Utah motorcycle deaths double over same time last year
May 3, 2018, 12:07 PM
SANDY – The Utah Dept. of Public Safety reports 10 motorcycle deaths in the first four months of 2018, double the amount over the same time last year.
Riders like Peter Ballantine, 67, are begging each other to be safer. He remembers crashing and burning in Jackson, Wyoming in 2012.
“My bike exploded with the tank cracking open, pouring gasoline all over the bike and me,” Ballantine said. “That set me on fire.
But he had no pain, except for telling his wife after the crash.
“I promised her I would never ride at night,” Ballantine said. “That’s what really hurt.”
The North Salt Lake man credits a helmet and protective riding clothing for saving his life.
CEO Vance Harrison of Harrison Eurosports in Sandy urges motorcyclists old and new to take safety courses.
They’ll learn “how to take the turn the right way, how to break through a turn, and how to do it safely,” Harrison said.
“That’s what we see the most. People not understanding that skill and taking turns too fast.”
There are classes, with 35% discounts on tuition, for beginners all the way to advanced riders:
● Harley Davidson Riding Academy
○ Code: ZERO35
● SLCC Rider Education (depending on course)
○ Code: ZFbeginner
○ Code: ZFreturning
○ Code: ZFadvanced
○ Code: ZFexperienced
● Utah Rider Education
○ Code: ZERO35
● Utah SportBike Association (advanced)
● Riders Edge
● Dixie State College
