Sue Molnar of West Mifflin is trying to remind
inattentive drivers to look out for motorcyclists.
The veteran rider has erected billboards in the
region to alert motorists that motorcycling season
has begun.
Let's hope her message gets through.
Motorcycle registrations nationally have
increased in each of the past 10 years, with the
number of Pennsylvania bikers growing by nearly
20,000 since 2001. Far too often, a boom in sales is
followed by sickening crunches of broken bones and
crumpled metal.
Molnar is president of the Mon Valley chapter of
ABATE, a national motorcyclist rights organization
that has 8,000 members statewide. The group, A
Brotherhood Aiming Toward Education, wants to
educate the car-driving public about the
two-wheelers they share the roads with.
That could cut down on cycling deaths, the group
says.
ABATE recently lobbied PennDOT to hand out a
leaflet about motorcycle safety with each new
driver's license. The group is best known locally
for helping get the state's mandatory helmet law
repealed in September 2003.
Since then, motorcycle fatalities have increased
dramatically.
In 2001, one helmetless rider was among the 127
bikers killed on Pennsylvania roads. Two years
later, that number grew to 38 of 171 motorcycle
fatalities.
Molnar, who has had several friends and riding
companions injured in accidents with other vehicles,
says helmets are not the issue. Inattentive drivers
are to blame, she says.
Molnar cites a 2003 accident involving ABATE
member Tom Holton of West Mifflin, who was involved
in an accident with, of all things, a boat.
"A guy was towing a speedboat on a trailer and
swerved so the boat rocked off the trailer and hit
Tom, breaking his back, leg and elbow," Molnar said.
"The driver just wasn't paying attention."
The increase in motorcyclists has come at the
same time that cellular telephones have become an
accessory for most automobile drivers. With drivers
distracted by phone conversations, text-messaging
and dialing, motorcycling has become increasingly
dangerous, Molnar says.
To combat the surge in absentminded motorists,
Molnar's chapter erected a pair of billboards with
the message: "Be Aware: Motorcycles Are Everywhere."
With one board on Route 51 in Elizabeth and the
other in donated space at the Green Valley Beer
Distributor in North Versailles, ABATE members hope
motorists will think twice before tailgating bikers
or changing lanes without turn signals.
"We're having a safety and awareness ride on May
14 through the area just to remind people to be
alert that we're out here," she said.
Here's hoping the message is received.
*Mike Seate is a staff writer for the
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He can be reached at (412)
320-7845 or e-mail him at
mseate@tribweb.com.
