With so much desert surrounding the Cave Creek community, it is no surprise that many member’s favorite pastimes are activities such as motorcycling. However, with a rising accident rate for these vehicles, it’s important to stay safe.
“In my mind the best piece of safety gear you can wear is a helmet because you can scrape up or break an arm and heal, but you can’t always heal an injured brain, ” Zane Kloss, Sophomore.
A helmet is the single most effective way to reduce head injuries and casualties. Helping to reduce the impact and pressure of an accident on the head. When a helmet is not worn, motorcyclists become more at risk for internal as well as external brain injuries.
According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, helmets reduce the risk of death by 37% and injuries by 69%, in 2016 an estimated 1,859 lives were saved simply by the use of helmets and an additional 802 lives could have been saved if the motorcyclist was wearing a helmet. More than one billion dollars in economic costs could be saved if all motorcycles wore helmets in the United States while riding.
“It’s like playing with fire and one day it may be a serious regret, it just takes one little accident, one little thing to go wrong and not wearing proper safety wear just adds on to the chance of injury,” Cesar Rojas, a motorcyclist.
Safety gear is a necessity. Motorcyclists are 25 times more likely than the passenger of a car to die in the case of a traffic accident. In a serious motorcycle crash, a helmet is the best hope of protecting the brain. Arms and legs should be completely covered while riding a motorcycle, even when it is hot outside. Heavy denim, nylon, and leather are ideal, these materials could possibly save the rider from abrasions and burns. Gloves protect the hands in case of collision and allow for better grip while the boots keep the ankle covered. Wearing bright colors and reflective clothing allow the motorcyclist to be more easily seen by other drivers on the road. Prevention is the best way motorcyclists can assure the safety of themselves. Wearing the proper gear is a big part of the list of things they can do to stay safe.
“As a motorcycle rider you really have to look four times as much, four times as long as the people driving cars because they can’t always see you,” Anthony vergovia, a senior
The majority of crashes that occur are not the motorcyclists fault. Despite all the prevention motorcycle accidents do occur. In an effort to keep everyone safe, share the roads, remain alert and be observant. Defensive driving is the practice of actively reading the hazards that may be on the road and being able to predict the moves of the drivers around. A skill that every single person driving a motor vehicle should learn and practice.