May is Motorcycle Awareness month and a time for ALL RIDERS to work to get the awareness out to the driving community. Yesterday I was asked to participate in a CDOT campaign focused on helmet use by riders. Riding will always be about Freedom of the Ride, and individual choice, but it is clear that we riders cannot STOP drivers from driving distracted, we cannot STOP drivers from texting & driving.
While listening to the speakers, I was overwhelmed to hear that motorcycle fatalities were up 33%. That means in real numbers that 137 motorcycle riders died on their bikes in 2020, up from 103 the previous year. This is the largest number of motorcycle fatalities EVER in the state of Colorado.
I began to wonder as I was standing there, what can I do when I get on the bike and go out for a ride to ensure that I get home safe or survive if I get into an accident and the answer that kept coming into my mind was WEAR MY HELMET each time I ride.
This will not be the answer that many will want to hear, but the reality is that I have a family to come home to, I am a wife, mother and grandmother who wants to see my grandchildren grow up. I will make the PLEDGE today to never get on my bike without putting my safety gear on to give me a better chance of surviving in the event of an accident.
I am pleased to announce that Colorado Rider News will be working with BikerDown and Rider Justice to implement a helmet giveaway each month to those that might not be able to afford a new helmet or would like to upgrade to a better helmet. See the ad in this issue of CRN to learn how you sign up for a chance to win a new helmet! Rider Justice will also work with Rocky Mountain Harley-Davidson to size and evaluate the type of helmet a rider wants to ride with. We thank all of the sponsors of this program.
4 years ago, Colorado Rider News was launched because our community had lost 2 of our publications in Colorado devoted to motorcycle riding. Publishing this publication isn’t easy and takes tremendous commitment. CRN with the help of many of our advertisers has grown in distribution and our success is because we have focused on biker owned businesses and all things Colorado.
We will premiering Motorcycle Rider News in the Las Vegas community in June of this year to continue that message and giving Vegas motorcycle riders a voice in the community. Wish us Luck!
Laurie Montoya
Publisher
Colorado Rider News
Publisher, Colorado Rider News