A 25-year-old man from Wyoming died hours after he crashed his …
A 26-year-old motorcyclist died Monday night in a crash with a …
A 29-year-old man died after he rode his motorcycle the wrong …
A motorcyclist died when she lost control during heavy rain …
A motorcyclist died after his bike collided with a deer on a …
Two Coldwater residents died Sunday after the motorcycle they …
A motorcyclist died after hitting a vehicle head-on just before…
A 66-year-old man is dead after the motorcycle he was riding on…
An 18-year-old motorcyclist died Monday afternoon when he was …
Four people were injured Tuesday night in a crash involving two…
A Battle Creek couple is dead after their motorcycle collided …
A Battle Creek man died a day after he crashed his motorcycle …
Two people on a motorcycle suffered minor injuries Sunday after…
Advertisement
Motorcyclists 'need to be smart'
Training classes help riders stay safe
Updated: Tuesday, 06 Jul 2010, 6:14 PM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 06 Jul 2010, 5:17 PM EDT
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Steve Lick knows the dangers motorcyclists faces and made it his mission to train as many riders as he could. He's an instructor at the GRCC motorcycle safety training program.
With more than a half-million licensed motorcyclists on Michigan roads, the possiblity for deadly situations with the millions of cars increases. Lick told 24 Hour News 8 there is more to it for motorists than just seeing bikes.
"You look like you are going slower than you really are because you are smaller and they misjudge the timing of when you are going to get there," he said. "As a motorcyclist you need to be smart enough to know that they are going to do that."
Not every accident can be avoided , but training and practice not only help, but are a rider's responsibility.
"We can't do anything about drivers, they are out of our control, other than the fact that we have to communicate with them and let them know who we are," he said. "But we as riders have to be responsible for our actions. That means you have to be mentally and physically prepared to do what you are going to do."
The GRCC program trained over 1600 riders in 2009. Lick said the training works, and statistics from the Secretary of State's office support that. With more riders graduating from courses like the GRCC offering, motorcycle fatalities fell 17% from 2008 to 2009.
Email This
PrintThis
View Story on a Single PageAdvertisement
Advertisement