News
Wyoming Highway Patrol asks motorists to remain vigilant and share the road during Sturgis week
According to SouthDakotaRides.com, a campaign by the South Dakota Office of Highway Safety to promote motorcycle education and safety summer riding and the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, about 70% of South Dakota’s total motorcycle fatalities occur during July, August and September.
That statistic is no surprise as South Dakota is host to the largest motorcycle rally in the U.S. Since 1938 the legend of the Sturgis Motorcycle rally has brought people into the area during the summer months, culminating with the Sturgis Rally in early August.
The SDHS reports that 70% of the people involved in fatal accidents in SD are from other states and over half of all motorcycle crashes involve another vehicle.
Many of those riders are returning home and will be out on Wyoming’s highways and Interstate exploring the area. While appearing on Sheridan Media’s Public Pulse, Wyoming Highway Patrol Lieutenant Erik Jorgensen asked listeners to give bikes plenty of room on roadways.
Jorgensen went on to say that although there is no helmet law in Wyoming, he encourages the use of helmets to all motorcycle riders and encourages automobile operators to look twice for motorcycle riders at intersections.
Charlene Foster
August 12, 2020 at 12:32 pm
While it is always good to remind those of us driving vehicles to be aware of motorcyclists, the other side of the coin needs to be stressed as well: cyclists need to remember to follow the same rules of the road as the rest of us, and not cut between lanes, create lanes where none exist, and run up on rear bumpers. I have seen all of these activities many times in years past and find it very frustrating that regular motorists are constantly reminded to be vigilant, but very seldom do we hear a word to the cyclists as well.