Hughes Springs Proclaims May as Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month

Leather jackets and Jesus. Tattoos and the New Testament. Bibles and saddlebags. It could be said that these are terms one might not expect to see in the same place. However, the Iron Apostles Motorcycle Ministry is all about faith, patriotism, personal freedom and the open road. IAMM members David MacKay and Randy Loewen, both of Omaha, were on hand at the regular meeting of the Hughes Springs City Council April 19 to witness Mayor Reba Simpson proclaim May as Motorcycle Safety and Awareness month.

The proclamation reads, in part, that motorcyclists are more prone to injury in a crash than other vehicle drivers, and that safety campaigns have helped to reduce motorcycle-related risks. The primary message of Motorcycle Safety and Awareness is to urge vehicle drivers to take extra care to be aware of motorcyclists, and for everyone to afford each other the mutual respect they deserve on the road.

“The more support we get,“ Mr. MacKay explained, “the more ‘Share the Road’ signs TxDot will put up.” Share the Road is the Texas Department of Transportation’s motorcycle safety and public awareness campaign, which urges motorists to look twice for motorcycles at intersections and when changing lanes. According to TxDot, these are the two places where serious motorcycle collisions commonly occur. Because motorcycles have a much smaller profile than other vehicles, it can be difficult for drivers to judge the speed and distance of an approaching motorcycle. As a result, says TxDot, drivers involved in crashes with motorcycles often say they never saw the motorcyclist or -- once they did see it -- were unable to react in time to avoid the crash. TxDot reports that approximately 49 percent of motorcyclists who died in 2014 were riding in rural areas of the state.

Members of IAMM are currently visiting city and county meetings throughout the state seeking support for the May safety campaign. It appears they are following, quite literally, the bible verse as emblazoned on the back of their weather-worn jackets: “Mark 16:15. Then Jesus said to them go into every part of the world. Tell the good news to everyone.”