#TBT Motorcycle Safety

This photo was taken in 1910 in Clay Center. From Kansas Memory.

As the temperatures rise, so do the number of motorcycles on the roads. May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month and we’re encouraging all drivers and riders to “Share the Road.”

In 2014, 4,586 motorcyclists were killed in crashes, a decrease of 2.3 percent from 2013. Those deaths accounted for 14 percent of the total highway fatalities that year, despite motorcycle registrations representing only 3 percent of all registered vehicles in the United States.

The NHTSA offers the following safety tips for sharing the road with motorcycles:

• Allow motorcycles a full lane at all times. Even though they are small vehicles, they have all of the rights of the road as any other motorist. 
• Always signal when changing lanes or merging with traffic. 
• Watch for their turn signals. Just because a turn signal is on doesn't mean the ride is turning. Some signals are not self-canceling and riders may forget to turn them off. Ensure the rider is turning before proceeding. 
• Check all mirrors and blind spots before changing lanes or merging with traffic. Motorcycles can be easily hidden in a vehicle's blind spot. 
• Increase your following distance to three to four seconds when following a motorcycle. This gives riders more time to maneuver or stop in an emergency. 

Motorcyclists have the same rights, privileges and responsibilities as any other motorist on the roadway. Safe riding practices and cooperation from other road users will help reduce the number of fatalities and injuries on our roads. Be safe and “Share the Road!”

Throwback Thursday: The Kansas Short Grass Motorcycle Club

The Kansas Short Grass Motorcycle Club tour gets ready to leave Larned on July 15, 1913.

In honor of Motorcycle Awareness Month we found a few photos from the Kansas Memory collection from the Kansas Historical Society.

Around 100 motorcyclists from 11 states toured in 1913 stopped  in Dodge City on their way to Denver.

These photos highlight the Kansas Short Grass Motorcycle Club's annual tour from Hutchinson to Denver, which was the host city for that year's national convention of Federation of American Motorcyclists. According to the Kansas Historical Society, the Short Grass Motorcycle Club was founded in Rexford in 1910, and received national attention because of their long-distance motorcycle tours and called themselves "the most famous motorcycle club in the world."

During the stop in Dodge City motorcycle races were held on a two-mile track that drew 1,000 spectators.