MEDIA RELEASE

Christie Administration Wraps Up "Share the Road" Motorcycle Safety Campaign with a Riding Experience at the Jersey Shore

Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC), Highway and Traffic Safety (HTS), and Division of Travel and Tourism Promote Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month

(TINTON FALLS) – The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) today teamed up with the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism and the Division of Highway Traffic Safety to make one last push towards encouraging car and motorcycle drivers to safely share the road at an event at Jersey Shore Premium Outlets® where shoppers were invited to experience a stationary motorcycle that simulates the look and feel of riding. 

Harley-Davidson® of Long Branch provided the JUMPSTART Rider Experience™ for participants to gain a new perspective on riding a motorcycle. The event was also an opportunity for those in attendance to obtain important safety information from organizations including the MVC, the Division of Highway Traffic Safety, and the Tinton Falls Police Department.

"We know that as the summer season begins, more and more riders are taking to the roads," said MVC Chairman and Chief Administrator Raymond P. Martinez. "Whether you are enjoying our great state on two wheels or four, we want everyone to keep safety and responsibility at the forefront."

According to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), U.S. motorcycle fatalities are projected to have decreased in 2013, according to a new analysis of preliminary data released earlier this month. This will be only the second time since 1997 that such a decrease will be reported.  All 50 states, and the District of Columbia, provided preliminary motorcyclist fatality counts to GHSA for the first nine months of the year.

New Jersey reported 44 fatalities through the end of September 2013, compared to 65 at the same point in 2012. However, motorcycle fatalities in the Garden State have been rather unstable in the last reported decade: the highest number of fatalities (99) occurred in 2006 while the lowest number (57) occurred in 2003.

At the end of 2013, there were 326,714 New Jersey residents who were licensed to ride a motorcycle.

"New Jersey will follow the national trend of falling motorcycle crash fatalities, but the Division of Highway Traffic Safety is urging both riders and motorists to take extra care during the summer months to ensure the trend of tragedies continues in the right direction, "said Gary Poedubicky, Acting HTS Director.

The “Share the Road” advertising campaign that began earlier this month features a commercial previously produced by the MVC and Tourism, as well as English and Spanish print ads in major newspapers, on the backs of NJ Transit buses and in kiosks along the Atlantic City boardwalk. Each piece features the URL www.njridesafe.org which directs the public to a number of motorcycle-related resources including information regarding the state’s approved not-for-profit and for-profit Motorcycle Safety Education Program providers throughout the state.

"The campaign is a unique opportunity for the MVC to put a different spin on our ongoing efforts to ensure that drivers of all vehicles safely share the road with the 151,000 motorcycles utilizing New Jersey's roadways," said Martinez.

"Another fun-filled summer season is upon us and as visitors enjoy our 130 miles of beaches, boardwalks and the only beachfront gaming on the East Coast, it is important that we also include a cautionary message of safety," said Grace Hanlon, Executive Director of the state’s Division of Travel and Tourism.

"At Jersey Shore Premium Outlets, we enjoy hosting thousands of shoppers visiting the Jersey Shore and we know how busy the roads in the area can be! We are pleased to have been selected to help spread awareness of the importance of safely sharing the roads," said Christopher Cobb, General Manager.

For more information about New Jersey’s motorcycle safety efforts, please visit www.njridesafe.org.