WHEREAS, the safe operation of a motorcycle requires training, use of good judgment, and thorough knowledge of traffic laws and licensing requirements; and

WHEREAS, most motorists are unaware that the majority of motorcycle crashes with another motor vehicle take place on local roads with speed limits between 35 mph and 55 mph; and

WHEREAS, the “Motorcyclists are Hard to See. Look Twice. Save a Life.,” a public education campaign lead by motorcyclists through the Motorcycle Safety and Education Fund, is in its fourth year of raising public awareness about vehicle-motorcycle crashes and the ways to prevent them; and

WHEREAS, it is the responsibility of all motorcycle operators to ensure that they have the proper skills, training, education, endorsements, and equipment to keep our roads safe; and

WHEREAS, during this month, we raise awareness of motorcycle operator safety education, training, and programs, and we encourage all drivers to "Look Twice" and drive defensively and cautiously in order to reduce motorcycle-vehicle collisions and save lives;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Janet T. Mills, Governor of the great State of Maine, do hereby proclaim the month of May 2022 as

Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month

and I urge all motorists to be aware of motorcycles on the roadways and recognize the importance of motorcycle safety.

In testimony whereof, I have caused the Great Seal of the State to be hereunto affixed GIVEN under my hand at Augusta this tenth day of May Two Thousand Twenty-Two