Jon Fernholz has been riding motorcycles for almost three decades, since age 17, and puts about 8,000 miles on his bike each year in rallies or more frequently on the open road alone or with friends.
He also logs plenty of ride time at the throttle of the Tri-County Chapter of ABATE Minnesota. That’s the organization American Bikers for Awareness, Training and Education, which has been promoting education and highway safety since 1987. Fernholz has been chapter president since 2016.
The Cologne resident lately has been out promoting May as Motorcycle Safey and Awareness Month as bikers take to the roads again in larger numbers. The city of Cologne recently joined communities and counties across Minnesota in recognizing the month to promote education and training to improve highway safety.
There were more than a thousand collisions involving motorcycles in Minnesota in 2023 resulting in 962 injuries and 67 fatalities, according to the Department of Public Safety. While motorcycle fatalities last year were down 20 percent from 2022, the numbers have been trending upward in recent years.
Excessive speeds, impaired and distracted driving and lack of protective gear were contributing factors in many accidents. In more than 40 percent of incidents, so were unendorsed ridership and limited experience or lack of training, according to Fernholz and state safety officials.
ABATE’s position is that safer motorcycling, reducing accidents and fatalities can be best accomplished by education and training of both motorcyclists and the public, Fernholz said. Also, that skill of the rider is an important determining factor in preventing crashes that lead to injury and death.
The organization sponsors training for new riders to earn a motorcycle license, and advanced training for experienced riders to build crash-avoidance skills, learn bike maintenance and more. ABATE also has a young riders scholarship program. It issued more than $25,000 in scholarships to nearly 100 young people over the past year to pay for the cost of attending rider training courses, according to Fernholz.
Through its Share the Road program, ABATE also educates students, senior citizens, and service groups on motorist awareness of motorcycles.
Fernholz emphasizes that motorcycles can go undetected in drivers’ blind spots and that motorcyclists lack the protection of an enclosed vehicle, so are significantly more vulnerable in accidents.
Many Minnesotans call the time from Memorial Day to Labor Day the 100 best days of the year. But they can also be the 100 deadliest days for motorists, so ABATE and safety officials are encouraging awareness not just in May but throughout the year.
The Tri-County Chapter of ABATE serves and includes riders from Cologne and neighboring communities. For more information, contact Jon Fernholz at 952-649-0581 or via email at education@abatemn.org for more information.
In addition to proving motorcycle safety and awareness training, ABATE promotes the positive aspects of motorcycling, provides information resources, and advocates for motorcyclists through the political process on various issues. Some ABATE chapters, including Tri-County, also have a bear buddy program which involves the purchase of teddy bears for local first responders to give to kids in traumatic situations.
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