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May 23, 2010

Worldwide Motorcycle Awareness Ride

All riders know that more needs to be done to raise motorist awareness of the millions of motorcycles sharing U.S. roads each year. Many communities across the nation have experienced crashes resulting in serious rider injuries or fatalities due to inattentive, careless or unaware drivers. In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2008, 47 percent of all motorcycles involved in fatal crashes collided with another type of motor vehicle in transport.

On Tuesday March 16 A motorcyle rider on Olive in St. Louis was heading to work was killed when a woman was trying to wake one of the passengers in her car-pool and ran him over.

On March 25, 2010 in Phoenix, Arizona, four riders were killed and five others seriously injured when they were hit from behind by a large truck while stopped at a traffic light. The victims of the Phoenix wreck were members of Phoenix MC Kruzers (PMCK) and Phoenix Motorcycle Riders Group (PMRG) Meetup Groups.

Less than two weeks after the event in Phoenix two motorcycle riders were hit by a pickup truck in Arkansas.

On April 16, In Laurie, MO a motorcycle rider was hit by an 87 year old who turned left into the motorcycle.

These sad events have touched the hearts of many and reinforced the importance of motorcycle awareness initiatives. As riders, it is our responsibility to make ourselves highly visible while riding and to do our part in creating more awareness of motorcyclists everywhere. In support of motorcycle awareness and of honoring fallen riders and their families, ride groups all across the nation rode on Sunday, May 23. This included riders from all over Missouri who gathered together to ride for Motorcycle Awareness. Riders from Hannibal, Lake Of The Ozarks, Columbia, Mexico, Jefferson City, and other towns too numerous to mention all rode to Kingdom City MO to Ride for Motorcycle Awareness. These riders were joined by Mark, the owner of the Hideway Grill in Phoenix (The restaurant the Phoenix Riders were heading to when they were run over by the truck). The Missouri State Highway Patrol was onhand in Kingdom City to help the riders get safely from their staging area and onto I-70 for their ride to Wentzville to join up with the riders out of St. Louis.

From Wentzville 84 bikes, 1 pickup truck and 114 people proceeded back onto I-70 briefly before merging onto I-64. They followed I-64 to the Hampton exit where they entered Forest Park and ended their ride at the Worlds Fair Pavilion. Previous arrangements had been made and there was parking secured for all of the bikes. It was a hot day, 92 degrees (new record for that date) with a clear and sunny sky.

Many groups helped to organize and coordinate these rides led by the Central Missouri Riders Meetup Group in association with the St. Louis Motorcycle Riders Meetup Group. The riders killed in Phoenix were part of a Motorcycle Meetup Group and their deaths not only affected other bikers but Meetup Groups across the country. Meetup.com actually help promote the rides and provided additional PR work for them.

It was a beautiful day with a good ride, for a great cause.

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Victor H. Schlosser is a photographer, writer, and Web Site Designer/Consultant. He writes about Photography, Motorcycles, Marketing, and the Internet, with articles being published both online and in print.

This report © Copyright 2010, Victor H. Schlosser - All Rights Reserved


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