"Rider Alert" motorcycle program, popular in U.K., starts in Virginia

OFF THE WIRE
News - General News
By Times-Dispatch Staff
RICHMOND, Va. --A motorcycle safety initiative made popular in Great Britain was launched Tuesday in Richmond in a move designed to save the lives of Virginia's 100,000 registered motorcycle riders.
The Richmond Ambulance Authority and Bon Secours Virginia Health Systems announced the official start of the "Rider Alert" program in partnership with Motorcycle Virginia Inc.
Motorcyclists who participate are provided a free Rider Alert card that contains their personal emergency contact and medical information in the event of a crash. The cards are kept inside the lining of riders' helmets and come with a 1-inch round sticker placed outside the helmet to alert emergency responders of the card.
The sticker also warns bystanders not to remove the rider's helmet, which could cause further injury.
The RAA modeled the program on an initiative in Great Britain known as "CRASH Card," developed two years ago by that country's Ambulance Motorcycle Club. More than 325,000 cards have been distributed to riders across Europe since then, officials said.
"Motorcycle accidents and fatalities are on the rise in Virginia," Rob Lawrence, chief operating officer of the RAA, said in a prepared statement. "This card is born out of experience – it has been designed by paramedics who have been on both sides of an accident. This small tool could mean the difference between life and death."
Rider Alert cards are available at the RAA, designated fire-rescue stations in Chesterfield and New Kent counties, nine cycle shops in central Virginia and through local members of the Virginia Motorcycle Dealers Association. The cards can also be accessed on the program's website at http://www.rideralert.org/.
"There are more than 100,000 registered motorcycle riders in Virginia, and we will use our resources to get the Rider Alert card into as many of their hands as possible," Steve Witmer, corporate director of Motorcycle Virginia, in a statement.
The Rider Alert program is poised for expansion in other parts of the U.S., officials said. "Fort Worth, Texas, looks to be the next market to roll out Rider Alert," Lawrence said.