Number of motorcycle riders up, need for helmet use has increased. This due mainly to the high price of gas and people are seeking to cut their transportation costs. Riding a motorcycle or even one of the new mopeds is a great way to lower your fuel expenses dramatically. Filling up an SUV will cost you well over one hundred dollars while filling up a motorcycle with gas costs ten to twelve dollars plus your motorcycle will get anywhere between 70 to 120 miles per gallon depending on the size of the motorcycle and how heavy handed you are with the throttle. Your typical SUV or car is going to return about 12 to the mid twenties in miles per gallon so it does not take a math genius to figure out the huge savings riding a motorcycle will deliver. If you are new to the sport of riding a motorcycle on the street I would strongly urge you to take a motorcycle riders safety course and join a motorcycle club or group. Group members will be an invaluable source of information for you and can give you many safety tips and advice. Always wear a quality motorcycle helmet and other protective gear when riding your motorcycle on the street. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and this is very true in the great sport of motorcycle riding.

 
 The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says the number of motorcycles on the roads is growing.  At about 7 to 8 thousand more registered every year for the last three years. But whether you're hitting the road on a chopper or a car, safety is key. In Kentucky, you don't have to take a safety course to get a permit or a license to drive a motorcycle. But to buy a motorcycle, you don't need a safety course or even a license.  But dealers say, most people do both. The number of fatal motorcycle collisions on motorcycles this year in Kentucky is down by about 38-percent this year from last. Of the 43 people killed on motorcycles in Kentucky so far this year, about half were not wearing helmets.

Riders under the age of 21 must wear a helmet on the roads, but those over 21, don't have to.   
About 96-thousand motorcycles were registered in the state of Kentucky last year. Kentucky State Police say they encourage everyone who registers and takes the test, to also take one of those safety courses.