New Mexico officials are urging the state's motorcyclists and other drivers to show consideration as they gear up to hit the road during the spring and summer months.
Legislators passed House Memorial 45 to designate May as Motorcycle Awareness Month in the state with the goal of highlighting road safety. Families from all parts of the state are taking to the roads to take advantage of the weather and the high water levels at area rivers and lakes. Meanwhile, New Mexico is part of the corridor for passengers heading East to West and vice versa.
“It’s job-one on New Mexico roads for both motorcyclists and drivers to share the road safely,” New Mexico Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Patrick Allen said in a press release, KRQE reported. “Stay alert for both fellow commuters and traffic hazards.”
Wearing helmets is essential to staying safe while riding, officials said. More than half of all New Mexico motorcyclists who died in a crash weren’t wearing a helmet, according to state and federal data from 2020, the most recent data available, according to KRQE.
But safety goes far beyond wearing a helmet, according to state officials' recommendations. Motorcyclists, per KRQE, should keep their license current and take advantage of rider education courses; wear protective gear including a Department of Transportation-compliant helmet; obey the speed limit and other safety signs and laws; use signals to alert drivers; and never hit the road while distracted or impaired.
Other drivers should take care to yield to motorcyclists especially at intersections; obey all traffic laws; and signal their turns and lane changes. It's especially important to monitor blind spots before a lane switch and give motorcyclists some space when traveling behind them. Distractions like cellphones while driving also should be avoided.
Motorcycle crashes involving another motor vehicle account for approximately half of all motorcyclist fatalities in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.