JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Northeast Florida highways have proven deadly for motorcyclists this month.Â
Since May 2, eight motorcyclists have been killed in crashes in Northeast Florida counties.
Michael Cosgrove, a safety expert and experienced motorcycle trainer, said the number of deaths this month from motorcycle crashes is a heavy blow to the community, and it shows that everybody needs to be alert and observant at all times.
“Those fatality areas, it would be hard to evaluate, because you don’t know what that person was thinking about when they were riding their motorcycle,” Cosgrove said. “The more populated areas, like Jacksonville, for example, you have to be on your game every second, because anything can happen in a very short period of time.”
The eight crash victims were:
Cosgrove, who teaches safety courses to beginners and avid riders, said motorcyclists have to be ready to take on the road and everything around them every time they ride.
“It’s much more of a mental situation than it is a physical one,” Cosgrove said. “You have to be on your game at all times in terms of riding a motorcycle in order to effectively manage the risk.”
Cosgrove said even with mirrors, riders always have blind spots on both sides of their bike
“We recommend strongly any time you initiate a lane change that you always do a head check before you initiate that lane change,” Cosgrove said.
Cosgrove said the majority of motorcycle deaths are caused by head injuries and simply putting on a helmet could make that statistic go down. Several of the riders killed this month were wearing helmets at the time.