Warmer Weather Helps Launch Motorcycle Safety Campaign
DENVER (CBS4)- As warmer weather finally arrives in Colorado there is a safety message geared toward motorcycle riders: gear up before hitting the street.
Motorcycle crashes killed 82 riders and passengers in Colorado last year. More than two-thirds of those killed were not wearing a helmet.
The Colorado Department of Transportation is reminding riders to choose to ride with gear to prevent deadly crashes.
May is Motorcycle Safety Month in Colorado. CDOT launched its motorcycle safety campaign in May which runs through August.
CDOT is trying to target young motorcycle riders ages 18-34 because those riders have the most potential to influence future generations of riders to choose to wear helmets and safety gear.
"There are two different kinds of motorcycle riders: riders who have crashed and riders who have not crashed yet," said Darrell Lingk, Director of the Office of Transportation Safety at CDOT.
This new campaign targets younger motorcycle riders because they are the ones who can help set the precedent for future generations of riders by showing them that wearing gear is not only imperative to protect them from very serious or even gruesome injuries in the event of a crash; motorcycle gear now comes in a variety of types and styles and it can make a statement in terms of their own personality."
To demonstrate how a crash will impact a rider's life, CDOT has partnered with a production company to show how a crash survivor would look if they didn't wear a helmet.
The makeup depicts the most common injuries seen by crash victims not wearing gear, including deep abrasions, face fractures and burns.
VIDEO LINK: youtube.com
