Law enforcement officials are investigating several motorcycle crashes in the Tri-State this week, including two that involved a fatality.
Joshua Delvecchio of Batavia died in a crash Monday. Ohio State Highway Patrol said he lost control of his motorcycle, driving off the side of the road and crashing into a concrete culvert. He was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, but was pronounced dead at the scene. OSHP data shows motorcycle crashes are down so far this year compared to this time in years past.
In 2021, from Jan. 1 to April 10, there were 63 crashes involving motorcycles in Southwest Ohio. That number fell to 56 for the same time period in 2022 and 49 so far this year.
The trend is the same statewide.
Rick Smith has been riding motorcycles for decades and teaching others for more than 15 years.
"I have had many times where people just like switch lanes over and don't even realize that you're there," he said.
Smith said he's been lucky enough to have never been in a serious crash, but he knows others who aren't as lucky.
"I know a few people that's died, just ran off the road into a telephone pole or something like that," he said.
He said this is why he works as a training course instructor, to teach people how to avoid these types of situations.
"The profile of a motorcycle is a lot smaller than a vehicle so it's not something that's going to stick out to you quite as much as a vehicle would," said Ohio State Highway Patrol Sgt. Tyler Ross.
That's why officials ask drivers to pay extra attention to their surroundings, especially when changing lanes, at stop signs or when turning.
"Give those motorcyclists a full lane of travel. Check your blindspots, check twice before you change lanes," Ross said.
Smith also recommends motorcyclists do what they can to make themselves visible.
"The way to be a cool motorcyclist is to wear all black leather, a black helmet and a black bike and that's the cool way to do it," he said. "But you can do something as simple as putting a reflective sticker on the back of your bike."
It's also important to be as protected as possible in case you do get into a crash.
"The biggest thing is to wear protective equipment. Unfortunately, a lot of these crashes that we see, especially fatal crashes, over 70% of them are not wearing a helmet," Ross said.
As warmer weather continues, OSHP expects to see more motorcyclists on the roads, making safety important for everyone to keep in mind.
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