Motorcycle accidents serve as reminder of rider, motorist safety

OFF THE WIRE,FYI
http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/news/x833264372/Motorcycle-accidents-serve-as-reminder-of-rider-motorist-safetyMotorcycle accidents serve as reminder of rider, motorist safety
Aug 31, 2010 @ 08:46 AM Yreka, Calif. — According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, between 2000 and 2010, the percentage of traffic fatalities resulting from motorcycle accidents has risen by 123 percent. While a string of motorcycle accidents in the last month in Siskiyou County has not resulted in human death, it has local law enforcement officials reminding motorists of all types to be safe on the road. On Saturday, July 31 a motorcycle crash resulted in injury and transport, according to a Yreka Area California Highway Patrol release. Around 1:05 p.m., 61-year-old Paradise resident Ray Stoiber was riding his 2002 Harley Davidson westbound on State Route 96 near Portuguese Creek.
When a deer jumped out from the north side of the roadway, Stoiber was unable to avoid it and struck it with the front of his motorcycle, according to the release. The collision made his motorcycle overturn into the westbound traffic lane. Stoiber was ejected and the deer was killed. The accident left Stoiber with an open compound fracture to his left leg. He was airlifted to Mercy Medical Center in Redding.
A Mount Shasta CHP officer took a collision report from a man at Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta at approximately 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 6. The single rider was traveling eastbound on Gazelle Road, about 2 miles from Gazelle, according to Public Information Officer Susan Withers. The rider was traveling at an unsafe speed when he entered a sharp turn and went down.
He was able to go to the hospital for treatment of unknown injuries on his own, where he called the Mount Shasta CHP to do a report. The last motorcycle accident the Yreka Police Department responded to was Sunday, July 18 around 7:42 a.m. Yreka resident Kelly Kinkey was traveling northbound on Oregon Street toward Lawrence Lane in a 1986 Chevy as Bryon Nieman, also of Yreka, was traveling southbound on Oregon Street on his 2010 Harley-Davidson.
As Kinkey turned left on Lawrence Lane, the two collided. The accident is still under investigation, though Chief Brian Bowles said initial investigation indicates Kinkey is at fault. Niemen reported moderate injuries, including two fractures to his wrist and some cuts and scratches. On Sunday, Aug. 22 around 12:55 p.m., the Yreka CHP also responded to a motorcycle accident on State Route 96 about 1 mile from the Blue Heron River Access point. Jacob Schmidt of Grants Pass, Ore. was riding his 2007 Ducati eastbound on SR-96 at approximately 50-55 miles per hour when a deer jumped from the shoulder in front of him, according to a CHP press release. Schmidt struck the deer, which caused him to fall off his motorcycle, landing on the ground and causing severe abrasions to his hands, elbow and nose.
The deer was killed and the motorcycle sustained moderate damage. In that crash, Public Information Officer Nick Roetto said, Schmidt was wearing a helmet, “which helped him survive the collision.” That’s one safety tip to remember, and Withers and Bowles added further tips for motorists and motorcyclists to keep in mind. Withers advised riders to ride responsibly by wearing safety gear, never driving after consuming alcohol, watching speed and staying out of motorists’ blind spots. They should also assume that people in cars can’t or don’t see them, she said. “Share the road, share the responsibility, stay alert, and use common sense and courtesy while on the road,” she added. Bowles added caution for both those in vehicles and on motorcycles. “For motorists, keep your eyes open for the guys and gals on motorcycles. Most motorists tend not to see motorcyclists,” Bowles said. “For motorcyclists, have your guard up at all times because motorists too often tend to miss you.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation has recognized the need for heightened motorcycle safety, as well. That’s why they released the “Department of Transportation Action Plan to Reduce Motorcycle Fatalities” in 2007. “While we have been successful in reducing automobile deaths in recent years, our progress is being negated by a rise in the rate of motorcycle fatalities – which have more than doubled in the last decade,” then-U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters said in her introduction to the plan. “I believe that overcoming this tragic trend is the greatest highway safety challenge our nation faces today.”
The plan was created to help reduce motorcycle fatalities by introducing new national safety and training standards, measures to prevent counterfeit helmet labeling, a focus on motorcycle-specific road improvements, training for law enforcement officers to help them spot unsafe riders and a broader public awareness campaign on motorcycle safety. For more information about that plan, visit www.dot.gov.
The CHP has also in the past held summits to address ideas to increase motorcycle safety. Ideas from meetings were compiled into a working document, “Summary: A Compendium of Ideas to Increase Motorcyclist Safety in California.” According to the CHP Web site, the CHP hoped to address issues in that document by this year. The CHP also has links to the California Motorcyclist Safety Program (www.ca-msp.org) on their site. The program offers basic and experienced rider courses. Riders can also watch a video entitled “Thrill or Buzz Kill,” which aims to remind motorcyclists about the added responsibility and attention the road demands, on the CHP Web site. For more information on motorcycle safety, visit www.chp.ca.gov/programs.motorcycle.html or call any local law enforcement agency.