WESTPORT — With the toll of fatal motorcycle accidents on the rise, police are highlighting the need for more attention to safety during “Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month” in May.

The litany of injuries and death suffered by motorcyclists is stark, according to officials.

Motorcyclists are about 29 times more likely than people in cars to die in a crash and four times more likely to be injured, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports.

In Connecticut, a yearly average of more than 50 motorcyclists are killed on the road, according to a statement issued by police. 

But in 2021, the death toll spiked to 68 motorcycle fatalities across the state, police said, the highest number in more than 30 years.

During May, Westport police are highlighting the motorcycle safety campaign in conjunction with the state Department of Transportation, Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, Department of Motor Vehicles and Connecticut Police Chiefs Association.

Police and transportation officials issued the following tips for drivers — motorcyclists and all others — in an effort to promote greater safety on the roads:

• Check blind spots. Motorcycles are smaller than other vehicles and can be difficult to spot while merging or changing lanes.

• Be cautious when passing. Use turn signal to indicate plans to pass a motorcyclist, and make sure to be several car lengths ahead of a motorcycle before returning to a lane. 

• Intersections are danger zones. Many accidents between automobiles and motorcycles occur at intersections.

• Watch for turning motorcycles. Self-cancelling turn signals did not become standard on motorcycles until the late-1970. Many still on the road do not have that now-standard equipment.

For additional tips and more information about motorcycle safety, go here.