“I would like to express my appreciation to the general motoring public for their observations of all the motorcycles on the roadways,” writes local motorcycle rider David “Bossman” Barber, in a letter to the editor he recently brought to the Daily Progress. “I would like to express this, but I cannot because, out of all the attempts of the biker community to educate the public to be attentive — to actually realize and notice that there are motorcycles riding the same roadways that you travel every day — we are still getting run over.”

That’s why the state of Texas has proclaimed May Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. The city of Jacksonville will also make that proclamation during its regular City Council meeting on May 13.

Local motorcycle groups Texas Motorcycle Rights Association 2 (TMRA2) and American Bikers Aiming Towards Education (ABATE) will be on hand to witness the proclamation to help the message stick.

We’re calling on all motorcycle riders to attend to show our united front,” Barber said. “The meeting starts promptly at 6 p.m., at the Norman Activity Center, so everyone in the biker community is urged to be there a little early, because our business will be handled at the beginning of the meeting.”

May was first named Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month in 1976.

To Bryan “Nobody” Horn, a member of both ABATE and TMRA2, May is the perfect time of year to highlight motorcycles and recognize their place on the road.

“The month of May was chosen because with the coming of warmer weather there is usually an increase in the number of motorcyclists on Texas roadways. We just really want to bring it to everyone’s attention that we are out there,” Horn said.

He said he’s lost two friends in motorcycle crashes recently, “and neither wreck was their fault.”

“Statistics have shown that the majority of motorcycle-vehicle accidents are the result of an inattentive automobile driver, with the most common excuse being “I didn’t see the motorcycle,” Horn said. “If you paint the word ‘police’ on the front of a motorcycle, people can see it five miles back in their rear-view mirror, but somehow you take a loud, shiny, chromed-up Harley, and they never see it.”

Another attempt to get the message across is the use of ‘Share the Road’ road signs, like the one shown at left. This particular sign is located in front of the trade days grounds along U.S. Highway 69 North.

“Jacksonville now has these at its city limits, thanks to the efforts of the Cherokee Wind Warriors,” Horn said. “These signs should help stimulate awareness among motorists to the fact that there are motorcyclists out there and that the road should be shared with them.”

Horn said more people are riding motorcycles than ever before, which means car and truck drivers will need to be on the lookout for motorcycles in traffic even more. Drivers in vehicles other than motorcycles should realize that motorcycles are sometimes difficult to see, so keep an eye out for them. Don’t cut them off, and give them extra space.

The Texas Department of Public Safety reported last year, 33,697 Texans took either the basic or advanced course — setting an all-time record number for the 13th straight year.

DPS officials also report in 2006 (the latest statistics available), 346 people in Texas died as a result of motorcycle crashes — 63 percent of whom were reportedly not wearing a helmet. While Texas does not require all motorcycle riders to wear helmets, the DPS strongly encourages riders to wear helmets to increase safety and save lives.

Horn said sometimes the use of helmets actually causes more problems than it prevents for motorcycle riders.

“I’m against mandatory helmet laws because it restricts our vision and we can’t hear as well with a helmet on,’ he said. “In one case, where my friend died in a motorcycle accident, if he hadn’t been wearing his helmet, the crash wouldn’t have broken his neck.

“If you take a helmet and drop it from eight or nine feet, it’s going to bust. What good is that helmet? I believe the law should have a mandatory motorcycle safety class for people under 18-years-old and for people just getting their feet wet, but there should be no mandatory helmet law.”

In order to be exempt from wearing a helmet in Texas, a person must be at least 21 years old. They must also have successfully completed a motorcycle safety course or be covered by a health insurance plan providing at least $10,000 in medical benefits for motorcycle-related injuries.

The biggest piece of advice Horn can give drivers is to “look twice, save a life.”

Barber concluded his letter, “All that we are asking is that you are aware of us on the roads, and especially that you see us, because all that we want to do is make it to work, school or on our runs or vacations and return home to our families uninjured and more especially ALIVE!” (See Barber’s full letter on the opinion page in today’s issue.)

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Kelly Young contributed to this article.