareness Month” in an effort to make other drivers more cautious when sharing the roads with bikers.
In 2013, 4,381 motorcyclists died in crashes, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website.
“Ninety percent of us know someone who has been killed on a motorcycle because of another driver,” said Misty Hines of McComb, a motorcyclist of 15 years.
“It would be nice if people who enjoy riding as a hobby could feel a little safer out on the road.”
James Thornton, 58, said he’s been on motorcycles his whole life and is familiar with close calls.
“I’ve had people try to merge into me. I’ve had people pull out in front of me,” said Thornton, of Summit. “Noise is a motorcyclist’s friend. If a driver can’t see it, surely he can hear it, but sometimes that’s no good.
“I’m on two wheels. I have no protection around me whatsoever,” he said.
He said motorcycles have always faced dangers with car drivers’ lack of attention, but adding cell phones to the mix increases risks.
Open roads may seem safer with less traffic, but bikers need to be aware of them even more than city pavements because drivers may not be as attentive as they would be to a congested highway or interstate.
“You never drop your guard,” he said.
Thornton’s friend died in an accident on Highway 51 in Summit when a car pulled out of an intersection and hit him.
“It’s scary when you’re out there. We have to pay special attention to our surroundings because cars don’t see us and don’t respect us,” he said.
Debbie Welch and her husband Clifford ride with Thornton in the Southern Mississippi Bikers Group, and even group riding is dangerous, she said.
“When you travel in a group, a driver will try to bust you up,” she said, adding that she feels like bikers don’t get the respect they need.
Dianne Noland, also a Mississippi Bikers member, said the group is more than a club — it’s a family. “When one goes down, all of us do.”
Noland said in her 12 years of riding, she’s had close calls. “Every time we get on our bikes, we deal with it.”
Noland said the stereotypical “biker dude” may be to blame for other drivers’ lack of awareness.
“They all think we’re bad bikers. Drivers don’t care about us,” she said.
Thornton said, “We’re family-oriented people who like to ride motorcycles.”
Hines thinks when drivers see a large group of bikers, they see them negatively.
“Don’t assume bikers are worthless,” she said. “We’re mothers. I ride my 15-year-old daughter on my bike.”
Hines said drivers can misjudge how near motorcycles are when they start to pull out of an intersection.
“When a bike is coming, it’s closer than you think it is,” she said.
Fellow rider Brian Moak has faced tragedy, too. His 26-year-old daughter was killed in a motorcycle accident.
Though he never experienced a tragedy personally, Ryan Rink said there was one experience that made him question ever riding again. In 1999 Rink was riding his motorcycle and his wife was following him in her car when another vehicle drifted into his lane.
To avoid hitting the car, Rink drove his bike through a barbed wire fence while his wife watched helplessly.
Afterwards, he told his wife he would never ride again.
Rink honored that promise until 2007 when he came home from a tour in Iraq and his wife told him she remembered how much he enjoyed riding.
Thornton said he wants motorcyclists to stay prepared.
“Enjoy your motorcycle, have fun and always keep in your mind that someone may or may not see you. Be prepared for the worst and enjoy your time. Watch especially at intersections.”
Welch asked drivers to watch and listen before they pull onto the road.
