Motorcycle class teaches driver safety

Summertime means a lot of people are getting out on the road. However, no matter where you’re traveling there will be all types of drivers and riders.

Over the weekend, there were at least three separate car crashes. One in Monument left a pedestrian dead. Now, a training program at Motorcycle Academy in Chapel Hills Mall, is teaching drivers firsthand about safety.

According to C-DOT, in 2013, 24 percent of car crashes happened because of distracted driving. They say distracted driving can be texting or eating while driving, it doesn’t just mean talking on your phone.

Any kind of distracted driving is dangerous, especially to pedestrians. When it comes to motorcycles, the training academy says they know firsthand the importance of safety.

The 15-hour course teaches the basics of riding a motorcycle with the ultimate goal of students receiving a license.

Leslie Downing-Larson has taught motorcycle safety for more than 10 years and say’s it’s something you can’t practice enough.

“Make sure and do more than one head check; make sure and check intersections even if the light is green make sure that someone else isn’t running the light and make sure there isn’t a risk for an accident,” said Downing-Larson.

C-Dot says they see a spike in car crashes in the summertime. Teenagers are more likely to be involved in fatal distracted driving cases.