45 people have died in motorcycle crashes over the last 5 years in Berks

May 6—With warmer temperatures drawing motorcycles out of storage this spring, it's not surprising to see an uptick in motorcycle crashes, especially on dry weekends.

PennDOT's Live Free Ride Alive campaign ramped up its social media messaging in March, reminding other motorists to watch out for motorcycles, and for motorcyclists to drive defensively.

The majority of multivehicle motorcycle crashes generally are caused when other drivers simply didn't see the motorcyclist, an April 10 post stated.

"Motorists," the post exhorted, "anything that causes you to either take your attention away from driving, take your eyes off of the road or take your hands off of the wheel is a distraction and puts lives at danger."

Not all motorcycle fatalities, however, can be blamed on the actions or inattentiveness of another motorist.

The numbers

Five people have died as a result of motorcycle crashes this year in Berks County, including, most recently, three in separate crashes during an 18-hour span in mid-April. Each of three fatalities April 14-15 involved a motorcyclist losing control on a curve and leaving the road and hitting a fixed object, according to police.

Of the two motorcycle crashes that occurred in February and March, respectively, the blame rested with the rider, according to police. One rider was killed when the motorcycle rear-ended a vehicle while speeding on Route 12 in Muhlenberg Township, and the other was killed hen he crossed into the opposite lane and collided with an oncoming SUV.

Motorcycle fatalities represent one-third of the total of 15 traffic deaths of all types since Jan. 1 on county roads, according to statistics compiled by the Reading Eagle based on police and coroner reports.

For all of last year, there were 10 fatal motorcycle fatalities, which was 23.8% of the total of 42 traffic fatalities in 2023.

According to the newspaper's statistics, there were an average of 7.8 motorcycle fatal motorcycle crashes annually in Berks from 2019 to 2023. Motorcycle riders accounted for 40, or 18.8%, of all traffic deaths in the county over that five-year period.

Statewide, there were 1,075 motorcycle fatalities from 2019 through 2023, according to PennDOT crash statistics. Motorcycle facilities represented 18.5% of the 5,806 traffic fatalities logged during that period.

Motorcycle fatalities trailed only passenger vehicles and light truck/van/SUV fatalities by vehicle category.

In terms of helmet usage, the statistics show a fairly even split between the use and non-use of helmets by victims of fatal motorcycle crashes.

State effort

Sean Brown, PennDOT safety press officer for the region that includes Berks, Schuylkill, Lehigh and Carbon counties, said it's incumbent on all motorists, pedestrians and cyclists to view themselves as part of a partnership along with highway workers.

That means other drivers should watch out for motorcycles, which tend to be harder to see because of their relatively small profile.

Live Free Ride Alive, PennDOT's comprehensive motorcycle safety campaign, aims to reduce the number of motorcycle crashes and fatalities on Pennsylvania's roads.

Besides social media, Live Free Ride Alive representatives also visit major motorcycle rallies and events throughout Pennsylvania, such as Thunder in the Valley in Johnstown, Roar on the Shore in Erie and the Antique Motorcycle Swap Meet at Oley Fairgrounds

Peppered among posts that advise motorcycle riders not to speed, to ride sober and wear DOT-compliant motorcycle helmets are reminders that free motorcycle training is available at dozens of sites throughout Pennsylvania.

Courses offered through the Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program are available to those who have Pennsylvania class M permits as well as license holders who want to improve their skills.

Successful completion of a state basic or intermediate course waives the requirement to take a skills test at a PennDOT Driver License Center and automatically earns the permit holder their motorcycle license.

Hands-on

Classic Harley-Davison in Bern Township is one such site, offering state-funded courses a few days a week during spring, summer and fall on its large lot outside its service center.

"The nice part about the courses that we offer here is that they're free, they're 100% free," said Kyle MacBain, Classic Harley-Davidson's web content manager and learn-to-ride liaison. "The only thing you need to pay for is a helmet and the riding gear that's required."

Students can use their own motorcycle or, if they don't have one, a motorcycle provided by the program, he said.

"Whether you have your license or if you don't have your license, we always suggest you take the course because you always learn something new," MacBain said. "It could be anybody that's ridden for 50 years and never had a license to somebody who's never sat on a motorcycle."

One of Classic Harley-Davidson's regular customers, who had been riding for decades, thanks MacBain every time he sees him at the dealership, saying, "I can't thank you enough for that course."

Emily Moyer, 22, of Alburtis and her fiancé, Shaun Saltsman, 24, of Kutztown, took the basic rider course in early April. Neither had operated a motorcycle before the class.

"I'm just looking for a new hobby," Moyer said during a break.

Saltsman works in the sales and finance department at Blackmans Cycle, a motorcycle sales and service business in Emmaus, where's he's surrounded by all kinds of motorcycles.

"I feel it's time to get off the fence," he said. "I'm tired of riding with four wheels."

Saltsman said Moyer said they were enjoying the course and their trepidations coming in were quickly assuaged by the instructors.

In the basic rider course, students learn how to properly stop in traffic and move from a stopped position. They learn how to coordinate the brakes, clutch and foot pedal, when to put your feet down and when to pick them up, and, most important to maintain balance, to keep your head up and eyes looking ahead.

Two mistakes nearly all beginners make is not giving enough acceleration with the throttle when pulling out from a stopped position and putting their feel down prematurely when coming to a stop.

The fundamentals of motorcycle riding are counter-intuitive, instructor Emily Dolan said during a break in one of her courses at Classic Harley-Davidson.

"You have to believe you can break the law of physics," said Dolan of Conshohocken, Montgomery County.

The obstacle course also tests the rider's ability to react while maintaining control of the bike. Riding in a line toward their instructor who is facing them in the lane formed by cones, the riders are forced to turn right or left, depending on which direction their instructor points as they approach the T intersection.

Dolan said the general public's impression about motorcycles being inherently dangerous is shaped by news coverage of crashes. It never makes news when a motorcycle rider averts a dangerous situation.

"I've been riding for 20 years and have not been in an accident," she said. "You only hear about when the bad happens. You never hear about when the good happens."

MacBain agreed. The most important thing they stress in motorcycle safety is awareness, he said.

"My wife kinds of makes fun of me," he said. "She trusts me more on a motorcycle than she does on a car because you're more aware of your surroundings.

"You have to see what's on the road. You have to see the potholes; you have to see the rabbit that's coming out that you might not see."

And broken glass bottles.

While riding home this spring, MacBain noticed some red caps and quickly deduced they were next to broken clear glass handles of bottles of vodka, which he safely steered around.