Working together to save motorcyclists lives
Traffic Safety Pulse News
2020 has been a difficult year, even for motorcyclists on Colorado roadways. With fatal motorcycle crashes up 12% over last year, a new partnership between the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Grease Monkey was developed in September to address this concerning trend by reminding motorists to watch for motorcyclists.
“Since January Colorado has seen a startling increase in motorcyclist fatalities and the state is expected to exceed the number of fatalities from last year,” said Darrell Lingk, CDOT Director of the Office of Transportation Safety.
The campaign urges drivers to use caution and be aware of motorcyclists. As a reminder to watch for motorcycles, Grease Monkey placed safety stickers on vehicles receiving oil changes at 64 Grease Monkey locations throughout Colorado. There were 60,000 window stickers distributed in September and October to all drivers getting their oil changed.
“Grease Monkey hopes getting this message out will help save a life,” said Wes Stephenson, president and chief operations officer for Grease Monkey. “As a motorcyclist myself, safety on Colorado’s roadways is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone needs to do their part to make the roads a safe place to drive and ride.”
With the launch of the campaign also came the debut of a CDOT vehicle wrapped with a safety message. The eye-catching visual depicts a motorcycle crash in which the motorcyclist is thrown from his bike. The CDOT fleet car will be seen driving throughout the Denver metro area over the next few months.
