Cars, motorcycles can co-exist

In the past, we’ve urged motorcyclists to follow the rules of the road to stay safe.

But it’s incumbent on other drivers to do the same — for themselves, but also for motorcyclists.

Motorcycles, by their nature, don’t have the same level of safety and protection as most other vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports 13 cars out of every 100,000 are involved in a fatal accident, but motorcycles have a fatality rate of 72 per 100,000. Motorcyclists are also at a greater risk of a fatal accident per mile traveled.

In 2020, there were 118 motorcycle fatalities on Missouri roadways, which accounts for 12 percent of roadway fatalities for the year, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation.

We join MoDOT and the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety in reminding drivers to watch for motorcycles to prevent motorcycle crashes, deaths and injuries on Missouri roadways.

May is Motorcycle Awareness Month, a time when motorcycles are getting back onto the roads after being idle in the colder months.

Due to their smaller profile, motorcyclists are more susceptible to being hidden in a vehicle’s blind spots or simply being overlooked, MoDOT said in a news release. Motorists can help improve the safety of motorcyclists by always paying attention and looking twice.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offers the following tips to drivers on how to prevent a fatal crash with a motorcycle:

• Allow the motorcycle the full width of a lane at all times.

• Always signal when changing lanes or merging with traffic.

• Check all mirrors and blind spots for motorcycles before changing lanes or merging with traffic, especially at intersections.

• Never drive distracted or impaired.

We’ve previously urged motorcyclists to take safety precautions, so we’ll just renew our top safety tip: wear a helmet.

It’s no longer required in Missouri, but it just makes sense.