Motorcycle related ONLY. Tables not included:

Pages 33-38

MOTORCYCLE SAFETY
OVERVIEW

Since 1997, the number of registered motorcycles in New York State has
more than doubled with registrations reaching nearly 329,000 in 2008.
During this same time period, the number of drivers with motorcycle
licenses has also been on a consistent upward trend with the number
increasing more than 20%. This increase in the popularity of
motorcycles, both as a mode of transportation as well as a form of
recreation, has been accompanied by an alarming increase in fatal
crashes involving motorcycles.

The core component of New York's program is the Motorcycle Safety
Program, in existence since 1996, which provides instruction and field
training to improve the riding skills of motorcyclists.

The program is supported through user fees and surcharges on motorcycle
registrations and licenses and is administered by the Department of
Motor Vehicles at 23 public training sites and nine military and police
sites. As an incentive to participate in the training, the motorcycle
skills test is waived for those who successfully complete the course.
Riders who complete the course are also entitled to reductions in
penalty points and insurance costs.
The number of students trained each year has steadily increased. By the
end of the 2008 riding season, approximately 110,000 motorcyclists had
completed the motorcycle safety education course.

New York has been using FFY 2008 and 2009 Section 2010 funds to develop
programs that will augment the legislated Motorcycle Safety Program and
to conduct conferences, workshops, seminars and other outreach modes
that enhance the coordination of programs and training. The activities
that offer training opportunities for course providers and instructors
will promote the hiring and retention of quality staff. Where possible,
New York will attempt to expand the network of providers beyond the
legislated Motorcycle Safety Program to reach new geographic areas and
supplement the availability of courses in high demand locations.

The use of the Internet and other venues for expanding training
opportunities for police officers are also being explored. The NYS
Sheriffs' Association and the NYS Association of Chiefs of Police have
both expressed interest in developing motorcycle safety and enforcement
programs. The GTSC is exploring training avenues for the Sheriff's
Association which has allocated funds toward this end, while the Chiefs
of Police plan to develop an educational program for presentation to law
enforcement agencies. Both of these projects will be geared toward
identifying compliant helmets, encouraging the use of proper safety
gear, and promoting general motorcycle awareness.

The NYS Division of State Police has instituted a "Traffic Corner" on
their agency intranet that highlights new changes in the traffic laws,
announces upcoming traffic-related conferences and seminars, and offers
training modules for online learning. A pictorial of common motorcycle
violations is being developed for road officers. Once approved, this
training module can be made available online or in an electronic format
for distribution to other police agencies in the state.

The GTSC will coordinate and administer enforcement and education
programs within the law enforcement community that address motorcycle
safety. The New York State Police continues to receive funding for
motorcycle enforcement details and educational ventures across the
state. The Warren County Sheriff's Department received funding to lease
two police motorcycles and six officers have been trained and deployed.
Other police agencies have begun to research countermeasures to reduce
the rising number of injuries and fatalities within their communities;
these include innovative enforcement strategies, establishing motorcycle
units, and training officers in applicable traffic law sections
regarding motorcycles. These initiatives augment the legislated
Motorcycle Safety Program and enhance New York's efforts to reduce
crashes.

In January 2008, at the GTSC's request, NHTSA provided a team of experts
to conduct an assessment of New York's Motorcycle Safety Program and
make recommendations for improvements in a number of areas. The DMV
safety programs group which was assigned responsibility for the
motorcycle program will be reviewing the strategies recommended by the
Motorcycle Safety Program Assessment team. The team's recommendations
include: improved oversight of the rider education program; increasing
the number of authorized training sites; expanding safety awareness
among motorcycle operators; and establishing local motorcycle safety
programs addressing general safety issues, in addition to covering such
topics as impaired driving.

In FFY 2009, DMV's motorcycle safety program implemented virtually all
of the administrative recommendations made by the team. Over the past
year, the program has worked with communities on the local level
establishing motorcycle safety programs in eight counties with an
expected 10 additional programs to be added in 2010. DMV has issued 160
motorcycle safety videos to various agencies from local Traffic Safety
Boards to motorcycle clubs. DMV has also increased the number of
promotional materials highlighting motorcycle safety, and motorist
awareness of motorcycles is part of the overall traffic safety message
in television commercials recently completed by the department.

The number of fatal crashes involving motorcycles fluctuated over the
five-year period, 2004-2008, from a low of 144 in 2004 to a high of 190
in 2006. After dropping to 164 in 2007, the number of motorcycle fatal
crashes increased to 184 in 2008.

Although the number of fatal crashes in 2008 (184) was lower than the
all-time high of 190 in 2006, motorcycle fatal crashes accounted for 16%
of all fatal motor vehicle crashes in the state in 2008, the highest
proportion to date.

The number of motorcycle crashes involving personal injuries also
fluctuated between 2004 and 2007.

In 2007, there were 4,727 injury crashes, an increase of 11% over 2006;
in total, nearly 5,000 motorcyclists were injured in crashes in 2007.

Each year from 2004-2007, motorcycle non-fatal injury crashes accounted
for 3% of all non- fatal injury crashes that occurred in New York.

Based on FARS data, the number of motorcyclists killed in crashes spiked
to 194 in 2006 from 150 in 2004 and 162 in 2005. The decrease in
fatalities to 168 in 2007 was followed by another increase to 184 in
2008. The number of motorcyclists injured also fluctuated up and down
between 2004 and 2007; in 2007, nearly 5,000 motorcyclists were injured.

