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Motorcycle Awareness Month 2023

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May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, and warmer weather means more motorcycles on the roads. We want to Remind Motorists to Share the Road and Be Alert. Always check your blind spots. Motorcycles are smaller than other vehicles and can be even more difficult to spot while merging or changing lanes. Be extra cautious when passing. Make sure to signal your intention to pass a motorcyclist. Remember that motorcycles react more quickly than cars. Make sure that you maintain an adequate following distance behind motorcycles. Be aware of the weather. Inclement weather has more drastic effects on motorcycle riders than on automobile drivers. Help riders stay safe after dark by increasing your following distance, ensuring that your high beams are turned off when you notice an approaching motorcycle, and refraining from passing. Stay in your lane. Motorcycles are legally entitled to their own lane of traffic. In no situation are you allowed to drive your automobile in the same lane and in close proximity to a motorcycle. Inform motorcyclists of your intention to turn. Initiate your turn signal sooner for motorcycles. Many vehicle accidents that involve both automobiles and motorcycles occur at intersections. Always follow the safety protocol for intersections every time that you approach one. Watch for turning motorcycles. If you notice that a motorcycle is driving with an activated turn signal for an abnormal distance, increase your following distance so you have time to react whenever the rider decides to turn. Take a second look at left turns. Before you cross a lane or lanes of traffic to turn left, take a second look for approaching motorcycles. Motorcyclists should always wear protective gear and be sure to use a DOT-compliant motorcycle helmet. For more information on motorcycle safety, visit nhtsa.gov. * * * * * * * * […]

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Can you Ride with a Pet on your Motorcycle?

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ASK A TROOPER: “Motorcycle Riding Dog” by Ryan Janke from https://kfgo.com/ Question: Can someone with a motorcycle permit have their small dog riding on the motorcycle or would that be considered a passenger? We have already purchased a helmet and leather jacket for this lucky pup! Thank you for your response. Answer: First of all, where will this dog be seated and how? I see less issues if you are talking about a motorcycle side car or a motorcycle trailer equipped with a kennel. But if you are talking about on the actual motorcycle with you, I don’t think this would be very safe for you or your pet. If you are going to carry a passenger, there are a few key items to keep in mind: Equip and Adjust Your Motorcycle: A passenger seat and footrests are required by law. Adjust tire pressure and suspension settings for the additional weight. (Do not exceed weight limitations specified in the owner’s manual.) Readjust mirrors. Passenger Preparation: Provide protective riding gear: eye protection, a DOT-approved helmet, boots, gloves, long riding pants and a high-visibility motorcycle jacket. Passengers under age 18 are required by law to wear a DOT-approved helmet. Small children are required by law to be able to reach both footrests with their feet while sitting on the passenger seat. Getting On and Off the Motorcycle: Start the engine before the passenger gets on. Squeeze the front brake while the passenger gets on or off the bike. Passengers should get off the bike before the operator. Passenger Safety Tips: Hold operator’s waist or hips, or motorcycle’s passenger hand-holds. Keep feet on footrests at all times, including while stopped. Keep hands and feet away from hot or moving parts. When turning, look over the operator’s shoulder in the direction of the turn.

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Why UPS Drivers Don’t Turn Left And You Probably Shouldn’t Either

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from https://www.iflscience.com It might seem strange, but UPS delivery vans don’t always take the shortest route between stops. The company gives each driver a specific route to follow and that includes a policy that drivers should never turn through oncoming traffic (that’s left in countries where they drive on the right and vice versa) unless absolutely necessary. This means that routes are sometimes longer than they have to be. So, why do they do it? Every day, along with thousands of other companies, UPS solves versions of the vehicle routing problem. In these mathematical problems, you are given a set of points and the distances between them, and you have to find the best route(s) to travel through all of them. Best is usually defined as the route with the shortest overall distance. Vehicle routing problems are used to organise many things, from coping with more delivery trucks in cities and hailing taxis to catching chickens on a farm. The concept was introduced by George Dantzig in 1959. Over 50 years later, and despite a large body of scientific research, scientists are still looking for new ways to tackle the problem. UPS have moved away from trying to find the shortest route and now look at other criteria to optimise the journey. One of their methods is to try and avoid turning through oncoming traffic at a junction. Although this might be going in the opposite direction of the final destination, it reduces the chances of an accident and cuts delays caused by waiting for a gap in the traffic, which would also waste fuel. UPS have designed their vehicle routing software to eliminate as many left-hand turns as possible (in countries with right-hand traffic). Typically, only 10% of the turns are left turns. As a result, the company claims

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