Quick Statistics

  • Nationwide 70,000 motorcyclists are injured each year
  • 4,700 motorcycle accident fatalities occur each year nationally
  • There were 35 motorcycle deaths in Utah in 2009, the highest rate since 1985
  • UHP predicts record amounts of registered motorcyclists in Utah for 2010

Case Study

In the summer of 2008, one of my clients was involved in a serious motorcycle accident on I-80 on his way to Park City, Utah. He was traveling around 65 mph when an SUV clipped the back of John’s motorcycle. John sustained serious injuries which required surgery and a two week hospital stay. While John lost full use of his left leg, he is very lucky to be alive. John has ridden motorcycles in the Salt Lake Valley for more than fifteen years. He is amazed at the worsening riding conditions as drivers are now consistently texting or talking on cell phones and not changing lanes properly. As a personal injury attorney, I too have witnessed an increase in the number of clients that have been injured in motorcycle accidents due to distracted motorists.

Drive Aware. Ride Aware.

A unique coalition of the Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS), the Utah Highway Patrol (UHP) and the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) has organized an aggressive three year media operation to increase safety and to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities on Utah roads. Due to the substantial increase in registered motorcyclists and the fact that Utah has witnessed a record spike in Utah motorcycle deaths, Utah public officials have designated a separate committee that specifically focuses on a Utah motorcycle awareness safety campaign called Drive Aware Ride Aware. Lace Davenport, chief commissioner of Public Safety in Utah from the DPS, attributes the early success of this campaign to education, media, and government enforcement.

Education

The Utah Chapter of American Bikers Aiming Toward Education (ABATE) has joined in with UDOT. In 2009, ABATE members gave their motorcycle safety lecture 134 driver’s education classes in 17 Utah High schools across the Salt Lake Valley. 3,800 Utah High school students attended these courses and pledged to adhere to the safety standards and motorcycle training.

Attorney Ken Christensen wrote the book 7 Biggest Mistakes that Can Wreck Your Utah Accident Case to inform Utah accidents victims of their legal rights and options. This book has quickly become an invaluable resource to Utah residents that Ken Christensen has decided write a new guidebook specifically for Utah motorcycle accident victims. This informative book will be available this upcoming Spring.

Media

Integral to the safety campaign was to create catchy media campaigns that would bring the seriousness of motorcycle safety to both riders and motorists. In a joint sponsorship with the Zero Fatalities Safety Summit, DPS and with the ingenuity of local artist Oviatt, they have created a line of ads that have proved to be quite popular and successful during 2009.

Leather Poster girl

Government Enforcement

Former Utah Governor John Huntsman, kicked off the campaign by driving up in his personal Harley Davidson motorcycle. He encourage motorcycle riding and recognized that the goal of Zero Fatalities is a goal that Utah residents can reach if we all work together at being better drivers. Governer Huntsman specifically recognized the Utah Highway Patrol Motor Squad for their following efforts:

  • Participation in 113 special traffic details in 2009, which represents a 50% increase from 2008.
  • Completion of 1128 hours of training.
  • Each officer completed 50 hrs of overtime in blitzes including DUI checkpoints and high risk areas.