May 6th, 2013
ALBION – Riders from across western New York traveled through
Orleans County Sunday to note both the launch of motorcycle season and a
rumbling reminder for drivers to be attentive of their two-wheeled
brethren.
The riders who assembled at the Orleans County Chapter of American Bikers Aimed Toward Education of New York’s annual Motorcycle Safety & Awareness Rally have spent countless years and endless miles on the rural and scenic highways of western New York.
That experience has fostered a deep love of the open road and concerns about the potential for accidents caused by inattentive drivers.
“There’s two types of riders – those who have been in an accident or had a close call, and those who will be,” Orleans County ABATE Chapter President Dale Graff said while walking through the line-up outside the Orleans County Courthouse in Albion.
For Steve Popovich, that reality hit last August. Popovich, the treasurer of the newly-formed Genesee County ABATE Chapter, said he was traveling along Lewiston Road on his way to work when he was rear-ended and dragged more than 200 feet by a speeding pick-up truck.
“I could feel the wind through the tires,” said Popovich, whose ankles, but not his desire to ride, were broken in the crash. “There’s a freedom on the road that to us is a God-given right ... I can’t let it be taken away.”
The nine-member Genesee County ABATE Chapter is one of more than 20 chapters across the state promoting motorcycle safety, rider education and public awareness. Chapter President Bill Engelhardt said they hope to hold a rally in Elba later this year.
“People get a totally different sense when there’s a hundred motorcycles instead of just one, they get awed by the thundering sound,” Popovich said.
The pack of motorcyclists rumbled out of Albion’s downtown after a brief rally and headed out on a 50-mile trek that wound through isolated farmland, populated villages and scenic lakeside highways before ending at the Medina VFW.
The Orleans County ABATE Chapter has hosted the rally for more than 20 years, bringing together a community of motorcycle clubs. Fran Abrams said the county’s motorcycle population continues to grow.
“There’s more motorcycles on the road, and a lot more female operators,” Abrams said. “The popularity of the sport has increased.”
ABATE members said reminding motorists to “Look Twice Save A Life” is an annual responsibility driven by the re-emergence of riders each spring.
“Drivers are not used to seeing motorcycles on the road and it’s hard to judge where we area and what speed we’re going,” Erie County ABATE President Pete Campanella said.
For more information about the Genesee County Chapter of ABATE, contact Engelhardt at 585-815-9945.
