June 9th, 2009
With the rest of the month fresh from observing motorcycle awareness month in May, New York State officials have declared June their time for bringing the two wheeled matter to the public's attention.
Yesterday New York State Commissioner of Motor Vehicles David J. Swarts and State Police Lieutenant Jim Halverson hosted a press conference at a motorcycle safety training site to officially kick-off the special month.
"As the weather gets better, more motorcyclists will be taking to our roadways," said DMV Commissioner Swarts who also serves as Chair of the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee. "With more motorcycles on the road than ever before, proper training is imperative. We also want to remind all motorists to be more aware of motorcyclists and to share the road with them safely."
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Joined by Lynne Vandewater, Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) RiderCoach Trainer and MVCC Site Administrator at the training site at Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) in Utica, they reminded motorists to watch for motorcycles on the roadways and encouraged riders to get proper motorcycle training.
In the past decade, motorcycle registrations in New York State have increased by 82 percent to a total of more than 300,000. In each of the past eight years, motorcycle registrations have increased by an average of 6 percent per year. By the end of 2008, there were more than 600,000 licensed motorcyclists in New York State.
