Motorcycle Safety

As a sustaining member of The Motorcycle Riders Foundation, Juneau ABATE is one of only two State Motorcycle Rights Organizations (SMROs) in Alaska and is currently the only Motorcycle Safety Foundation Certified Training Site in Southeast Alaska.

In general, motorcycles are known to be involved in more crashes per vehicle mile traveled, have a higher rate of accidents due to speeding, a higher rate of accidents caused by alcohol, a higher percentage of accidents resulting in injury or death, and a higher percentage of fatalities in accidents involving a motor vehicle.  (These are trends reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)  As reported by the Alaska Department of Transportation in 2009, 40 out of 32,850 Alaskan auto, truck and bus occupants died in a crash, as compared to 7 out of 206 motorcycle occupants.

Juneau ABATE works to address motorcycle safety through its rider education programs and marketing campaigns.  Juneau ABATE’s education programs help motorcyclists learn to better cope with road conditions, motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists, with the understanding that learning certain skills can prevent crashes.  Juneau ABATE uses its marketing campaigns to deliver strategic safety messages through radio and newspaper advertisements throughout Southeast Alaska.  JuneauABATE also hosts and participates in public events to raise motorcycle awareness and promote rider education, such as group rides and rallies.