Get your motor running

Head out on the highway – safely

By BILL SHEA, Messenger staff writer
As the temperature keeps going up and the days get longer, many Iowans are hearing the call of the open road.

And for some, that call is the rumble of a motorcycle.

Hitting the highway on a motorcycle makes it possible to enjoy the sun and fresh air in a way that can never be equaled in a car.

Following a few basic precautions will insure that motorcyclists can keep on enjoying their machines without harm, state safety experts say.

Meanwhile, folks in cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles need to beware, also. The motorcycles are out and they have just as much right to be on the road as the bigger vehicles.

There seems to be more motorcycles on the highways, according to Lt. Kelly Hindman, the commander of Iowa State Patrol Post 7 near Fort Dodge. The price of gasoline appears to be just one reason for their renewed popularity, he said. He’s noticed a trend of middle-aged people buying motorcycles for the first time.

Many of those new motorcycle owners don’t have a lot of experience handling the powerful machines and that can lead to crashes, according to Hindman.

‘‘We’ve seen that as a kind of drumbeat through some of the collisions we’ve been experiencing,’’ he said.

Hindman believes all motorcyclists should wear a helmet, even though that’s not required by law.

‘‘There is significant evidence that they are helpful,’’ he said.

Thanks to seat belts, air bags and improved vehicle design, it’s possible to emerge from a car crash with minor injuries or none at all. But in a motorcycle crash, the injuries are significant and a ‘‘fair percentage’’ of the time they are head injuries, Hindman said.

Other drivers need to give motorcyclists the common courtesies of the road, the lieutenant added.

‘‘They are smaller vehicles, but they are entitled to as much of a traffic lane as any other vehicle,’’ he said. ‘‘Give them their space.’’



Contact Bill Shea at (515) 573-2141 or bshea@messengernews.net