CHARLESTON — May marks the beginning of riding season for many motorcyclists in West Virginia. It is also Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.

The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) is teaming up with The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to remind all motorists that Motorcyclists’ Safety Is Everyone’s Safety. Motorcycle safety is an ongoing responsibility for all road users. By consistently following safe driving and riding practices and sharing them with others, all motorists can help reduce the number of motorcyclist fatalities on West Virginia roadways.

Each year motorcyclists are overrepresented in traffic crashes. Two leading contributors to this reality are speed and alcohol/drug impairment. It is important to note that, while in years past, riding was seen as a leisure activity, it is now often a person’s main or only mode of transportation. It is essential that riders and drivers both pay critical attention to their driving habits and to each other while out on the roads.

According to NHTSA data, there were 6,218 motorcyclists killed in traffic crashes in 2022, representing 15% of total highway fatalities for that year. Speeding was a major contributing factor for motorcyclist fatalities in 2022, accounting for 35% of all motorcyclist deaths. More than half (51%) of those fatalities were motorcyclists 21 to 24 years old. Alcohol/drug impairment also played a significant role in motorcycle-involved crash fatalities: Forty-two percent of motorcycle riders who died in single-vehicle crashes in 2022 were alcohol- or drug-impaired.

Like seat belts, wearing DOT-compliant motorcycle helmets can save lives and reduce injuries. After three years of declines, helmet use increased from 64.9% in 2021 to 66.5% in 2022. NHTSA data estimates that helmets saved 1,872 motorcyclists’ lives in 2017; 749 more lives could have been saved if all motorcyclists had worn their DOT-compliant helmets.