CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED ROUTINE R 261811Z MAY 22 MID200001750717U FM SECNAV WASHINGTON DC TO ALNAV INFO SECNAV WASHINGTON DC CNO WASHINGTON DC CMC WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS ALNAV 032/22 MSGID/GENADMIN/SECNAV WASHINGTON DC/-/MAY// SUBJ/MOTORCYCLE SAFETY MONTH// RMKS/1. May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. This month is an occasion to highlight our efforts to ensure our Sailors and Marines have the training, programs, and support to ride safely. However, safety requires vigilance, and it is important that throughout the Department of the Navy (DON) we maintain a steady focus on motorcycle safety. During my time as Secretary of the Navy, I have prioritized motorcycle safety by monitoring monthly updates, learning from military/civilian comparative studies, and directing initiatives to highlight motorcycle safety, to include visual displays at installations throughout the country. To put the gravity of this matter in context, to date in Fiscal Year 2022, the DON has lost seven Sailors and six Marines due to motorcycle mishaps. These tragic losses impact families, friends, and units; they also impact readiness, mission, and our naval forces as a whole. Motorcycles are fun and efficient to operate, but not without risk, and there is a necessity for greater awareness of driving conditions, surroundings, and adherence to the rules of the road. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), motorcycle -related deaths accounted for 14 percent of total highway fatalities in 2020. Additionally, motorcyclists were 28 times more likely than a vehicle occupant to die in a motor vehicle accident and 4 times more likely to be injured. These statistics demonstrate that strict adherence to the rules of the road is a must to operate safely. This May, DOT is leading four major campaigns on motorcycle safety, including: Motorist Awareness of Motorcycles - focusing on helping motorists understand standard driving behaviors and to learn how to drive safely around motorcycles on our roadways. Ride Sober or Get Pulled Over - focusing on impaired riding prevention. Rider Safety - focusing on the ways that motorcyclists can increase their riding safety. Share the Road - focusing on promoting motorcyclist awareness and safety to both motorcycle riders and motor vehicle drivers. There is additional information available for each of these campaigns on the DOT website, and I encourage leaders, unit Motorcycle Safety Representatives, and each individual Sailor, Marine, and civilian to leverage available training and awareness information: https://www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov/get-materials /motorcycle-safety. Similarly, the DON has robust resources, and I urge each member of our community to become familiar with and make full use of the motorcycle safety programs articulated in DON policy (OPNAVINST 5100.12J/MCO 5100.29C). Our resources include training, personal protective equipment standards, rider educational training programs, mentorship, and other requirements and guidelines for riding safely. Within the Secretariat, the Assistant Secretary for Energy, Installations and Environment is our home for safety. The Commandant of the Marine Corps, Safety Division also has dedicated resources for riders at https ://www.safety.marines.mil. Likewise, the Naval Safety Command provides safe riding information under the Safety Promotions and Resources tabs at the following website: https://navalsafetycommand.navy.mil/Resources/Motorcycle -Rider-Down-Reports-Newsletters/. As a Department, we are taking motorcycle safety seriously, and I encourage everyone at all levels to do the same. Now is the time to reinforce basic riding fundamentals coupled with mature decision-making. As the weather improves and the riding season approaches, I expect that leadership at all levels will observe May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month and dedicate appropriate time, energy, and resources to highlight the possible dangers, and, more importantly, the mitigations to keep our personnel safe on their motorcycles. 2. Released by the Honorable Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the Navy.// BT #0001 NNNN CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED