Gearing up for motorcycle safety month

JOHNSTOWN -- The weather is warming up and that means more motorcycles on the roads.

And Saturday, Zepka's Harley Davidson in Johnstown held an open house for motorcycle safety awareness.

There was a pretty steady flow of motorcyclists who came to the event.

Motorcycle safety month starts Monday and Saturday's event is helping to kick it off.

The loud roar of a motorcycle engine is a familiar sound to those at Zepka's Harley Davidson,

but a lot of people at the dealership want other drivers to recognize it too -- as more motorcycles are hitting the road.

"It's a good thing to get out and to refresh everybody after a long winter of motorcycles being on the road,” said Todd Bridges, president of Cambria County ABATE. “And being able to see, for people to look for motorcycles more this time of the year."

On Saturday afternoon, behind the long line of motorcycles, many bikers learned about safety programs and training available.

"We're kicking off motorcycle safety month, which starts May 1,” said Dan Zakraysek, with the Cambria County Allegheny Regional Highway Safety Network. “We want people to be aware of more motorcycles being on the road. We want the motorcycles to be aware of safety features, to make sure they have their lights on, on their bikes, and that they're cognizant of their surroundings."

Karen Hanchett, a coach with the Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program, says it's important to sharpen your skills every year.

"As riders get older as well, they don't realize that some of their skills might be detrimental to them,” Hanchett said. “In other words, they might have picked up poor skills from the season before or over the years and they need to come back and be reminded that that's not the best way to do it."

And many of the organizations represented said they want to promote safety not only for bike riders, but also for others on the road.

"Our safety is the most important thing out here,” said Rosemary Gindlesperger, treasurer of Cambria County ABATE. “We're on two wheels. The others are on four wheels. Just watch out for us."

If you're looking to brush up on your skills, click here to find the nearest free class through the Motorcycle Safety Program.

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