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SALT LAKE CITY -- The Utah Highway Patrol says 21 deadly motorcycle accidents have occurred in Utah since May; five of those in the last two weeks.
Out of those 21 crashes, several riders weren't wearing helmets. With the number of riders on the rise, UHP says everyone who rides a motorcycle should wear a helmet and get the proper training.
Motorcycle safety was also the theme of press conference Thursday at the Harley Davidson dealership in Salt Lake.
"We just really want people to be aware of the risks of riding a motorcycle: how to protect yourself on the road, how to be more prepared when riding another vehicle and how to use your protective gear to help you in the event of a crash—where motorcyclists don't have airbags and other protective measures cars have," said Brian Brown, marketing director at Harley Davidson of Salt Lake.
Harley Davidson says it always offers a motorcycle safety school right on site, and officials with Utah Motorcycle Education say they offer safety courses that take as little as 15 hours.
By comparison, Utah Highway Patrol officers get hundreds of hours of motorcycle safety training before ever hitting the road.
