Whether you've been riding for years, or have just decided to get your motorcycle license or endorsement, you have your reasons for being attracted to motorcycles.

The thrill of riding down the highway with nothing between you and the road but the bike; the exhilarating feeling of wind whipping at you; the adrenaline rush you get every time the engine roars―these are just a few of the reasons riders trade in their safety belts for helmets.

Yet, helmets are not enough. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motorcycle rider fatalities now account for 11 percent of total fatalities .This staggering number dramatically affects the overall highway fatality rate. With motorcycle rider fatalities on a rise, USDOT Secretary Mary E. Peters just announced a renewed focus on reducing motorcycle crashes, and the ensuing injuries and deaths. Secretary Peters unveiled the new 2007 Motorcycle Action Plan, public service announcement, and motorcycle crash report. Please See press release on Friday, November 2, 2007 : U.S. Transportation Secretary Peters Announces Broad New Effort to Reduce Motorcycle Fatalities – Releases a Public Service Announcement on Her Personal Crash Survival.

Is it any surprise then that so many states require persons seeking to obtain their motorcycle licenses or endorsements to take a basic motorcycle safety course?

Since crashes can happen to anyone, all motorcyclists, regardless of age and experience, should consider taking a motorcycle safety or training course even if it's not required by the state in which they live. These courses are designed to help keep you from becoming a motorcycle safety statistic.

The statistics come rolling in at the end of each year. Number trained, number passed, number failed. Number requesting state benefits for the course, crash statistics gone up, crash statistics gone down. Fatalities dropping, fatalities rising. Proponents of the program utilize the statistics to prove the worthiness of the program and opponents of the program use the statistics to prove the worthlessness of the course. Statistics used by all sides to prove their specific perspective and so, the statistical war rages on.

But here at MANYS we have one goal - SAFETY THROUGH EDUCATION. And here is our new tool in our arsenal to reduce fatalities: the newly redesigned MANYS web site. This web site was developed as part of our information technology initiative – eMANYS. We will bring more educational material to the students, using the power of the Internet. Additionally, we are planning to host safety forums and classes on-line. Because the majority of our students are an Internet generation, we will pursue all online options aggressively.

So then, where does this leave us? It leaves us knowing that, statistics or no statistics, what we teach saves lives if applied properly, but it can't be applied properly if what we teach is not practiced. Thus, with this final most important bit of information to our students, we go home knowing if our students practice, we have saved lives.

Mike Melis, President