NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee is kicking off Motorcycle Awareness Month in an effort to decrease traffic accidents and deaths.
A Friday kickoff to the campaign is scheduled to take place at Opry Mills in Nashville on Friday, featuring Kendell Poole, director of the Governor's Highway Safety Office, Transportation Commissioner John Schroer and Col. Tracy Trott, the commander of the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
More than 2,800 motorcyclists crashed last year, resulting in 135 deaths. Since the beginning of this year, there have been 337 motorcycle crashes and 14 fatalities.
The motorcycle awareness campaign comes on the heels of the national Lifesavers National Conference on Highway Safety Priorities held at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel this week that focused on ways to further reduce the number of traffic fatalities each year.