Annual safety campaign calls on public to remain alert during riding season

 Gov. JB Pritzker has proclaimed May as Motorcycle Awareness Month in Illinois, joining the Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois State Police and motorcycle safety advocates to remind all users of the road to Start Seeing Motorcycles.

“We want all riders and motorists, whether they’re traveling a short distance or long distance, to reach their destination safely,” said Acting Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “Warmer temperatures mean that more motorcyclists will be on the road so remember to always be alert for motorcycles and share the road.”

The Start Seeing Motorcycles campaign is important because while motorcyclists represent only 3 percent of total vehicle registrations in Illinois, they account for 14 percent of traffic fatalities. There were 1,010 traffic fatalities in Illinois in 2019, – 137 were motorcyclists, and in 2020, there were 1,193 traffic fatalities – 153 were motorcyclists, an increase of 16 from 2019. (2020 data is provisional as of May 4, 2021)

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