Motorcycle advocates share safety awareness amid the rise of accidents

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A tragic motorcycle accident in Clifton Park on Wednesday has become another reminder of how important it is for both drivers and riders to share the road responsibly.

Andrew Liuzzi, President of the New York chapter of the American Bikers Aim Towards Education (ABATE), is an advocate trying to help prevent these types of crashes from happening.

“The Safety Board says there is a 6% -8% increase in crashes and fatalities in New York State. And sadly, I believe that number is considerably higher,” he said.

Liuzzi believes that number may be as high as 20%.

“Lane changing sensors that tell you that there’s no one beside you don’t always pick up motorcycles, unfortunately. People need to turn their heads,” he said.

From automatic lane detectors, brakes, and rearview cameras, Liuzzi says there is still room for human error.

One commuter agreed that drivers should be more careful on the road.

“You can wait for that little light to come on to show someone is coming up in your mirror, but you 100% being sure you’re looking over to make sure that no one is there,” Mark Tomala said. “As far as the motorcycle. Yeah, I will give them credit that we do watch out for them, but at the same token, they have to be safer as well.”

While the recent incidents do not indicate reckless riding, Stuart Ginsburg, co-owner of Brunswick Harley-Davidson, says that if you bike, you must do it safely.

“If you wanna race if you wanna wheelie and do stunts…that’s fine and good. Pick a parking lot. Go to a race track. Don’t do it in traffic. Cars aren’t expecting it, and it could end badly,” he said.

Split-lane driving is another issue. It may be legal in other states but not here in New York. The shop also recommends that all riders wear full-face helmets….and, most importantly, whether you are in a car or are on a bike- to always pay attention to your surroundings.

“People need to understand that we share the road,” Liuzzi said. “You know we’re all out there trying to do what we do. And you just need to pay attention at all times and don’t rely so heavily on your autonomous things in your car.”