CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – With a total of 97 accidents involving motorcycles so far in 2022, Clarksville Police are urging all drivers – on motorcycles and in cars – to slow down and exercise caution.
August in particular has seen a spike in wrecks. “For the month of August, there have been a total of 13 crashes involving motorcycles; eight of those crashes had at least one injury reported, and two crashes involved a fatality,” said CPD spokesman Scott Beaubien.
Beaubien said many factors contribute to motor vehicle crashes, including distracted driving, speeding, unsafe lane changes, improper turns, and failure to yield the right of way.
Preventing wrecks
John Massey, self-proclaimed motorcycle enthusiast and salesman at Appleton Harley-Davidson, said to prevent motorcycle wrecks, first and foremost riders must have a sense of situational awareness.
“That means knowing what is happening in front of you and what is going on behind you,” he told Clarksville Now.
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“I have been riding personally for over 20 years,” he said. “I have been in this area since 2018 and have ridden all over this area. A lot of the riders around here are young with not a lot of experience under their belt.”
He said a lot of the riders he sees are young guys in the military who love to ride but have little to no experience.
“They ride because they love it, and to them it is therapeutic,” he added.
Massey said everyone has a different comfort level on two wheels. “What it boils down to is knowing your motorcycle,” he said.
Causes of motorcycle wrecks
The most common cause of motorcycle accidents, Massey said, is the left-hand turn.
“It’s basically when a car is turning left at a side street or intersection. By the time the driver looks left to right then back to left again, that car or motorcycle they didn’t see the first time is there, but at this point most drivers already have the car in motion; that motorcycle is already there. That motorcyclist may also be driving at an increased rate of speed,” he added.
“A lot of the accidents that happen around here are at those left-hand turns where cars are pulling out of businesses,” he said.
Massey said it was just a short time ago when he lost a friend to a motorcycle wreck. “I had a close friend of mine who passed away at an accident that occurred at Peacher’s Mill and Tiny Town Road,” he said.
He encourages all people who drive motorcycles – whether a beginner, or a seasoned rider – to take a class.
“The Motorcycle Safety Foundation offers basic riders’ courses. These are designed to take someone who has no knowledge or experience and in three days teaches them the fundamentals such as safety and evasion. Basically, the rules of the road,” he said.
Instructional courses
Keith Roberts is one of those instructors. “We teach the beginner rider class and the advanced rider class,” Roberts told Clarksville Now.
He said two of the most important lessons on how to safely operate a motorcycle are knowing how to brake properly and knowing how to practice.
“This means being on your A-game,” he said. “You are nothing but a piece of metal on the road to other people when you are on a motorcycle. They don’t care about you. If you don’t feel good, don’t get on them. Stay home,” he said.
Roberts said the classes are offered at Appleton every weekend.
“I officially became a coach in 2011. I can … license people, we do the test, the written test and it’s all state of Tennessee-sanctioned,” he said. “I can take a complete beginner and make them a rider before the weekend is over.”
Roberts advises everyone to take a class. “You can go down to the DMV, pass your written test, and then drive around the block and pass your driver’s test, but that does not make you a motorcyclist,” he said.
For information on motorcycle safety classes, go to the Appleton Harley-Davidson website or call 888-825-3728.
Increasing rate of accidents
Beaubien provided statistics for the last two years, and it shows the number of crashes is increasing. In 2021, there were 124 motorcycle crashes; 75 crashes with injury; 84 people injured, and 4 fatalities.
He said that already in 2022, with four months still remaining, there have been 97 crashes, 60 crashes with injury, 74 people injured, and 6 fatalities.
Massey said he would like to see more police involvement.
“I have seen very few motorcycle riders pulled over for excessive speeding,” he said. “Maybe if there was more involvement from the city to put pressure on riders to decrease speeding, (that) might help.”