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Show Cycle program helps to save lives Bv TOM HARAI.DSF.N You read or hear about it all the time. Sometimes, it hits close to home. Sometimes, you simply blow the warnings off as another seeming prohibition against fun leveled by a society that often makes rules for the sake of regulation. But the problem is real. It can't be ignored. Motorcycles are a lot of fun to ride, easy to drive and park, and extremely dangerous. Last week a young Bountiful teen died in a motorcycle accident. Co incident ally, the Utah Department Depart-ment of Health is continuing its Motorcycle Safety Division efforts to educate the public about the dangers and perils of riding motorcycles motor-cycles inappropriately. The facts are clearper mile, a motorcyclist is 20 to 30 times more likely to die in a crash than is an automobile passenger. Although motorcycles represent only about four percent of all registered vehicles, crashes involving them account for 10 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities. As one might imagine, the largest single injury suffered by cyclists is head injury. Unhelmeted riders are three times more likely to incur a fatal head injury and two times more likely to incur a serious head injury than those wearing a helmet. An in-depth study by the University of California concluded that safety helmet use was the single most important im-portant factor governing survival of a motorcycle accident. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that between be-tween 1984 and 1989, helmets saved sav-ed 4,100 lives of motorcyclists. Utah law requires all riders under 18 to wear helmets, but statistics in 1990 showed that only 22 percent of under-18 riders involved in accidents ac-cidents were wearing the protective headgear at the time of the accident. Last year, 1 8 motorcyclists in Utah lost their lives. Only five of those wore helmets. So the Utah Coalition for Motorcycle Motor-cycle Safety, in conjunction with the Utah Department of Health, is providing high school Driver's Education Ed-ucation instructors with motorcycle and off-highway vehicle safety materials ma-terials to aid in their classrooms. A new poster and brochure featuring a rider's "Code of the West" is being distributed statewide. The "Code" asks motorcyclists to make five promises: 1. I always wear a helmet and other riding gear. Even though Utah law only calls for riders under 18 to wear helmets, the coalition wants all riders to wear them. It also suggests sug-gests a jacket, long pants, boots or shoes and gloves. Bright colors help other motorists see riders as well. 2. 1 have a motorcycle license. In 1989, 10 out of 23 motorcycle fatalities in Utah were unlicensed riders. Passing a motorcycle operator licensing test ensures the operator has a working knowledge of motorcycles. 3. Motorcycle Skill Enhancement Course. Weber State is now offering offer-ing a beginner riding and street skills course and a course for expe rienced riders. The courses are ' available at six Utah locations. Those interested can call toll-free to 1 -800-848-7770 to learn more. 4. Never drive under the influence in-fluence of alcohol or drugs. 5. Never loan your motorcycle to a friend who is untrained, unlicensed, unlicens-ed, does not have a helmet or is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. There are, of course, many who argue that helmets impair both vision vi-sion and hearing, that they are hot to wear and can cause neck injuries. Improvements in the manufacture and design of motorcycle helmets continue each year, and many of the problems associated with discomfort discom-fort from their use are being worked out. Perhaps most importantly, however, is the potential end result. The Utah program wants to save lives and avoid injuries among those whose potential for injury on the highways far outweigh that of regular motorists. Its time has come. - - I r- W s The Utah Coalition for Motorcycle Safety has devised a four point safety program called the "Code of the West." The code will be - distributed to area drivers safety instructors. The importance of wearing a helmet is stressed. |