CARBONDALE, Ill. (WSIL)-- Motorcycle season is here, and with that comes a need for more road awareness. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 5,000 motorcycle riders die in traffic crashes each year.
One rider, Parker Minckler says he loves the open feel of riding a motorcycle.
“I enjoy motorcycle riding just because it is a very different type of experience when it comes to any type of motor vehicle,� Minckler said.
An SIU professor give tips for motorcycle riders heading into summer.
Minckler grew up riding dirtbikes, and now he’s riding motorcycles.
“Motorcycle riding is a dangerous type of fun. I mean, yes, you do have fun with it, but there are so many different things that could go wrong, Minckler said.
He's over at SIU learning to be a motorcycle instructor.
“The reason I wanted to teach is just because you have to know those finite skills, " Minckler says. “This course is really good at hammering those basic skills and you know, making sure that they know the dangers that are involved with that fun.�
With riding comes risk. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says riders are 28 times more likely to die in crashes than people in passenger cars. Minckler says he has seen some people do risky things when riding.
“You go to any form of social media and you see so many people like doing wheelies and scraping the back of their bike on the ground,� Minckler says. “I mean, it is cool, but it's also just so dangerous.�
Jared Borrenpohl is the director of the Motorcycle Riders Program at SIU. He says a lot of accidents that happen on the road can come from a lack of mental focus.
“A lot of times it's some of the simple things that you forget,� Borrenpohl says. “You get a couple of small things together that sort of add up and cause you to have an incident.�
That's why the Illinois Department of Transportation funds a free motorcycle riders program at SIU.
“There's a lot of people who are self-taught where accidents and crashes happen for lack of skill and lack of planning in the initial months of riding," Borrenpohl says. "And, we really help get them started on the right foot."
SIU has classes for riders who are beginners, and advanced courses for those who want to refresh their skills.
“Even doing that every 3, 4, 5 years really helps you brush up on both your skills and some of the things that maybe you are starting to get relaxed in your riding out there in the street,� Borrenpohl says. “If nothing else, many insurance companies even offer discounts and insurance if you come take our class.�
Borrenpohl says choosing the right motorcycle is important, and over at Phillips Pro Cycle, they say people should choose a bike they are comfortable with riding and controlling.
The shop’s parts manager Eli says they have motorcycles that go up to 300 miles per hour.
“I always tell people, you can ride a fast bike slow, but you can't ride a slow bike fast,� Eli said.
He says people should do some research before getting their first bike.Â
“Make sure that you know what you're getting yourself into. You don't want to do something that you're gonna trade in within a week or you don't want something that you're gonna go out there and hurt yourself on,� Eli said.
Besides education, Borrenpohl says having the proper safety gear is key.
“What you're wearing is what protects you. Not airbags, not any of that kind of stuff,� Borrenpohl says. “One of the key things are helmets, gloves, and long pants.�
If people want to take a class at SIU, protective gear is required.
And after class for Minckler, he says he's probably gonna go out on a long ride.
“In the summertime there are a lot more motorcyclists out and about enjoying this weather, especially here in southern Illinois,� Minckler said.
He says he enjoys meeting new people whenever he goes out for a ride.