In a statewide observational survey of helmet use by motorcyclists
conducted in June 2008, only one out of the 2,142 motorcyclists observed
was not wearing a helmet, a usage rate of 99.9%.

Helmet use among motorcyclist fatalities is lower; according to FARS
data, between 2004 and 2008 the number of unhelmeted motorcyclist
fatalities nearly doubled (from 20 to 36). Although the numbers are
small, these unhelmeted motorcyclists represented 13% to 20% of all
motorcyclist fatalities over this time period.

PERFORMANCE GOALS AND MEASURES

Performance Goals
- To decrease motorcyclist fatalities 5 percent from the 2006-2008
calendar base year average of 182 to 173 by December 31, 2010
- To decrease unhelmeted motorcyclist fatalities 10 percent from the
2006-2008 calendar base year average of 29 to 26 by December 31, 2010
- To decrease the number of injured motorcyclists 5 percent from the
2005-2007 calendar base year average of 4,771 to 4,530 by December 31,
2010

Performance Measures
- Number of motorcyclist fatalities
- Number of unhelmeted motorcyclist fatalities
- Number of injured motorcyclists

Activity Measures
- Number of motorcycle operators trained and licensed
- Number of new training sites
- Number of statewide motorcycle enforcement initiatives implemented
- Number of motorists educated on motorcycle safety
- Report on unsafe motorcyclist behaviors
- Number of contacts with motorcycle rider education program

STRATEGIES
Educational Programs and Public Awareness

Motorcyclist Intervention and Education
The nature and operation of motorcycles make them more susceptible to
crashes than other types of vehicles when the operator uses alcohol. The
operator is also more likely to suffer serious injury or death in a
crash than are drivers of other types of vehicles. Educational materials
that bring this increased risk to the attention of motorcyclists are
needed and new channels for their distribution should continue to be
developed.

Public Awareness of Motorcycle Safety
Public information and education activities will stress the proper use
of approved safety equipment, especially helmets. Efforts to increase
awareness and educate the general driving population about motorcycle
safety issues will continue. These efforts include New York's
participation in the national initiative recognizing June as "Motorcycle
Awareness and You" month, PI&E campaigns, and PSAs and educational
materials designed to heighten the awareness of the motoring public
regarding the special safety needs of motorcyclists.

Motorcycle Safety Education
New motorcyclists will be encouraged to complete a motorcycle safety
education course and to become licensed operators. The Motorcycle Safety
Program will continue to foster the statewide availability of rider
education programs and to increase the number of sites providing
training based on criteria established by the Motorcycle Safety
Foundation. A portion of the motorcycle license and registration fees is
set aside to fund this initiative. The public will be informed of the
benefits, availability, and location of motorcycle rider education
courses throughout the state. Experienced Rider Course (ERC) programs
will continue to be offered as well. Future courses will also be
conducted to train new instructors for the Motorcycle Safety Program.

Expand Network of Rider Programs
Where opportunities are presented, New York will attempt to expand the
network of providers to reach new geographic areas and supplement the
availability in high demand locations.

Partners
The GTSC will work with established partner organizations, such as the
DMV, the NYS Traffic Safety Boards Association, and the NYS Chiefs of
Police, to promote local rider safety education opportunities within
their respective communities.

Program Quality
Maintaining the quality of the instructor cadre in terms of skills,
knowledge and motivation is a challenge in every program. To maintain a
high quality program, New York will use a variety of outreach modes to
improve the availability of training for providers and instructors and
to aid in the retention of qualified instructors.

Enforcement
Motorcycle Enforcement Checkpoints
Motorcycle safety checkpoints will be deployed in strategic locations to
check for license and registration violations, non-compliant helmets,
faulty or illegal equipment and other violations by motorcyclists.
Variable message signs and other methods including aerial enforcement
may be used to ensure mandatory compliance with the checkpoint. The
checkpoints may also be used in conjunction with PI&E and research
initiatives.

Officer Training and Local Enforcement
Police officer training on motorcycle enforcement issues and techniques
will be conducted. The training will focus on safety violations such as
unapproved helmets, equipment violations such as tires and lighting, and
altered motorcycles, especially those with loud exhaust systems. Trained
officers will be deployed to enforce these laws and issue tickets to
violators.

Research and Evaluation
The Motorcycle Safety Program Assessment report included several
recommendations for research and evaluation efforts that would assist
New York in improving its motorcycle safety program. These research and
evaluation initiatives will assist New York in identifying priority
issues that should be addressed, assessing the effectiveness of the
education and enforcement efforts undertaken, and defining future
program direction and potential countermeasures.

Evaluation of Motorcycle Safety Program Initiatives
Because of the increase in motorcycle crashes and fatalities, motorcycle
safety is a top priority of New York's highway safety program. In
addition to the state's current efforts, the Assessment Team's report
included many recommendations for improving New York's program. As New
York expands its efforts to address this issue through enforcement,
public awareness and rider education programs, studies to evaluate the
effectiveness of the initiatives may be undertaken.

Scope and Nature of Motorcycle Safety Issues
The development of an effective program to address motorcycle safety
issues requires a clear understanding of the scope of the problem, the
nature of the crashes that occur and the characteristics of the
motorcycle operators and passengers involved in those crashes.
Additional research is needed to examine issues related to motorcycle
safety through analyses of DMV's crash, license, vehicle registration
and ticket files. Specific topics requiring more in-depth research
include the extent to which motorcycle operators are arrested for
impaired driving offenses, the specific makes and models of motorcycles
involved in crashes and licensing issues related to motorcycle
operators.