WASHINGTON, D. C. (Friday, May 25, 2018) –– As 940,000 persons in the Washington metro area take a stage left and stage right for the exits, a bijection will occur on area roads as nearly an equal number of motorcyclists make their presence known in the national capital area. The annual pilgrimage to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is expected to attract an estimated 900,000 veterans and non-veterans alike straddling motorcycles mounted with small POW/MIA flags flapping in the wind. During the 30^th anniversary of the Rolling Thunder Ride for Freedom, motorists must remember to safely share the roadway with bikers.

 During the Memorial Day holiday weekend, waves of motorcyclists, as far as the eye can see, will participate in the annual Rolling Thunder procession to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.   As a result, “motorists could encounter possible delays if operating in the vicinity of this event and may wish to consider alternative routes,” warns the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). With an upturn in motorcyclists in the region this weekend, area motorists should know how to detect and respond to so many bikers sharing the road, advises AAA Mid-Atlantic. For safety’s sake, motorists should also listen for the sound of motorcycles approaching in blind spots during Rolling Thunder Ride for Freedom XXXI.

Tragically, “motorcyclists are overrepresented in crashes and fatalities,” highway safety advocates warn.  Advocates point the finger of blame at the rising age of motorcyclists, traffic congestion, and distracted driving as overarching factors in the number of roadway deaths of motorcyclists. Other factors include alcohol impairment and recreational marijuana and drug impairment.  “In 2016, one-quarter of motorcyclists who died had a blood alcohol level over the legal limit, the highest percentage of any vehicle type,” according to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). “Data suggest that trend continued in 2017.”

“Across the nation and around the Washington metro area, motorcyclists are disproportionately vulnerable to losing their lives and limbs in traffic crashes,” said John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Manager of Public and Government Affairs. “Although the average motorcyclist rides his or her bike between 3,000 to 6,000 miles per year, motorcycle riders and passengers are ‘about 27 times as likely as passenger car occupants to die in a motor vehicle traffic crash, and six times as likely to be injured,’ research shows.”

Watch out for motorcyclists during Rolling Thunder Ride for Freedom XXXI. Motorcycle fatalities soared to the highest level in a decade in Virginia during 2017, according to Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) data. All told, 107 motorcyclists lost their lives in crashes on Virginia roads in 2017, as motorcycle fatalities increased nearly 50 percent over 2016, when 72 motorcyclists died in motorcycle-related crashes across Virginia, according to the 2017 Virginia Traffic Crash Facts report. Of the 1,794 motorcycle riders injured in crashes in 2017, almost half, 830 bikers or 46.2 percent, were age 41 or above. Motorcycle crashes comprised 1.7 percent of all traffic crashes in the state, but 12.7 percent all fatalities.

Approximately 80 motorcyclists, including two motorcycle passengers, were killed in motorcycle-

related crashes in Maryland during 2017, according to preliminary data. Year over year, this represents a five percent increase in Maryland’s motorcycle fatality rate. An average of 67 persons perished in motorcycle-related crashes annually in Maryland in the five-year period from 2012 to 2016, according to statistics from the Maryland Department of Transportation. Seventy-seven persons were killed in motorcycle-involved crashes in Maryland in 2012, compared to 62 persons in 2013. The fatality rate increased again to 66 persons in 2014, 71 motorcyclists in 2015, and 75 motorcycle riders in 2016.  States across these United States are hoping to decrease the number of motorcycle-related injuries and deaths by:

• Encouraging helmet use. Wearing a helmet is required in more than 20 states.
• Training police to identify drunken motorcyclists and increasing high-visibility drunk driving enforcement.
• Enforcing speed limits. More than 35 percent of motorcyclists involved in fatal crashes were speeding.
• Making rider training more accessible, with more courses at convenient times.
• Educating motorists about sharing the road with motorcycles.

Throughout the Memorial Day holiday weekend, Vietnam era veterans from across the country  are riding in Rolling Thunder Ride for Freedom XXXI in honor of their fallen and missing comrades, members of the American armed forces who are Prisoners of War (POWs) and/or Missing In Actions (MIAs).  Motorists can help to make the roads safer for motorcyclists by taking some simple precautions:

• Be extra cautious on weekends, when more motorcyclists take to the road.
• Provide motorcyclists adequate room to maneuver. Follow at least three to four seconds behind them.
• Allow extra maneuvering room in areas with potholes, pavement transitions and railroad crossings. Motorcyclists may need to slow down, stop or adjust their lane position.
• Never try to share a lane with a motorcycle. Motorcycles have the same right to lanes as any other vehicle.
• If a motorcycle is nearby, check your mirrors carefully before changing lanes. Motorcycles may be in your blind spots or difficult to see because of their smaller size.

During 2017, there were 4,990 motorcyclist fatalities in the United States, according to the preliminary data crunched by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). That makes 296 fewer motorcyclist fatalities year over year, or an annual reduction in biker deaths of nearly six percent, notes the GHSA.  Motorcyclist deaths dropped in 30 states during 2017, rose in 18 states, including Virginia and New Jersey, and remained the same in two states.  One of the most common reasons drivers give for cutting off or pulling out in front of a motorcycle is they “didn’t see it.” Bikers can prevent crashes and injuries by:

• Keeping headlights and marker and taillights on at dusk and in dark or rainy weather
• Staying three to four seconds behind a vehicle they intend to pass, checking oncoming traffic from the left side of the lane, signaling their intention to turn, and then checking for oncoming traffic before passing.
• Checking their rearview mirror and quickly turning their heads to ensure the vehicle is a safe distance behind them when completing a pass.
• Wearing helmets that meet a high protection standard.
• Wearing proper clothing, eyewear and sturdy, closed-toe footwear.

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has issued a traffic advisory for the 2018 Rolling Thunder Event. In conjunction with this event, the MPD is announcing there will be several street closures that motorists should take into consideration.  That means “All vehicles that are parked along the route and in violation of the emergency no parking signs will be ticketed and towed,” explains the MPD.

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